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MR RICHARD SEOW, 47, is chairman of Parkway Holdings, one of the region's leading private health-care service providers, with 16 hospitals and medical centres throughout Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, India and China.
An investment banker for over 16 years, he worked for big names such as Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. He left the industry to spend more time with his family, as well as to pursue other interests in sports and community work.
A star sprinter in his youth, he is chairman of the board of governors of Anglo-Chinese School and Republic Polytechnic, and a member of the Singapore Sports Council.
'Whether it's values, work ethic or sex education, you can't expect schools to take over. Don't outsource the fathering, don't let the Game Boy or the Xbox take away from the time the father should be spending with the child.'
Mr Seow
Q & A
How does one become a good father?
There's no one-size-fits-all approach, and I'm the first to admit I'm sometimes at a loss. It's important for families to get together to share ideas on what to do.
I subscribe to a website that gives me tips every day on things like when's the last time you had a good discussion with your child.
When it comes to fathering, you can go on autopilot sometimes. So we need reminders and guidance. Being there for your children is a start, whether it's at a school match or play, or sharing a meal.
Look for that work-life balance. You may not succeed every day, but you must strive to get it once a week. You need to have that fix with your family, that's the reason you work in the first place.
Is life a lot different for children today than it was in your time?
There's a lot more external stimuli, whether it's the mass media or the Internet. The educational environment has changed and school can be more intense and challenging.
Life can certainly be more complicated. There are a lot more distractions for the parents and the kids. Family meals and gatherings are not as common as they were when I was young.
What are some fathering tips?
Take regular holidays together. We do, and commemorate each trip with a book made up of photos taken on the trip.
We recently went to Sipadan in Malaysia, and we did a book. The cover was of a swirl of barracudas taken by one of my sons while he was scuba-diving. Inside are fun photos taken by all the family members.
Make time for regular meals at home, and use the time to get everyone to talk about their day. Exercise as a family...get healthy in the outdoors. Bond through religion. Worshipping together helps cement the moral foundations of your children.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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