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May 2025
“I’ve lost my child to his screen,” sobbed a mum. “What did I do wrong? How could I have prevented it?” I teared up as I identified with her loss….
“Kids, I think Mum has ADHD.” Suddenly, I had the full, undivided attention of my five children. A mum with ADHD? But before I could elaborate, one by one, they…
So many mums often ask me, “Junia, how do I motivate my child to study?” It’s a loaded question, since every parent has different expectations and every child has unique…
“What does Chinese New Year mean to you?” I asked my horde. “Money,” my teenager candidly replied. Then my eldest surprised me with her answer, “Family.” Their 10-year-old sister nodded…
“I hate you! You’re the worst mum ever!” my 10-year-old daughter howled in anger. “How DARE you shout at your mum like that?” my husband popped his head into her…
How do you cope with stress? It’s exam season and the girls were laughing mindlessly at something over dinner. I wanted a more serious conversation of how their day went,…
He sent flowers to another lady and when questioned, said it was because he wanted to cheer her up. He was even messaging her on a daily basis! I was…
“Did you know we’ve got the most powerful passport in the world?” Since we were approaching Singapore’s 59th National Day, this was how I opened the conversation at the dinner…
Trust, a crucial cornerstone in every relationship, is fragile. From friendships to marriage and parent-child interactions, what can we do to reconcile an important relationship when trust is lost? Also,…
A recent parent-teacher meeting got me thinking about the trajectory of Singapore’s education system. We have catapulted ourselves from a third world country to first world status in just one…
“My kids take up so much of my time that I feel like I don’t have energy left to do what I want. How do I manage my time better?”…
“He punched my right eye,” my youngest whispered, when I asked how his day went. He wasn’t visibly hurt, but suffice to say, I was shocked. It was the second…
“I need to sit with my boys daily, otherwise they won’t do their homework. Is there a way to get them to complete their work independently without me?” A common…
“Wow, your daughter takes the public bus home all by herself? But she’s only in Primary One!” exclaims one mum. On the inside, she doubts if her own six-year-old is…
As usual, talk of goal setting and resolutions abound as we approach the end of the year. “Girls, why don’t people stick to their New Year goals and resolutions?” I…
“Ling, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were depressed.” My baby girl, now 17, tried to blink back her tears as I continued, “But you’re not alone. I was…
In the midst of the dreaded exam period, we often plunge into the world of textbooks, tuition, and mock tests. More practice equates to better preparation, right? That may be…
This can’t be happening! I stared in disbelief for a second. Then panicking, I frantically tapped on my phone to try to uninstall the new app, but to no avail….
Bel is an easy-going, athletic 13-year-old who avoids conflicts with a smile. Of my five children, she would be the one to question why I was so curt with a…
“Junia,” many mums want to know, “how do you keep your five kids entertained during the school holidays?” My secret? I don’t. Instead, I delegate the responsibility of keeping each…
Dr Gary Chapman’s concept of ‘The 5 Love Languages’ provides a wonderful framework to top up our emotional bank accounts. Which of the five is your primary way of receiving?…
“Mum, that boy’s making so much noise — should we tell his parents?” asked my girl. He was grunting and the echoes vibrating off the water surface rudely interrupted the…
“But why not? Aren’t we supposed to love all our children equally and not show favouritism?” asked a fellow mum. Because equality and equity achieve completely different goals, I reply….
A fellow mum asked how I prepare my five kids to transit into their next phases without being a helicopter mum. “I teach them to pilot their own helicopters!” I…
Everyone asks, “Junia, what are your new year resolutions?” Well, before I begin thinking about next year, I like to look back on the year that’s ending. In fact, I…
“Even my kids want to jump on the revenge travel bandwagon,” one mum remarks. “How do I explain to them that it’s more expensive to travel now compared to pre-Covid…
Some time back, someone asked me, “Junia, are you happy?” I kept quiet because it would not look good to admit that I wasn’t. Yet my heart said NO. It…
“Mum, it’s been over a month since we no longer need to wear masks in public. Yet I still see more people with their masks on than off. Why?!?” my…
When our Prime Minister announced during this year’s National Day Rally that Section 377A of the Penal Code is to be repealed, the buzz that followed was inevitable. Naturally, even…
Mothers I meet often ask how we maintain our house with five growing children and all their belongings. They complain that their homes feel cluttered with just two or three…
“Junia, I give up,” a fellow mum lamented. “My daughter’s attitude is so bad and we argue all the time. I don’t know what to do anymore. She shouted at…
A parent asked me this question during the last session of a four-week programme on motivational strategies. The discussion was on creating intrinsic drive instead of repeating the arduous weekly…
“Of course you should be a working mum! Do you know how expensive it is to bring up a child in Singapore? Staying home would be a waste of your…
“No way!” declared my husband. “Do you know Pfizer is not even a vaccine by medical and legal definition? They do not prevent you from getting the infection. They’re experimental…
“Given his PSLE results, my son has the choice of either the Normal or Express stream. He wants to go the N(A) route, but my husband wants him to choose…
“My mother-in-law keeps saying my milk is not enough and insists on giving my baby formula. I’m frustrated because my husband doesn’t seem to back me up, and I’m too…
“Junia,” one mum turns to me in exasperation, “my two kids seem to be fighting more during this HBL season. What can I do?” I winked at her knowingly, and…
Parents worry. Trying to motivate your child to study and excel in exams has long become part and parcel of daily life. Understandably so. A country with no natural resources…
Intimate topics such as sex, porn, and masturbation are NOT something most Asian parents broach because we are uncomfortable about bringing them up. The impact of not having these conversations…
“Junia, I’m such a lousy mother. I feel like a failure. My son doesn’t listen to me, and my husband says it’s my fault. I really don’t know what to…
“Mum, are we rich?” she asked. “How much do we have? Because my friend said she just found out her father has two million dollars!” How would you respond to…
“Can you accept it if one of our daughters is a lesbian?” I asked. “OMG! That would mean we failed as parents!” my husband bellowed. Our eldest was only seven…
When a fellow mum asked me this, I had to chuckle. It’s not that my kids wouldn’t be stuck to their screens too… if I just let them. It simply…
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone, leaving marks on all our lives. I’ve had my fair share. My husband’s income got reduced by half. The kids were confined indoors during…
During a group chat session, a fellow mummy (whose daughter is classmates with one of mine) said to me: “Babe, my daughter wants me to be more like you. ‘Isabel’s…
Does this sound familiar to you? It actually happened to me recently, and with the primary school year-end exams looming, I decided to share. “Did you know Jean failed her…
A few weeks ago, a mum asked me: “Junia, my Primary Six-year-old son says he wants to commit suicide. What can I do?” I teared up. COVID-19 has isolated us…
