The weather is just too stunning to stay indoors these days, but you also don’t want to pay through the nose for admission tickets and add-on activities every time you leave the house, so here’s a roundup of some of our favorite parks in Beijing with playgrounds where kids can play for free!

Aegean Sea Park 爱琴海公园 (Ài qínhǎi gōngyuán)

Ground control to all space cadets! Situated within the 5th ring road, this space-themed playground is located in the Aegean Sea Park that offers free entry to all. You’ll find colorful rocket-looking structures for climbing, with slides, swings, and a sandpit as well. Beyond the playground, the wide-open spaces of the park are perfect for your child to bring their bicycle or skates, which other visitors have reported are permitted. The park is opposite the Ai Qin Hai Shopping Center so you can head to the mall after and grab a bite.

Address:
Dexian Road, Aegean Sea Shopping Gongyuan South 300m, Jiugong Area, Daxing District
大兴区旧宫地区德贤路爱琴海购物公园南300米

Guanzhuang Park 官庄公园 (Guān zhuāng gōngyuán) 

So long, farewell, zàijiàn, goodbye, sayonara, Auf Wiedersehen, take care, and safe travels! These are words I’ve needed to say a little too much lately, at an increasing number of farewell parties my family has had to attend. And if you’re reading this, you might be feeling the same thing we’ve been feeling.

Left behind.

It’s great that my family continues to enjoy good work opportunities in China, and I know some repatriating families would switch lives with us in a heartbeat. This is not what I’m writing about. I’m writing about losing the friendly and supportive community that we have built at the heart of our Beijing life over the last two years. I’m talking about friendship and connection, and how much of a toll it takes on us when we lose it.

My family’s made three international moves now, with a year to two-year stay at each destination. But I had never really bothered investing in a deep friendship with anyone around me. I came close once, with an amazing expat family in Indonesia that welcomed us with open arms. I still think of them fondly and try to keep up to date with how quickly their beautiful children are growing through photos on Instagram and Facebook. Truth be told though, I haven’t actually spoken to them in over a year.

This time, however, those departures are hitting a bit harder. Perhaps because I am the one being left behind, whereas previously I was the one doing the leaving. Or, perhaps, it’s simply because the people who left took a much bigger piece of my soul with them. Whatever the reason, it hasn’t been easy. And worst of all, this time, I’ve had to repeatedly remind my kid that so-and-so is no longer around for play dates, or watch him hug his friend when he does get to see them and hear him ask, “Are you leaving too?” with heartbreak in his voice. It’s there creeping up on me as well, that hollow feeling of loneliness. But I’m an adult, so I hold back the tears and make the promises we all make – to keep in touch and to not be a stranger.

But will we? Can we? With the busyness of our lives?

I say yes!

I think we should all make the effort to keep those promises of staying in touch. We certainly don’t have any excuses, what with social media apps and FaceTime technology available at our fingertips. We just have to get over ourselves and do it. Pick up that phone and call. That was one of my best friend’s tips since she relocated to Australia. She got tired of trying to coordinate calls around everyone’s schedules, and nobody remembers them anyway, or something invariably gets in the way. So she just picks up the phone and calls me whenever she feels like it. If I pick up, hurrah! If I don’t, no biggie. It’s been so nice to randomly hear my phone ring with a familiar face on the screen, rather than unknown numbers from delivery guys telling me my waimai arrived. Of course, please make sure you account for international time zones before you spontaneously dial.

If dialing isn’t your jam, you can always rely on video calling, which is available on practically every social media platform or device nowadays. I have a personal preference for Skype and WhatsApp Video, but there are so many options out there, just pick the one you and your friends are familiar with so there isn’t much fumbling around. If coordinating schedules across time zones is too challenging, you might want to check out the video walkie-talkie apps like Marco Polo, so you can have a “real” conversation “face to face” without the trouble (and lag) of live video calling.

