Lifestyle

Enjoying time with son in the downturn


Freelance emcee Laurence Wong was flush with jobs in December last year and January this year.

But after the coronavirus outbreak prompted Singapore to raise its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) level to orange on Feb 7, work ground to a halt.

“I received 27 messages regarding cancelling or postponing shows and events I was due to emcee for, including two jobs in Sydney. Eventually those who asked for a postponement cancelled altogether,” says Mr Wong, 47.

He reckons he has lost about 10 jobs, worth up to $2,000 a gig.

At first, he worried about his wife bearing the burden of supporting the family. “As a husband, you still want to take the lead. But my wife said, ‘What is wrong with me holding the fort? We’ve always been a team.’

“I decided I was going to dedicate my time to my family. Once I knew that I could spend more time with my son, I became more calm,” says Mr Wong. He is married to a 35-year-old marketing manager and they have a son, seven-year-old Jayden.

Since then, father and son have been going cycling, enjoying arts and crafts, cooking and doing household chores together.

“Before Jayden goes to bed, we always talk until he falls asleep. Before, I would ask him to go to sleep quickly because I needed to work at my computer. Now, we have more time before bedtime,” he says.

While he has embraced staying at home, he is familiar with the negativity and stigma that stay-at-home dads face, even when they are working from home.

After he closed an events company and went freelance last year, people asked him: “Who’s wearing the pants at home now?” “I just replied that I was a parent who’s doing my best for my family,” he says.

He is also using this period of unemployment to upgrade himself, signing up for a digital marketing course and mentoring younger emcees.

He says: “When the rebound comes, will you be offering your clients the same as before or will you be offering them more? I’ve made a decision to see things positively.”





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