We never get time back, yet we get sucked into the hustle culture that prioritise work over time with kids. A 2012 study by Huggies Little Swimmers found 63% of parents wished they had done more activities with their kids, such as teaching them a sport, and more than two thirds said it was easy to forget their kids wouldn’t stay little forever. Top regrets from working parents include working too much, worrying too much about little things that didn’t matter, not playing with kids more, and not going on more holidays. That is a lot of parents with regret. Here are three truths that will help us remember what really matters.

Most parents’ biggest headache is dealing with misbehaving children, and often frustrations escalate as parents shout and punish yet see little improvement on mood tantrums. Peer influence, exposure to cartoons and video games can play a factor but may be difficult to avoid in the digital age, but underlying are other less spoken about reasons as to why children misbehave. Understanding the roots of misbehaviour and reframing our response will help lessen your exasperation and pave a better way to helping them make good choices.

Asian parenting is known to be strict, authoritative, and result oriented. This has much to do with centuries of striving in education and grooming for the formidable imperial exams, and more recently the tough Gaokao college entrance exam. Today, this striving has resulted in a highly anxious generation who base their self worth on academic outcomes, yet lack sound social emotional skills, not to mention rising suicide rates driven by perceived academic failures. How do we find balance while striving for high standards?

Many baby boomers still see millennials as the kids who are entitled and internet obsessed, and often raise an eyebrow at the family choices millennial parents make today. Today’s millennials are between the ages 26 and 41, and many make a point to raise their kids differently from their parents and grandparents.