Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I was born and raised in Singapore, a tiny island 137 kilometres north of the equator. I’ve lived here all my life. The only time I’ve stayed abroad for an extended period was when I worked in China.
What language(s) do you speak?
I speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
When did you first become a mother?
I became a mom in January 2010 and I’m so blessed that my son and I share the same birthday!
Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?
I’m a work-at-home mom (WAHM). I was previously a human resource professional. Even before I got pregnant, I already knew I wanted to be a WAHM. I also wanted to pursue something that I love doing. So I quit my job and started freelance writing and translation. I became a mom about two years later. In Singapore, most women continue working full-time after having a child, part of the reason is the high cost of living. So I feel very blessed to have a spouse who supports my decision to be a WAHM. On my part, I’m happy to enjoy the simple things in life and I’m perfectly fine doing less shopping!
Why do you blog/write?
I started blogging as a way of recording my son’s milestones and the special moments we share as a family. Along the way, I started writing about things close to my heart-–like my love for food and my strong belief that we should pursue our passions in life since we only live once. So recently, I started a series on mumpreneurs. I admire these moms’ courage to pursue their passion and hope their stories will encourage and inspire others.
How would you say that you are different from other mothers?
This is a tough question! I don’t think I’m that different, but if I really have to name one thing, then perhaps it’s how I’m a bit unconventional in my parenting philosophy compared to many parents where I live. While the norm here values paper qualifications, I believe that developing good values, a strong sense of self-worth and confidence, as well as critical life skills like the ability to think critically and communicate well, are more important to helping my child succeed in life than paper qualifications (in Singapore, having ‘a good education’ is of great importance to many).
What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?
In the highly connected world that we live in now, I see protecting my child from negative influences as a challenge.
In addition, it can be a challenge raising a child in Singapore because of a strong emphasis on education (not that it’s bad!), which has created a stressful environment for children to grow up in. For example, more and more children are attending enrichment classes at a young age (some as young as few months old) because parents want to give them a ‘head start’ in life. Then when it comes time to enter primary school, there are parents who will do everything they can just to get their children into the top schools – which include doing volunteer work in the school of choice or even to move house. How stressful!
While I do think that paper qualification is important to some extent, I view the love for learning and developing an inquiring mind as even more important for my child. So I often remind myself not to follow the herd blindly but to do what’s necessary to nurture the gifts and talents God has placed in my son so that he can develop his potential fully.
How did you find World Moms Blog?
I was searching for a community of mom bloggers when I came across WMB. Unlike some other blogging communities I’ve joined and felt lost or overwhelmed by the huge membership, I felt this is a cozy place where members can really get to know one another. More importantly, I found the content interesting and totally unique and love the international perspective on motherhood it offers!
This is an original, first time post to World Moms Blog from our new writer in Singapore, Ruth Wong. You also can find Ruth writing on her personal blog Mommy Cafe.
The photograph used in this post is credited to the author’s husband.
Ruth,
I’m so excited that you’re writing with us — welcome to World Moms Blog! 🙂
Jen 🙂
Welcome to World Moms Blog Ruth! Look forward to seeing more from you soon.
Welcome! And can just say that I love Singapore- one of my favourite places in the world, so can’t wait to read more from you 🙂
Thanks Jen for the warm welcome!
Hi Ruth! So nice to read more about you. Big warm greetings from Jakarta! And I’m with you on the enrichment programs for kids. They have them here too that I worry we are putting too much pressure for our kids – educationally that is.
Can’t wait to read more from you in the future 🙂
Alison: Thanks! Especially for guiding me around here as the contributing editor!!
Asta: Thanks for the welcome and in visiting my blog! If you planning a trip to Singapore, I’ll love to play host 🙂
TatterScoops: We’re so near so each other ya? My hubby visited Jakarta recently and was telling me about some really fabulous sudanese food, I’m salivating! I think the enrichment programme thing is pretty much an Asian phenomena? I hope my child enjoys his childhood – the stress can come later!