Reporter's logs: The stories that shaped our year

Passion, patience, persistence are key to parenting

I never thought that being a science and technology reporter would help me to become a better father and vice versa.

In March, as the COVID-19 outbreak became a global pandemic, my son Yinuo was born.

The prospect of impending fatherhood filled me with excitement and anxiety because I felt woefully under-qualified to be a father even at the best of times, let alone during the worst public health crisis of the century.

My early taste of fatherhood is best summarized as fighting a war on two fronts. On the one hand, I am writing science-based articles defending China's COVID-19 response efforts against an onslaught of rumors and speculation from home and abroad.

On the other, I am safeguarding my family's sanity by taking care of a wailing, fighting, dirty-diaper-making machine.

Self-quarantine turned registration and paperwork for newborns, routine health checks, vaccinations and other small but vital tasks into Herculean undertakings that could only be tackled with meticulous precautions and preparation.

But they were nothing compared to the night feeds, which included jumping out of bed every two hours every night to cries of hunger.

The ordeal gave me a profound appreciation of the real heroes in my life: my parents.

A large part of my fatherhood blues can be attributed to me trying to be as good a father to my son as my father has been to me.

Given that, I was quite surprised to hear my father say he was even less prepared than I was when he too faced the prospect of becoming a father.

"The nature of fatherhood is that you are doing something you are unqualified to do, but you only become qualified by doing it. In some ways, this is analogous to you being a science reporter. It's natural that you can't explain scientific findings as authoritatively as scientists, but you can only be good at your job if you keep learning and trying," he said.

"To be more qualified at work and home, you need to have a strong passion for both, only then will you be motivated to keep improving. But more important, you must also be patient and have faith that your efforts will reward you eventually.

"Raising a child is like doing basic science: In the moment, the hardship may feel like an eternity, but with unremitting passion and dedication, you may be pleasantly surprised by how the future will pan out. Then you can look back and realize that without all the hardship, the joy at the end of the journey would never be quite as sweet."