JUNE 2016 26 EPOCH TIMES

DRAGONBOAT

FESTIVAL

By Epoch Times Staff

The month of June marks the rousing Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 9. Taking place every fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the festival arose from the death of the famous poet Qu Yuan (屈原), who threw himself into the Miluo River (汨罗江) because he could not save his beloved country from invasion by enemy forces. In search of Qu Yuan’s body, the people of Chu (楚) paddled out in their boats, beating drums and gongs to keep the fish from ravaging his body.

This legend has since evolved into dragon boat racing (龙舟赛), which has become a popular sport both in Singapore and around the world. Singapore’s many dragon boat teams have won several medals both here and abroad.

June also marks Father’s Day, which falls on June 19. To commemorate this special month, Epoch Times speaks to three fathers who are also active dragon boat paddlers, about the thrill of the sport and fatherhood.

Mr Lee Joon Kiat is a happy-go-lucky man. The civil engineer from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and volunteer at the Singapore Dragon Boat Association has three “brothers”.

The three “brothers” he is referring to are none other than his three grown-up sons: 23-year-old Lee Shihong, who is currently studying in Manchester; and 21-year-old Lee Shiwei and 19-year-old Lee Shihao, who are both serving their National Service.

Being the ‘Confinement Nanny’Joon Kiat’s face brightened up as he reminisced the times when his wife gave birth to their children.“When my wife gave birth to my three sons, I was in the deliv-

ery room to be with her. The nurse attached a diagnostic instru-ment to detect the foetal heart rate, and as the baby’s heart beat faster, we got excited as well,” he recollects.

His first son, Shihong, took about 16 hours to be delivered as his head “got stuck” and the obstetrician had to pull him out with a vacuum extractor. The minute Shihong came out, Joon Kiat and his wife were moved to tears. “A life came out. Holding him in my hands, I could feel the energy and the electricity run through my body,” he shares.“For every baby, it was the same feeling.”As Joon Kiat’s eldest and youngest sons were born around Chi-

nese New Year, he could not find a confinement nanny during the festive period. So how did he solve this problem? “I [was] the confinement nanny!” he quips.

He took two weeks’ leave and did the chores bathing and feed-ing the baby, to changing diapers — for all of his sons. For those two weeks, he would also be taking the night duties of caring for the baby too. These memories, which brought him closer to his three sons, are priceless to him.“There is no word to describe how enjoyable it can be [to be]

with your kids!” he says with a smile.

Wings From a Caring FatherSo did Joon Kiat get frustrated when the babies cried? The loving

father says, “Babies cry to strengthen their lungs, and the tears are to brighten their eyes. Crying is baby’s way of communicating that they have discomfort. I will check if it is feeding time or diaper is wet or soiled. If it is neither one, then, he probably needs some tender loving touch.”

He dedicated himself wholeheartedly to his sons. The doting fa-ther would be the first to rush home when his sons fell sick.

He opines that a father should be caring; in addition, he should spare no effort to motivate and guide his children. “Besides being caring and supportive, a good father has to be a fantastic listener too,” he says.

Children are highly stressed before their major national exami-nations. Some will try to conceal their distress and will be very quiet, while others try to act like everything is normal.

The devoted father said that during the examination periods, he would drive his sons to school and fetch them home every day without fail. His wife told him that “he is the best father ever”.“I am tired, but I must make sure that my sons are well taken

care of,” he stresses.Joon Kiat believes in focusing on his sons’ good side, as his par-

ents taught him that he should not always talk down to his sons. Moreover, he gives his sons wings to fly. He grants his sons space to develop themselves; he would give opinions, but will not inter-fere in what they do.

When Joon Kiat’s sons were in high school, they were into com-puter games and he felt out of touch. He wanted to understand, but his sons told him, “Never mind, you won’t understand.”

Despite the frustration, Joon Kiat did not stop them. Instead, he told them to manage their own time and inform him if they could not cope.

Holiday TripsJoon Kiat worked in China for three years, but he visited only a few places, as he would feel guilty if he did not bring his family along for sightseeing.

The Lee family loves travelling and their most memorable

THE DADS

BEHIND THE PADDLE

The Dad From the Singapore Dragon Boat Association:

LEE JOON KIAT—

GIVING HIS SONS WINGS

TO FLY

“There is nothing that moves a loving father’s soul quite like his

child’s cry.”

— Joni Eareckson Tada, American author, radio host, and founder of Joni and Friends

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