Active Parent Sheun Ming - Football Academy

“I recall the happiest moments in my parenthood were the times when our children demonstrated belief in themselves, persevered and achieved their goals independently. My favourite memories are of them scoring their first football goal, swimming their first lap, and riding their bike the first time on two wheels! What tops that would be their spontaneous declaration of love towards us in the midst of their happiness in those achievements, validating our encouragement efforts and aspirations of them being the best version of themselves.

To me, being an Active Parent means being a positive role model for our children. It involves being consistent with what we say and what we actually do – we can't preach to our children and encourage them to be active but we  sit at home all day watching the television or being glued to our phones!

During Circuit Breaker (CB), my family continued to stay active by cycling and walking around our neighbourhood to get our regular dose of fresh air and exercise. We did some family cooking and baking at home too. Not only did the children enjoy the preparation and eating, they also participated in the actual baking and cleaning. To inject some sense of adventure, we pitched an indoor tent to have picnics inside the home! With the easing CB measures, we started to head back to the nature parks such as Jurong Lake Gardens, Bukit Batok Nature Reserve and Gardens by the Bay. We usually cycle and scoot at the parks, hike and play tag with the kids in the open areas.

Now that the ActiveSG Football Academy has resumed training sessions, we have also started to get back to the routine of sport for our children, which they miss so much! The most memorable moment for me was when after just a couple of months of football lessons, Ryan, 4, was able to develop his interest in football and pick up footballing skills from his awesome coaches at the academy and match the older kids' speed and dribbling skills to score goals! These are the moments that make weekends extra special for us. 

We would like to convey our special thanks to the football coaches from the Jurong East team led by Head Coach Nahar: Syed Zulfizam, Supaat Aziz, Naufal Firas & Riduan Kassim, who are very professional, engaging, passionate and patient in making the kids' football journey a fun-filled one!

Through football, Ryan has also shown his development in motor skills and self-confidence in all aspects. We also convey our unconditional love, pride and belief in Ryan and his siblings through encouragements, and in turn they display reciprocal actions and behaviours, which strengthens our family bond!

Like many things, Active Parenting is a journey. The destination is set with purpose, sustained through continuous learning, experimentation, improvement and love. Who we become together with our children along the journey is as important as what values and benefits an active lifestyle brings to our children.”

Sheun Ming is a dad to 3 children, aged 5, 4 and 2 years old. 4-year-old son Ryan regularly participates in the ActiveSG Football Academy. In his free time, Sheun Ming enjoys a multitude of different sports and has gradually evolved into marathon running and cycling.