Is it possible to make parenting easier?
For many years, Eric Lim worked in the IT industry. But when he was in his 30s, he felt that the life he lived did not align with the vision he had for himself or his family.
In 2004, when Eric became a parent, he had to navigate the challenges of parenthood and he realized that something had to change.
“I went to the beach. I sat down there and asked myself, ‘If I die today, what will I lose? What will I miss? And it came out to be, I would miss my family. I would not see my child grow up. My life [is like an] empty book [where the] pages are blank,” he recalls. “This is not the life I want. I do not want my book to be empty anymore.”
Eric and his wife were eager to find effective ways to raise their firstborn. They discovered Zhou Hong’s work on practical education methods, specifically “Appreciating Education,” which guides parents in their parenting journey. This evoked a paradigm shift in his perspective as a new parent at that time. Eric wanted to build on this framework and emulate this revolutionary concept in Singapore to create a movement that would help people like him who were also going through many personal challenges.
Rethinking parenting
“Lawrence [Chong] said, ‘Since you have so much experience in parenting and you are so passionate about parenting, why don’t you guys move into the parenting stuff?’ and eventually, the movement came up from the brainstorming and discussion,” Eric explains. “I told [Lawrence] that I want to expand […] at the fastest pace. And how can we do it? So we wanted to do a business transformation project.”
Inspired by the Economy of Communion (EoC), which pertains to a movement of building a united world through solidarity, gratuity, and reciprocity, Consulus served as a strategic partner for Eric to establish Parendigm (parenting + paradigm shift) with co-founder Grace Low. Consulus capacitated Parendigm in shaping its identity as well as developing a purpose statement that encapsulates the company’s drive to rethink the way parenting is done.
It is said that there is no manual to parenthood, and most of the time, parents learn as they go. It is in this reality that Parendigm was built to “serve the parents,” as the people behind the company believe that all parents should enjoy parenthood and their journey with their children.
To facilitate this journey, Parendigm utilizes conferences, courses, and books to “help parents to raise a joyful family.” Further, in his capacity as founder of Parendigm, Eric has published a best-selling book titled “Appreciating Your Child,” translated from a Chinese book, which was also adapted into a movie. He also authored “Parendigm – Rethinking Parenting, A Playbook for Creative Parenting” to support parents in their parenting journey.
Eric likened Parendigm to a ‘driver’s license’ that parents can utilize to better equip them with the tools needed to be effective parents. For him: “Why do we need a license to drive, but not one for parenting? Isn’t parenting a thousand times harder?”
“I have a friend who asked me, ‘Eric, if people go through your course, are you sure that they will not have issues with the kids?’ I say no, they may still have issues [with] the kids but at least now [they] have a formalized way of dealing with it. Imagine [if] every driver on the road doesn’t have a license. I think there [will be] more accidents on the road. [But] it doesn’t mean that you have a license, [there will be] no accidents on the road,” he shares.
Further, he believes that his life has turned a new leaf with this movement that rethinks the way parenting is perceived. “Fast forward [to] now, 18 years later, my book is no longer empty. My book is full of colors, and I have a story to tell,” Eric says.
He also aspires to find like-minded investors and companies to collaborate with to accelerate the movement and continue to reach more parents in Southeast Asia through technology, programs, and camps.
Today, Parendigm continues to empower parents with the faculties needed to deal with the difficulties of parenthood and “to help parents to raise a joyful family.”
About Parendigm
Parendigm is a movement that bridges and shapes the parenting knowledge gap in Southeast Asia. In the years to come, the organization seeks to reach a million parents through workshops, retreats, products, and technological initiatives to help parents in Singapore and Asia rediscover their own key to parenting.
About Consulus
Consulus is a global creative change firm serving persons, companies, and cities in their transfiguration for an Economy of Communion. Consulus believes that purpose and unity are essential for innovation and inclusive growth. Since 2004, Consulus has implemented systemic innovation solutions with multidisciplinary business and design capabilities throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. With a presence in 23 nations globally, Consulus believes in shaping an inclusive socio-economic system and is a member of the Economy of Communion (EoC) network.
