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Sep 18, 2010
Raising kids not easy today
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I DISAGREE with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean's exhortation to young couples in Wednesday's report ("Don't wait to have kids, says DPM Teo").
Having children today requires exhaustive planning by young couples. They must not only ensure that they have the financial means to do so but also the time and energy to see to their proper upbringing. That's not perfection; that's being realistic and responsible.
Many social problems involving our teens today stem from inadequacies of their parents in this respect. I am sure this is not the kind of "messiness" that DPM Teo wants our young couples to put up with, or to be thrust upon the nation.
We have worked hard to become a First World nation but the pressure to be better than the rest seems relentless. One has to question whether that is what Singapore needs now, especially when the fast-ageing population and overworked childless young couples are threatening to become a national burden.
Some attempts have been made to encourage couples to procreate. Further incentives may help but, ultimately, couples must themselves want to have children and this will depend not only on their wherewithal to do so, but also their belief that their progeny really do have a place in the sun here.
Lee Seck Kay
Raising kids not easy today
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<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
I DISAGREE with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean's exhortation to young couples in Wednesday's report ("Don't wait to have kids, says DPM Teo").
Having children today requires exhaustive planning by young couples. They must not only ensure that they have the financial means to do so but also the time and energy to see to their proper upbringing. That's not perfection; that's being realistic and responsible.
Many social problems involving our teens today stem from inadequacies of their parents in this respect. I am sure this is not the kind of "messiness" that DPM Teo wants our young couples to put up with, or to be thrust upon the nation.
We have worked hard to become a First World nation but the pressure to be better than the rest seems relentless. One has to question whether that is what Singapore needs now, especially when the fast-ageing population and overworked childless young couples are threatening to become a national burden.
Some attempts have been made to encourage couples to procreate. Further incentives may help but, ultimately, couples must themselves want to have children and this will depend not only on their wherewithal to do so, but also their belief that their progeny really do have a place in the sun here.
Lee Seck Kay