There’s been a revival of letter-writing and sending mail in recent years, so why not hop on that bandwagon and start putting pen to paper! This is especially important for those of us with young ones who may have never (and perhaps will never) received mail. Let’s give them a slice of our childhood and teach them to write a proper letter, even if it’s just a postcard. I know that sending mail from China can be a bit of a chore, with varying degrees of success, but lo and behold, there are apps and online services that allow you to write and send a physical postcard or letter overseas! Check out former deputy managing editor Cindy Marie Jenkin’s (another person I’ll sorely miss) article on those services here.

Ultimately, no matter how well you stay connected to your friends overseas, you will need to face the reality.

Take the time to mourn a little: It isn’t silly to cry because you’ll miss someone you met and bonded with, whether it was over six months or five years. To help young ones understand the situation better, there’s an entire list of books cataloged under “books for kids whose best friend moved away” online. A personal favorite of mine is one that I bought from my home country, titled Hello Goodbye Little Island, which was written by an expat mother for her daughter in Singapore. Maybe your family could even write your own book of “having friended and lost,” specific to Beijing!

Eventually, all things come to pass. Life moves on. And so must we. Step outside of your home, check out that neighborhood cafe you’ve been eyeing, pick up a new sport (online shopping doesn’t count), and most of all, meet new people with an open heart. Yes, it’s probably still a little tense and tired from squeezing out so many tears, or you may have built a little wall around it to protect it from getting hurt again. But remember, the heart is a muscle. It gets stronger. We will learn to friend again, and again, and again.

KEEP READING: Leaving Beijing? Here’s How to Get Rid of All Your Stuff

Images: Unsplash, Vivienne Tseng-Rush

Each month, we get to know a new Beijing family, asking them their favorite picks on a variety of different themes. This month, we quizzed the Dymling-Broberg family about their favorite films!

Mimmie Dymling and Jonas Broberg met in their native-Sweden, but have only called it home for four of the last 12 years. In fact, they lived in the US for three years, and have been in Beijing for almost four. The happy couple have two girls, Molly (10) and Clara (9), and one son, Dennis (7), all of whom attend the International School of Beijing (ISB). This family of five loves movies, traveling, and adventures, and have relished the opportunities they’ve had to move around and live in diverse countries.

Dennis: The Little Rascals – It’s a funny movie and they do sneaky things. The boys are my age, and I want to be in a gang like that too. My favorite part of the movie is when they compete in the race.

Jonas: Dumb and Dumber – Since my job is formal, it is a great escape to crazy laughs. The movie has great actors such as Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The movie has some fun things to relate to and lots of fun quotes.

Molly: Nanny McPhee – A movie about a babysitter who does magic to make the kids behave. When she is needed she comes, but when the kids finally learn to behave she leaves. It’s a feel-good movie. My favorite part is when she turns beautiful and the kids don’t want her to leave. There are two movies in the series, and I like them both.

Clara: Moana – I like this movie because it is about a strong and brave girl. I love the music in the movie. It makes me want to dance and sing. It’s also a beautiful movie with lots of water and ocean. I love to swim, snorkel, and be in the water, just like Moana.

Mimmie: Happy Gilmore – I love Adam Sandler and most of his movies. I am a golfer and used to watch this movie before tournaments. It made me relax and mentally prepare for my event. Today it simply makes me laugh, and it’s a cute but silly story.

KEEP READING: The Johannessen-Stokke Family Share Their Beijing Favorites!

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 May issue

One of the people who has been an inspiration for entrepreneurs and children alike in Beijing is the founder of Plastered 8; Dominic Johnson-Hill.

Plastered 8 makes iconic Beijing lifestyle inspired graphic T-shirts that are now so much a part of the city culture that you can’t visit Beijing and not bring back a Plastered 8 shirt as a souvenir. Since their little shop in Nanlouguxiang opened back in 2005 they’ve gone from creating only T-shirts to shipping all types of apparel, lifestyle products, artworks globally, and have created in murals in restaurants and hotels around the world. All of this came from the mind of Johnson-Hill, an optimist from Guildford, UK who first came to China in 1992 as a backpacker with no money to his name or much of a plan.

