Mr Seah Kian Peng would be the first to admit that he hasn't mastered the delicate task of balancing the demands of family and work.

Even though he is the co-chair of the ongoing National Family Celebrations and has campaigned for events such as Eat with Your Family Day, Mr Seah, the MP for Marine Parade GRC and NTUC FairPrice's managing director, had to skip dinner.

He had to attend a cultural night at a primary school.

'I remember asking my colleagues to lead by example and leave at 5pm,' he said. 'While I could not eat with my family that day, we went for a show on Sunday and followed that up with a meal.'

Mr Seah, 46, does not dwell too much on missed opportunities, preferring instead to treasure the good times and focus on the future. 'I enjoyed waking up at 2.30am recently to be with my son to watch the Champions League football final between Manchester United and Chelsea,' he said.

He and his wife, an accountant, have two teenage children.

'I also enjoy driving them to school or other places as the time in the car allows me to talk to them, share some views and also discover things from them,' he added.

Of the National Family Celebrations - which will end on June 28 with a fireworks display at East Coast Park - he said: 'We're more actively reaching out to the online community this year.

'Apart from our website and Facebook presence, we've embarked on a campaign to encourage bloggers to experience our activities and share their views on the topic of family.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jun 1, 2008