We live in an age where answers are instant. Your child coughs at 2 a.m.? You’ve already typed “child dry cough causes” into Google before the kettle boils, and scrolled three TikTok videos that promise “miracle fever hacks.”

Parenting is supposed to mean protection. But too often in Malaysia — and especially here in Sabah — “discipline” crosses the line into...

Here’s the truth nobody tells you in the prenatal classes: your relationship is about to be stress-tested harder than a budget airline seatbelt. Having a baby doesn’t just add a sweet little bundle of joy — it dumps an entire truckload of sleepless nights, hormones, spit-up, and financial worry onto your marriage. And suddenly, the cracks that were once cute quirks? Yeah, they turn into earthquakes.

Let’s be real. Nobody warns you how unglamorous sex after childbirth actually is. They tell you about the sleepless nights, the leaking nappies, the feeding struggles — but intimacy? Everyone suddenly gets shy.

This is not your average “indoor playground with a slide and a ball pit”. Stomping Grounds is more like a mini obstacle-course gym. Think: tunnels to crawl through, beams to balance on, and climbing frames that look like toddler CrossFit.

Forget rewinding VHS tapes. Today’s dad has to figure out if Roblox counts as “educational,” whether TikTok dances are harmless fun or a black hole, and how to teach his 7-year-old why “liking” doesn’t equal real friendship. Welcome to parenting in the digital jungle — equal parts brilliant and bonkers.

In Malaysia, over 700,000 people are registered with disabilities, and about 4.7% of children aged 2–17 live with functional difficulties such as learning, mobility, or communication challenges. That’s thousands of families in Sabah alone who are navigating these realities every day. And here’s the empowering part: digital tools are not only helping — they’re transforming.

Remember when our parents told us, “Because I said so” — and that was the end of the conversation? Well, welcome to 2025. Our kids have Google, TikTok, and a built-in radar for hypocrisy. In the digital age, parenting isn’t about orders — it’s about modelling.

Technology has opened doors no chalkboard ever could. Educational apps boost literacy, math games make problem-solving fun, and AI tutors personalise lessons in ways a crowded classroom can’t. Studies show that interactive digital learning can improve early literacy scores by up to 20% compared to traditional worksheets alone.

We joke about being “addicted” to our phones — but let’s be real. If you’ve ever felt phantom vibrations in your pocket or scrolled Instagram when you meant to just check the time, you know it’s not just a joke. Now imagine what that does to a developing child’s brain.

Every guideline says the same thing: no screen time under age 2. The World Health Organization recommends it. The Ministry of Health echoes it. Parenting books chant it like gospel. And yet, most parents break that rule. Surveys in Malaysia show that over 60% of toddlers under 2 are already exposed to daily screens, often for 1–2 hours. Globally, by 18 months, 90% of kids have already used a device — usually a smartphone.

In Malaysia, over 1 in 5 kids aged 13–17 say they’ve been bullied online (UNICEF, 2022). That’s not “a few mean comments.” That’s a fifth of our teens navigating cruelty with no pause button.

We can debate screen time till the cows come home (and probably livestream it), but here’s reality: digital is here to stay. Phones, tablets, AI tutors, Roblox, YouTube Kids — this is your child’s playground, classroom, and sometimes babysitter. Pretending tech is the enemy is like banning forks because someone ate too much cake.

Remember growing up in Sabah (or anywhere pre-WiFi)? Back then, boredom was free. You lay on the floor watching ceiling fan shadows, sat in the car staring at clouds, or spent two hours arranging batu seremban pebbles in weird patterns. No one swooped in with an iPad. Out of those blank spaces, imagination quietly bloomed.

Parents used to reach for rattles, peekaboo, or an off-key lullaby. Today? The go-to soothing tool is a glowing screen. YouTube lullabies, TikTok dances, CocoMelon marathons — instant calm, instant quiet. But young brains weren’t built for this kind of fireworks show.

Pregnancy used to mean listening to your doctor, your mother, and maybe a makcik or two with strong opinions about pineapple. Now? Every symptom, craving, and cramp goes straight into the search bar at 2 a.m. “Is it normal if…” has probably crashed Google more times than we know.

Every year, Malaysians celebrate Merdeka with parades, flags, fireworks, and patriotic playlists. But if you look closely, Merdeka isn’t just about the country — it’s about parenting too. Mums, dads, and everyone in between, we’re all running our own independence campaigns at home.

Picture this: on weekdays, uni students are writing essays that are definitely due tomorrow but outdoors, with sea breeze and revising by the water- campus life, upgraded! On weekends? Parents like us dragging sand-filled diapers back to the car. Balance in the universe.

Malaysia’s struggle with serious bullying isn’t new. The UPNM/Zulfarhan case—first handed death sentences by the Court of Appeal in July 2024 and then revised by the Federal Court in February 2025 to 18-year prison terms—remains a national scar and a reminder that “ragging” is violence, not culture.