Looking at him today you’d never think that Johnson-Hill, a TV personality, public speaker, artist, and businessman grew up thinking he wasn’t talented in art and (to this day) considers himself an introvert. He’s the epitome of a self-made success story.

Johnson-Hill left home at the age of 17 and has been supporting himself ever since. He backpacked from country to country, making his living doing odd jobs until fate brought him to China. He fondly looks back on his first year in Beijing. He was living with a Chinese family and only had one friend in the city. When his parents came out to visit, his mom felt so bad that she gave him a €500 note, for the first time. With that money in his pocket, Johnson-Hill recalls feeling so incredibly rich that he went to Lido and treated himself to a whole pizza to splurge. He would have brought his one and only friend along, but it was still just €500 and that money needed to last.

Johnson-Hill didn’t make his name using family connections or money. This adventurer, and now dad to four beautiful daughters, paved the way for himself. “I like the feeling of not knowing what’s going to happen next. I think that’s why I became an entrepreneur. I wasn’t the kid who was sold. I hated doing sales, so I wasn’t an entrepreneur in that respect. I was an entrepreneur in the sense that I’m willing to take risks. I didn’t want to focus on making sales. That was embarrassing! Eventually, I worked out that I like to create things.”

Plastered 8 started in that spirit. Johnson-Hill rented a storefront on Nanlouguxiang way before he knew what he wanted to do with it. “The idea for Plastered 8 started when I saw a foreigner wearing one of those “I climbed the Great Wall” shirts.” It was a shit t-shirt and I thought I could do better than that, so I went home and downloaded a picture of a woman in a bikini and plastered it on top which became my very first design.” The direction for the Plastered 8 that we know and love today also came by chance. For his wife’s birthday, Johnson-Hill took an old Beijing subway ticket and had it blown up and framed it. He later put the same subway ticket design on a t-shirt and that became an instant hit at the Plastered 8. He had found his niche. “The woman in a bikini surfing the Great Wall was too out there. People didn’t get it. But they loved the subway ticket. It was that iconic meaningful Beijing nostalgia that people wanted” he tells beijingkids.

Today, this proud dad of four inspires not only his daughters but kids all over to take charge and find that missing niche in whatever they love, radiating positivity everywhere he goes and sparking up their entrepreneurial spirit. As someone who started from nothing, Johnson-Hill encourages others to pursue their passion and dreams. As someone who’s doesn’t believe in helicopter parenting and forcing their kids to follow a detailed life plan, Johnson-Hill says that he “just wants them to be brave and to bring ideas to life.”

KEEP READING: Three Cute Beijing Couples Share The Story of How They Met 

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 March – April issue

It has become common-place for Chinese entrepreneurs to start, or take over, businesses all across the world. Folks like Jack Ma, who took advantage of the dot com boom in the 90s and early 00s, are household names as Chinese brands now translate to global success. Ultimately, it is accepted that this success is due to the Chinese government’s support for Chinese-born entrepreneurs, who are further bolstered by policies which encourage global growth.

Whereas China’s entrepreneurial dreams of conquering the world seem anything but daunting, those of outsiders trying to infiltrate the Chinese market prove an uphill climb. Many a foreign investor and entrepreneur have decried the rather uncertain conditions with which one has to contend when starting a business in China. Though many Western behemoths such as Starbucks, Nike, and other high-end brands have successfully set up camp in the heart of Chinese commerce, it suggests that success only comes to large, established companies.

Not so says Hannah Ryder, a British-Kenyan entrepreneur based in Beijing. Her consultancy company, Development Reimagined, is one of many companies not only started but fully owned by African-born entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, what often stops people like Ryder from opening up businesses is the now-defunct policy that required foreigners to have a Chinese partner in order to set up shop.

“Not many Africans know that you can set up a wholly-owned foreign enterprise in China without any Chinese partnership,” explains Ryder. “People still think that China has the rules of 2001, which dictated that you had to have at least 50 percent of any business under Chinese ownership.”

Development Reimagined was created with the intention of thinking of development in new and innovative ways. “My personal feeling is the developing world continues to be stuck in the sense that aid is really important, and there’s a need for humanitarian disasters to be tackled here and there, but people are still not coming out of poverty.”

