Six Hong Kong Dads Tell Us the Best Things About Fatherhood
We always remember the greatness of motherly love: they do physically bring us into the world, but let’s not forget that dads are one half of the equation too. In honor of Father’s Day, we talk to six Hong Kong dads for their insights about parenting.
Roger De Leon, 33, designer/restaurateur/DJ.
Father to a 3-year-old boy.
What does the role of dad entail? Creativity. It's really important to keep things interesting and fun. Hong Kong can be a difficult place to keep kids entertained (for cheap), so a big part of being a parent is scoping out the best parks and patches of grass to hang out at.
How does that differ from mom’s role? It's really a team effort, but mom is much better at planning and keeping things scheduled. I'm more of an off-the-cuff, deal-with-it-when-we-need-to sort of parent. I don't think those roles are intrinsic to every mom and dad though, they are more personality traits.
What's the best lesson you’ve learned about being a dad? Patience. It's very easy to react to a child. If they do something “wrong,” your first response may be to yell at them. But it's important to realize they are constantly learning, and trying to differentiate between right and wrong. So a lot of it is them testing the waters and looking for a reaction. If you get upset every time things don't go according to plan, everyone's going to be tense.
What do you wish for Father's Day? We normally keep things pretty simple on these sorts of holidays. Maybe a nice brunch or home-cooked meal just to show appreciation to the other parent for their hard work.
