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My preteen daughter was singing the other day, when my wife called her attention. My wife pointed out that the lyrics of the song seemingly don’t align with our family values and principles. The song was about pretending to be good to get what she wants, to get what she thinks she deserves. Our immediate reaction as parents was to tell her not to sing such a song.

Today, we consume a great amount of social media, and we do not expect it to lessen anytime soon, maybe never. As we survey through the different social media platforms, we can see what others have been doing, where they are now, and what kind of life they have been living. With so much information, it is becoming more and more difficult for us to avoid comparing what we are seeing with what we have been doing. Not only do we compare ourselves with our friends and colleagues, we are also exposed to a new breed of individuals whom we feel are having such a great gig: the travel vloggers, the e-sports professionals, and the social media influencers. Heck, we even dream of our kids having their own YouTube channels with millions of subscribers. All these information we are seeing every day are affecting how we are scrutinizing our own lives.

I was hanging out at an ice skating rink over the weekend, when I noticed this little girl, not older than six, walking back to whom I presumed to be her dad. There was no smile on her face. Her heavy feet, still with her ice skates on, were clunking as they alternately hit the floor. I remembered seeing this girl a while ago. Every time she was on the rink, she would be at the edge, holding on to the railings unless she was holding on to someone else. In one instance, I saw her crying, with fear in her round, misty eyes.

I have been hearing a lot about time for the past several days—time that continues to pass us by regardless if we are ready or not. From the pastor’s sermon last Sunday to my drive-home conversations with my wife, these moments have contributed to my thoughts on time—thoughts that include what we sacrifice in our pursuit to “increase” our time.

Having three kids, my wife and I often grapple with questions on our fairness to them. Do our kids equally receive the love each of them deserves? Do we give them with the same amount of affection, time, and engagement? Do we play favorites? The quest for fairness is manifested in different ways, and is highlighted in different facets of our lives. We look for fairness in our families, in our schools, in our work, and in our society.

More than a year has passed since I wrote the article “Words Matter.” Through that article, I shared how my kids would play a game where their powers are determined by the words they utter. My then eight-year-old daughter, with her significantly superior vocabulary compared to her much younger sibling, can say a lot more. She can summon fire to melt ice, make flowers bloom to signify a new beginning, and surround herself with a force field to protect her from the attacks of her sister. Her sister, who was only three at that time, can only summon “Ice”! This little one got annoyed so much, because her limited words hindered her from being able to compete with her sister.

It has been a while since I last went out on a date with any of my daughters. My wife and I have committed to taking our kids out on dates, but circumstances have always hindered us from doing so consistently. A couple of weeks ago, I was finally out on a date with my second daughter, doing the things she likes to do, eating the food she wants to eat and, most importantly, neither allowing me nor the past choices of her older sister to influence her.

While waiting to board my 12-hour flight, I browsed the web through Hong Kong International Airport’s free internet stations. I searched “things to do in Amsterdam” in Google to give me an idea of what I can do in the city in my spare time. This is atypical. I normally have my itinerary all planned out, either because I am travelling with my wife—who is such a great organizer—or I had already planned out my trip due to excitement. That was not the case for this Amsterdam trip.