After growing up in Nairobi for the first ten years of her life, Ryder’s parents move her and the rest of the family to the UK for the sake of their education. That is where she did her high school and university level studies, before becoming a civil servant with the British government, working in environmental ethiculture and environmental issues, as well as international development.

Like most Kenyans, Ryder was exposed to the stark contrasts of wealth and social mobility between the UK versus her country. Recounting trips to visit her grandparents in Narumoru, a town at the foot of Mount Kenya, she remembers encountering bad roads, lack of electricity, and no running water. As such, Kenya is a sort of poster child for countries with great developmental potential, but a citizenry stuck in the revolving door of aid and poverty, never fully able to escape the trap.

As a consultancy business, Development Reimagined searches for new ideas on how to escape that poverty trap, and help organizations across the globe strategize, evaluate, and design new programs and solutions.

“The reason why we are in China is because China is the country that has been most successful in eradicating poverty over the last 40 or so years, and it’s important to learn from that and to understand what that process is, bringing that understanding to other tools such as aid,” Ryder explains.

Similarly, unlike most countries that try to eradicate poverty by way of aid, China has done so through a whole range of transformational policy structures. According to Ryder, “That is one of our top values, that aid isn’t the only answer to development.”

But like most entrepreneurs looking to open a start-up in the Chinese market, she was in a bit of a bind. Yes, there was a need for the services she was looking to provide, but how did one go about setting up a business when it was not a Fortune 500 company?

“Whatever people think about entering and setting up a business in China, until you do it you have zero idea of what that really means and its challenges,” says Ryder, adding that finding the right agent to help her set up her business was quite a hurdle, in and of itself.

Other steps were a bit easier though. For instance, in order to obtain a registered commercial address, Ryder relied on a new global trend in which companies utilize coworking spaces.

Thankfully, according to Ryder, when it comes to acquiring a work permit and necessary documentation to start your business, Chinese bureaucracy does not discriminate. However, she notes that while trying to make conversions for student visas to internships, or inviting people over for business and conferences from Africa, her company seems to be at a disadvantage.

“When there are issues, for example, some new legislation that’s going to affect African business operations here, we have no one who is able to advocate on our behalf, or lobby government on our behalf, which is a normal function of business across the world – to be able to lobby government,” laments Ryder.

One might think this means a grim future for Sino-African relations, or African businesses established in China. However, Ryder again says this is not the case. All businesses, and indeed business owners, are treated equally under Chinese regulations.

Aside from her role in Beijing’s professional scene, Ryder is also the founder of Safari Time, a community initiative that introduces young children to songs from all around the world and encourages learning through nursery rhymes.

“I started [Safari Time] just because I saw that nobody else was doing it, and I had known that in the UK, if you go to the public library, they have these things for free that people can just drop into, very flexible,” explains Ryder.

Safari Time got its humble beginnings at the now-closed Bookworm, and though its initial home is shuttered, the group still regularly meets, much to the delight of the attendant expat families who are happy to have a point of engagement with other families and help their children experience a multi-cultural upbringing to the full.

Needless to say, it is clear that nothing will soon slow down this loving mom, wife, and entrepreneur, as she not only helps stimulate the young minds of Beijing but also growing businesses and business policies around the world.

KEEP READING: Entrepreneur Ashley Soh on Managing Her Time with Singapore-Based Kids

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 March – April issue

How much can one make in 15 days? If you’re growing an avocado from a pit you might see a sprout or two starting to emerge. And during the time of COVID-19, 15 days is just a little more time than you’d need to finish up quarantine. But for Ignace Lecleir, owner and founder of the TRB Group and the 2019 Best Restaurant in the World according to TripAdvisor, 15 days was enough to bring a whole new venture to life.

During the beginning of the outbreak when most restaurants in Beijing were closed, the Hulu by TRB team did the opposite. Quickly swinging into action, they took over the kitchen of Fella’s in Shunyi – a popular local after-work bar – and used it as a kind of local distribution area for their delivery service. Despite the fact that Hulu had never previously offered delivery, and that they were working from a totally new kitchen and location, the gamble paid off in a big way. The delivery service was such a hit amongst Shunyi families, that Lecleir and his team decided to take over the space permanently.

