Singaporeans are already known to expect so much from themselves, what more others? Some say it’s due to our culture while most say it’s due to our society. Oh wait, are we forgetting about the parents here?
Who says parents don’t play a part in this?
Here are 8 ridiculous but hilarious things Singaporean parents expect of their kids!
#1 Join the family business
Whether it’s a hawker business or a lawyer firm, and whether you like it or not, as long as the family owns a business, you’re going to join the business.
#2 No relationships before you graduate
Trust me, they’ll bombard you with ten different questions even when they see you walking next to someone of the opposite sex. The irony of this is that soon after you graduate, they expect you to get married.
#3 Be a prodigy of some sort
They’ll send you for piano classes by age three, and expect you to play solo in a concert hall by age 12. Nope, no pressure at all!
#4 Academically smart
It’s linked to ‘being Asian’ that our parents will get mad when we don’t top the class. Sadly, most of it is true. They won’t throw us out of the house or do anything major. But they do get mad.
More hilarious expectations on the next page!
#5 Grow up to be successful
Be a doctor or a lawyer or…..just make sure you earn enough money to support the household. And no, if you don’t own an insurance plan, a car or a HDB, you sure as hell ain’t successful, my dear.
#6 Get into the business industry
If your family doesn’t own a business, getting into the business industry would be the next best choice. Well, besides being a surgeon or a lawyer or anything like that. Also, choose to pursue a business course in your tertiary education, please!
#7 ALWAYS attend a family gathering
You’ve got movie plans? Cancel them. You’re flying off to Thailand for a vacay? Postpone the trip! Family gatherings are so rare in Singapore to the point that some families only meet up as a whole during festive occasions, which happens once or twice a year. So when there comes a text message from your mum informing you of a dinner gathering, they only expect one reply from you: yes.
#8 Be a visual learner when it comes to housework
No kidding, my mum has never taught me to mop the house or how to cook a specific dish and when she asks me to do it and I do it wrongly, she goes on a 20-minute rant on how I don’t know how to do any housework. I mean, was there a manual handed to us at birth that we missed out on?
Parents, are you guilty of any of these expectations? Share your thoughts with us!