A TROON businessman has described the positives and challenges of parenthood under lockdown – including the benefits of teaching his kids Kung Fu.

Gordon Chan is usually working most of the time running the Panda House take-away in Troon, but since lockdown he has been able to spend a lot more time with his family.

He has two sons, Warrick, seven, and Jackson, five, and, Gordon said, they need to be kept active.

He told the Advertiser: “I work a lot normally so being able spend time with them is great.

“I’m making the most of it. I really cherish the time.”

Gordon said it’s also a chance for him to teach them what he can. There is a checklist they have to do which include exercise, book reading and chores, then they can play.

He said: “We are doing a lot of home learning, trying to bring some games into it to make it fun.”

Gordon will work through their schoolwork but they also learning through play – like shooting letters of the alphabet with a nerf gun to spell their names.

They’ve also been doing plenty of painting and colouring-in, with a lot of fun learning ideas coming from parents sharing them on social media.

An important part of their routine is something Gordon himself has been doing since he was eight-years-old – Kung Fu and Lion Dancing.

Ever since Gordon’s dad took him to see a martial arts master visiting from Hong Kong, Gordon has been practicing Kung Fu and now his boys do too.

He said: “They learn drills with basic movements, it teaches balance, strength and coordination.

“We don’t teach anything like fighting; it’s about discipline.”

The Kung Fu practice helps keeps Warrick and Jackson active and helps teach them to be polite and respectful so it has a positive impact on the rest of their behaviour.

Although there are obvious negative aspects of the lockdown, Gordon said he thinks it has helped a lot of people get back to basics.

He said: “People are learning thinks. Teaching themselves new skills, how to cook new dishes.

“I think it’s brought the community closer together. It’s not all bad. You can’t really moan about spending too much time with your kids.”

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