Those familiar with Fella’s will recognize the layout and the expansive outdoor deck. Gone is the foosball table, the kids’ play area, and the stage. They’re now replaced with a private dining room. Those looking for a drink rather than a meal will be happy to see that the back bar area still exists, brightened up with Hulu’s signatures flair.

At a preview last night, the restaurant’s ambiance and service level matched that of its downtown location.

Within just 15 short days of the acquisition, the TRB Group team has transformed Fella’s, the once scruffy local Shunyi sports pub into the brand new Hulu Shunyi.

The new Hulu Shunyi is ready to open

“We’re still setting up. It’s a race against time. Fifteen days to remodel and set it all up has been an intense experience. But then again, only in China are you able to do this.” Lecleir tells beijingkids on the eve of Apr 28, just two days before their grand opening.

While technically still in Chaoyang District, the new Hulu Shunyi is located just outside the campus of the Western Academy of Beijing, a stone’s throw from French International School of Beijing, and Harrow Beijing, and within a short commute (and delivery range) of the Shunyi Villa District. And while the terrace isn’t the large Hulu Sanlitun one you’re used to, it offers a beautiful view of the river, while the team provides the same exceptional service we’ve come to love. Perfect for weekend brunches with the family, afternoon teas with friends, and cocktails with the colleagues after work, all without the headache of being stuck in Beijing’s infamous rush hour traffic.

You’re seeing it here first. Shunyi’s newest hangout spot!

So what’s on the menu? For now, the new Hulu Shunyi will offer the same menu as Hulu Sanlitun, along with a kid-friendly menu and coloring books to keep the kids entertained while grownups wine and dine.

It’s about time Shunyi got some love from restauranteurs, so we have no doubt it’s going to become a very popular local spot in no time.

The brand new Hulu Shunyi officially opens on May 1. To make a reservation at the new Hulu Shunyi (or any of the TRB Group restaurants) message them on WeChat at ilovehuluforever.

KEEP READING: Happy Home, Happy Business: “Diversifying Is an Important Foundation”

Photos: Hulu Shunyi

How should we teach our kids about money? At what age should we start? We spoke with a local Chinese and an expat family from different backgrounds about their views on money, and more specifically, introducing it to their children.

Li Yuan works at a well-known multinational technology enterprise and just published a book, Design Your Life. His wife, Chu, works in the marketing department of a bilingual school. Their older son Aaron, 12, harbors a passion for environmental protection, charity, handiwork, and stop-motion animation. 7-year-old Zack is the younger son in the family, and he is good at communication and enjoys music and games.

At what age do you think it’s appropriate to start teaching your kids about money?

From the minute they’re born, a child’s understanding of money will subconsciously be learned from their parents, such as how the parents think about money and how they use it.

If at any point your kids were to come up to you and ask, “Mom, Dad, how much money do we have?”, what would you say to them?

Answering such a question depends on the age of the child and requires focusing on the reasons behind the question, and also looking at the “facts” and “emotions”. Kids may compare how much money their parents make to their friends’ families, and we want to avoid these kinds of private family matters being talked about so openly. So before telling them how much money we have, we must first start by asking our kids what makes them so curious.

Do you give your kids everything they want? Have your kids ever asked for anything unreasonable? 

For young kids, they do not understand what is or isn’t “unreasonable”. So we set up some simple and easy to implement rules. Anything that doesn’t fit these rules will be considered unnecessary.

For older kids, we gradually give them more choices and initiative, so we can discuss what is considered “reasonable” and what is “unreasonable”. For example, our oldest son loves Legos so much that he often “wanted” them when he was young, but now he says, “We have so many toys, I’ll wait till the important days to buy more toys.”

How do you teach your kids the difference between wants and needs?

