Newly-weds and young parents in Singapore can now benefit from a new parenthood resource portal with localised information – Maybe Baby (www.maybebaby.sg)
The new portal is an initiative by I Love Children, a local voluntary welfare organisation that encourages and facilitates pro-children causes.
Said Ms Joni Ong, President of I Love Children, at the launch ceremony held at Wisma Atria on 1 May 2010, “The new portal aims to be an engaging and interactive site for young people and couples seeking information on how to address parenthood concerns, as well as fertility awareness. It will be a useful one-stop virtual resource centre for couples planning to have a baby.”
Gracing the launch was Guest-of-Honour Mrs Josephine Teo, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
As a working mum with three children, Mrs Teo revealed that she and her husband had made a conscious effort to have children despite their busy careers and long working hours.
Despite the little sacrifices she has had to make for her children – less spa visits; less manicure sessions and having to give up a growing career in China, she has never once regretted her decision.
“Whenever I come across friends and colleagues who hesitate about having children, I always tell them: If I were to imagine my life without my kids - how much of a great loss it would be…In a world where there are so many things we can spend our time and effort pursuing, nothing comes close to the joys of starting your own family.”
In addition to offering insights on parenthood issues, the new Maybe Baby portal will feature many real-life couples who will be blogging about their journeys towards or through parenthood.
These include celebrity blogger and recent mother, Ms Jaime Teo, who will be sharing her experience with taking care of her baby girl. Young couples who are still thinking about whether to start their own families can follow the adventures of couple Tan Yilin and Dannie Cho, both 30, on their journey towards parenthood.
Another highlight of the launch event was the parenthood talk organised by Lianhe Wanbao, which saw speakers Mrs Josephine Teo; Celebrity, Ms Diana Ser, Lianhe Wanbao Editor, Mr Chua Chim Kang, and Executive Consultant, Marine Parade Family Service Centre, Mr Samuel Ng Beng Teck, debating the reasons for and against having children.
The lively and humourous exchanges between the speakers drew laughter and applause from the audience, who also had the chance to submit questions to the speakers during the Q & A segment.
Couple Sherrie, 30, and Ben, 36, found the talk interesting and informative, but noted that having children is a personal choice that cannot be forced. The couple have three children, aged 8, 6 and 3 years old.
When asked about the advantage of having children young, Sherrie, who gave birth to her first child when she was only 22, admitted that she felt closer to her children due to their smaller age gap.
“My 8-year-old son’s friends would ask him, ‘Is that your sister or your mother?’ Our relationship is also quite friendly because there’s not much of an age gap between us,” she added.
The launch of the new portal also marks the start of “Maybe Baby 2010”, a two-week series of parenthood events. One such event is the Maybe Baby Seminar to held on 8 May 2010, at One Marina Boulevard, NTUC Auditorium, from 9am – 6pm.
Panelists include well-known local personalities such as Mr. Douglas Foo (Chairman and CEO of Apex-Pal International) and Ms Anita Fam (Chairperson of Marriage Central Advisory Board).
Mr and Mrs Meng Lim, aged 34 and 31 respectively, was one of many couples who attended the launch event at Wisma Atria and signed up for the Seminar on-the-spot.
The couple have been married for three years and are thinking of having children; although husband and wife view parenthood differently.
For Mr Lim, having children is a way to enhance the relationship between a couple. “After a while (some years of couplehood), you go overseas, you have fun and you come back home; you will start asking yourself: what’s new? Having a kid will give a couple a common focus and bring the relationship closer.”
His wife, however, sees another side to parenthood. “To me, having a small kid is a lot of trouble – be it in terms of finance, lifestyle or freedom. But I promised my hubby I will try to consider having a kid because he hopes to have one. I have not made up my mind though.”
By attending the upcoming Maybe Baby Seminar, Mrs Lim hopes to learn more about parenthood that will help her make a more informed decision at the end of the day.
The Maybe Baby Seminar will feature topics ranging from sexual intimacy, financial planning and work-life harmony. Couples can expect to find out the answers to some of the most common questions on how to plan for and make the most out of parenthood. Interested participants can sign up for the Maybe Baby Seminar by visiting www.maybe.sg.
To celebrate the launch of the portal, other activities aimed at promoting parenthood and couplehood were also held at Wisma Atria over the weekend of 1-2 May 2010.
These included a baby and mum yoga demonstration; a question-and-answer quiz segment and even a piggybacking contest which challenged husbands and boyfriends to balance on one leg while piggybacking their wives and girlfriends, amongst others.
By Lee Shou Yin
