“For Jane's 10th birthday last year, she requested for a basketball-themed birthday party. We managed to form six teams amongst our invited family and friends’ guests to play 3v3 friendly matches during our very own Family Championship. I even made trophies for the top 3 teams and medals for the rest! It was a truly memorable and fun event for everyone then.
Her love for basketball makes me happy and proud as a parent. Once, Jane even beat her daddy during a 1v1 basketball game. She displayed confidence and was able to drive past him to take a shot with a 1.76m figure hovering over her. I was rewarded with her proud grin after scoring that shot. We are also immensely proud that she "walks the talk" by personifying ActiveSG Basketball Academy's three core values or honour, resilience and teamwork in her everyday role as a daughter, sibling and school team captain.
I try to be pro-active and present for my kids, and consistently plan weekend outdoor activities to bond as a family, so that it becomes intuitive to spend time together. I believe it is especially important now that most of us are overly attached to our mobile devices and laptops. As we entered Phase 2, we resumed our weekly outdoor family bonding activities such as hiking, playing basketball, kite flying, bird watching and picnics at the beach. The children also enjoy intertidal walks at the Sentosa coastal trail and interacting with nature in general.
Being an Active Parent has helped me prioritize work-life balance as I am cognisant of the precious time I have with my children before they grow up. I choose to be present for them every weekend, so that we can experience new adventures together and communicate better when we chit chat and laugh about the silly videos and photos I take."
Joanna Ng is a mother of 4 children, of which 2 of them regularly participate in the ActiveSG Basketball Academy programmes. She also enjoys running and Zumba in her free time.