“Want” and “need” are traditional and classical ways to distinguish our attitudes toward things. But I think if we analyze it from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we can also say that at every level, all of us have a “need”. We don’t have to struggle to define if the subjective “want” is reasonable or not, instead, we can pay attention to what our kids really “need”.

Parents may be inclined to shield their kids from making poor money decisions. How would you react to your kids’ personal money mistakes?

One of the most effective ways to learn things is to make mistakes, so we can let our kids make small mistakes within our control, and then have a discussion about the effects of making poor money decisions, such as how they feel before and after, and how to change their behavior next time. Kids will feel respected by their parents, and at the same time, kids will most likely take responsibility for their behavior.

How would you teach your kids about how money works in the real world and how do they manage their allowance?

Actually nowadays, most families are willing to spend a lot of money on their kids. Especially grandparents, who tend to give “lucky money” to their grandkids during special holidays like Spring Festival, and it can be a source of funds for kids to make “irrational purchases”. In our family, if the kids want to spend the lucky money on any big purchase, we usually have a family meeting to discuss it.

We like to create opportunities for the kids to learn how money works in the real world. For example, last summer, our oldest son went to his godmother’s art summer camp to help take photos and videos of the campers every day. He made vlogs using video editing software and sent them to the parents’ group chat. Later, he was very happy when his godmother paid him for his help. During the Spring Festival this year, he used the money to give red envelopes to his classmates, and he was very proud to spend the money he earned.

Do your kids compare money with classmates? How do you deal with it?

It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others, but it’s not scary. Moderate competition can help us build an interesting life with a purpose. The thing we need to avoid is to frame ourselves by others’ definitions of success. We should encourage kids to find their inner confidence and their talent.

Bec Taylor and her husband Doug came to Beijing from Australia 11 years ago. They were both elementary school teachers back home, and now they are educators at international schools here in Beijing. Bec is a teacher-librarian, while Doug is a technology integrator. They have two kids, Will, who is 10.5 years old and Charlotte, who is 7.5 years old. Their passions include all things tech, living green, travel, glorious food, and spending time with family.

At what age do you think it’s appropriate to start teaching your kids about money?

We started teaching the kids about money around the age of 4 but formally started pocket money at 5.

If at any point your kids were to come up to you and ask, “Mom, Dad, how much money do we have?”, what would you say to them?

We tell our kids that we have enough money to pay our bills, go on lovely holidays, save for when we don’t work anymore, as well as having enough money to give to charity. We often talk about how our salaries compare to those of other occupations, as well as how grateful we are to be paid so well for doing the jobs we love. Our kids also know the realities of being a teacher in our home country and that on a teacher’s salary at home, we wouldn’t have as many luxuries like holidays.

It feels ridiculous to ever complain about any kind of lack in our lives when we are obviously so abundantly well-catered for by our generous salaries and employee benefits. Our choice to be expats has allowed us to experience life in a way we could never have done if we stayed at home.

Do you give your kids everything they want? Have your kids ever asked for anything unreasonable?

No way would we give our kids everything they want! If we did, they would never know the pleasure of being able to buy something after saving up for it. Our kids are surprisingly good about not repeatedly asking for new things. They will sometimes ask for a new tech toy like a Nintendo Switch, but they know what our answer will be, “Buy it yourself, that’s why you have pocket money.”

We see far more of that whiney behavior when we go back to our home country because they are bombarded with advertisements. Frankly, it is sickening the lengths that advertisers will go to sell to kids.

How do you teach your kids the difference between wants and needs?

We base it on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, if something keeps them healthy and alive, it’s a need. The rest are wants.

We also openly discuss our wants so that it doesn’t eat away at us. Sometimes just talking about it can be half the fun and releases the emotion of wanting something so much. Obviously, it’s much easier now that they are 7 and 10 years old. When they were smaller it was much harder to explain the differences. Our best strategy back then was to acknowledge the want, write it down and then move on. We believed they just wanted to be heard and have their desires taken seriously. I think that applies to all of us actually, not just preschoolers!

Parents may be inclined to shield their kids from making poor money decisions. How would you react to your kids’ personal money mistakes?

