Published: 2025-04-08
More than 3 years ago, our family started Froggy Freedom, a space for truth-telling, reflections, and gentle honesty about what really happens inside a family. It was an idea created through the family input in our Whatsapp safe space chat group that we agreed one can say whatever you want without consequences. We then held our weekly discussions to talk through them and it usually ends up with lots of emotions because the energy runs high.
Our daughter, Nina, who was 13 at that time took on the brave role of a writer and anchor for the blog because all of us felt that she was the best writer and she has since written 19 articles. Through her teenage lens, she unpacked the messy, beautiful, and sometimes painful realities of growing up, relating to parents, and navigating our little tribe of five.
Every article she wrote came from conversations around our dinner table, exchanges in the WhatsApp group chat or deep talks when things felt confusing or heavy. Sometimes, they end up really out of control with many parties walking away in anger. My wife, our youngest daughter, our son, and I all added our thoughts. But she was the brave one who gave it shape and shared it with the world.
Now, as she focuses on her exams (and rightfully so), I've decided to step in and continue because many have told us not to waste a good initiative and momentum. I am not here to change the spirit of Froggy Freedom, but to continue it from a parent's perspective.
I'm her dad, and I've lived every story she shared. I am just coming from the other side of the fence. What's staying the same is our mission to share our real experiences as a family, our moves, struggles, fights, healings, surprises, and stumbles so other families might feel a little less lonely.
Life has brought us through relocations from Shanghai (stayed there for 14 years) to being separated for 6 months when I went back to China before they shut the country down while my family were in Malaysia to Singapore (1.5 years) before we moved to Koh Samui and my son and myself to Bangkok (currently here for 1.5 years). We've wrestled with broken school systems, emotional meltdowns, cultural shifts, deep sibling love and rivalry, and parenting failures that taught us more than books ever could.
So from here on, I'll be writing weekly. Think of this as a continuation, not a reboot. Our stories are still unfolding. My hope is that what we share, truthfully and sincerely from our heart can be useful to you and your family too.
Stay with us. And if anything resonates, write to us. We're in this together!