Hopefully without shame and anger, but who knows? We have given, and will continue to give them lots of chances while young to make silly mistakes with their money, like the times they went to Roundabout or the supermarket and spent all their money at once and had nothing left for anything else.

Much like everything else in life, we hope they will experience the logical consequences of poor choices. As long as they are safe and healthy, we hope not to step in and save them from their own poor decisions.

How would you teach your kids about how money works in the real world and how do they manage their allowance?

Much of our money philosophy as a family is a mashup of ideas from Suze Orman (my first financial guru as a young adult) and Scott Pape (the “Barefoot Investor”) — common sense, honest communication, and clear expectations. Of course, our kids are young, they don’t always do everything perfectly and are still too young to grasp many financial concepts, but that doesn’t stop us from trying our best to instill smart thinking from a young age.

Both our kids have jobs around the house that are not tied to pocket money, they are just “being alive and part of our family” jobs — set the table, clear the table, put away your stuff, make your bed (on weekends), etc. The luxury of an Ayi makes it pretty hard for kids to do a tremendous amount around the house. They have an option to earn extra money by doing bigger jobs like watering the garden, washing the car, taking my parents’ dog for a walk.

Their pocket money is the renminbi equivalent of $1 per year of age, so my daughter currently gets RMB 35 and my son RMB 50. Our kids have three jars – Splurge, Smile, and Give – and their pocket money has to be divided between the jars any way they like, as long as each jar gets some money. Splurge is for daily, perhaps frivolous spending like a new toy or a treat at the supermarket. Smile money is for large purchases that take time to save for, but will make you smile when you get them. Things like a big Lego set or a fancy new doll would fit this category. Give is pretty self-explanatory, the money gets donated to a charity of their choice, whenever a genuine opportunity comes up. For example, both our kids just raided their Give jar to add to our donation to the Australian bushfire appeals.

Do your kids compare money with classmates? How do you deal with it?

At this point, both kids seem blissfully unaware of comparison, or, if they are aware of it, it doesn’t seem to faze them! We are lucky I guess. Our kids have pretty low expectations and are happy as long as we hang out with them, have a steady supply of library books around the house, plenty of food in the fridge, and seeing their grandparents in Australia at least once a year.

We are under no illusions that it will stay this way, but we feel pretty confident that our mantra of, “Buy it yourself if you want it” will hold us in good stead for a few more years at least!

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 March – April issue

Putting this issue together has been such a unique experience for all of us here at beijingkids, having to work from home and under quarantine. As COVID-19 reaches families across the world, those of us who stayed in Beijing through the entire ordeal felt the drain on our local economy and community first hand. Businesses in almost every industry experienced drastic losses, and schools, teachers, parents, and students are facing new challenges as schools in Beijing make plans to reopen.

But it’s in times of crisis that our sense of community truly emerges. As campuses continue to remain closed after the Chinese New Year holiday, teachers at Beijing’s international schools have gone above and beyond their required duties and work hours, giving their students the best e-learning experience they can provide.

No matter where you’re from, for those who call Beijing home, we’ve inherited the city’s spirit of dealing with curve balls, head-on. Whether it’s SARS, pollution, or the latest COVID-19 developments, we Beijingers adapt to changes and find ways to move forward. So in this issue, we look past our current crisis and dig deep into the world of money and finance.

Scan the QR code below to download your e-copy of the latest issue of beijingkids.

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 March – April issue

Photos: Zongkai Liu

As the COVID-19 Saga continues to draw out, families and teachers have committed to staying safe and infection free, much to the detriment of their social and professional lives. Fortunately, Beijing expats are a tough bunch. In this series, we asked folks to share their stories of being stirred, but ultimately not shaken, by current events.

We all gripe about wanting to have extra time on our hands, and the current COVID-19 crisis has done just that – dumped oodles of spare time on many laps. For some, this is a simple case of ‘too much of a good thing’, with many longing to go back to the regimented chaos of normal Beijing life. While for others, this bit of spare time is exactly what the doctor ordered (quite literally).

Stephen Gleadow, an artist, freelance creative director, creative consultant and designer, and father of two shares his balancing act between being a dad, artist, and husband.

Are you a Beijing Oldie or Newbie?

I have been in Beijing for 12 years. I’m originally from the US.

When you first heard about the outbreak, did you take it seriously or did you take it with a grain of salt?

Yeah, I took it seriously, but tried not to take it fearfully.

Would you say that you have cabin fever? If so, how has it manifested itself?

I really feel my best and thrive on time alone in my studio. Being separated from my workspace is its own form of cabin fever. We’ve been able to get out and about since the beginning for scenic drives and shopping, etc. However not being able to flex those creative muscles in my space has been the most cabin fever’esque for me. The rest I feel like we’ve adapted to pretty well.

How has this outbreak changed your work-life daily routine?

My life is totally different. I’m, as I mentioned, separated from my studio where I do most of my work. We are managing our kids from morning till night, leaving freelance work as a night job from home. So daily rhythms have changed a lot. We’ve adapted as best we can, but it’s definitely not ideal and we face daily sacrifices and flexibility challenges to make life work and fit in healthy, sanity-saving rhythms.

What’s a typical day in quarantine like for your family?

Up at 7.30am then breakfast time and a little screen time for kids. We’re not really morning parents. The first hour, at least, is a coffee supported chill session where the kids mostly watch some kind of educational cartoon bonanza. Keep in mind our youngest is 2 so although our oldest can quietly chill while our minds come to life, our 2-year-old basketball star runs around coaxing us into some form of play.

By 9am we move towards homeschooling projects supplied by our oldest son’s kindergarten. The rest of the day is usually filled with school projects/a rich supply of activities planned by mom, or improvised art projects/play adventures, fort building, and ruff housing usually managed by me. We gave up the parental puritanical desire to not let our kids have screen time so we adults can engage in non-childcare related things like exercise, reading, work, email, etc. My wife and I switch off and on with the kids when work responsibilities come a-callin’.

What do you most miss about Beijing BC (Before Coronavirus)?

Going to art world events like gallery openings, studio visits. Being around the creative community of artists in my hood (798, Caochangdi). Going out in nice weather to explore the ever-changing nuances and cool locales in Beijing.

What have you discovered about yourself during this time? IE: Have you discovered any pet peeves, phobias or ticks that you never knew you had?

As a parent of six years, I’ve struggled off and on with parent guilt. Time-to-time I have found myself asking the question, “Am I doing this correctly”? Feeling bad on weekends, that even though I’m with my kids all weekend long, I’m not having a ton of fun entertaining them all day. In short, feeling bad that I wasn’t a super dad always motivated to, or longing to spend more time with my kids.

Some of this, I realize, has to do with the age of our children. Just before the Coronavirus outbreak, I was enjoying them more than ever because they are maturing and there are more things we can enjoy that connect with my personality. Anyway, flash forward through Corona time and I’d venture to say one cannot spend more time with their children than we have in the last nine weeks. However not much has changed for me other than my capacity to do more.

On the other side of that growth is the realization that I’m okay with my parenting, both the weaknesses and strengths! My kids love me, I love them and I don’t have to feel like I have to martyr myself in order to be a solid, balanced, loving parent. In the midst of all this, I have felt more confident that I’m a good dad and it’s okay to also be frustrated, tired, annoyed and a bit burnt out on your children. It’s normal and not necessarily fixed by engaging more and more and more. I’m grateful for this experience and what it’s provided.

Once all this is over, what do you plan on doing? What do you most look forward to going back to?

Date night out with my wife. Our ayi helping us out so we can have date night. Working in my studio. I’m in an exhibition coming up in Los Angeles that I’m looking forward to one day happening, as it’s been postponed “indefinitely” .

Has the outbreak changed your resolve to remain in Beijing or are you here to stay until the foreseeable future?

We’ve stayed through thick and thin for a long time. We’ve seen friends come and go and Beijing change like the seasons. However this is our home that we hold with fondness and with open hands. If we haven’t left by now, then, well, maybe I leave it there. I like a good mystery.

Photos: Courtesy of Stephen Gleadow