9th August, National Day is definitely a day to be thankful, to be proud, and to celebrate. Amid the exhaustion and demands of parenthood, we may not realise how good we have it, so I’m sharing 54 reasons, to mark our 54rd birthday on why being a Singaporean parent is so downright awesome.
(Don’t forget to take our poll at the end of the article!)
FINANCIAL AID & GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
1. Enjoying one of the best maternity entitlement policies in Southeast Asia – we get 16 weeks of paid maternity leave.
2. Dads get 2 weeks of paid paternity leave AND can share in mum’s maternity leave (up to 4 weeks!)
3. Receiving the Baby Bonus cash gift (up to $10,000) – because who knew taking care of such tiny human beings could be so expensive?
4. Then getting the Baby Bonus CDA [Child Development Account], which is absolute icing on the cake. Kickstarting your child’s savings AND matching what you deposit (up to a certain amount) is definitely not something many governments are willing or able to do. Banks like POSB even offer programmes that lets you maximise the account with added perks and savings schemes.
5. The Parenthood Tax Rebate ($5,000 to $20,000) that just gives you a sigh of relief when it’s tax filing season.
6. The brilliantly thoughtful idea that is Grandparent Caregiver Relief (up to $3,000) for working mums, making one feel just a little less guilty about relying so much on parents/in-laws for day-to-day child care.
7. Handicapped Child Relief ($7,500): a tremendous help to those who need it.
8. An extra 15-25% of a mum’s income in the form of the Working Mother’s Child Relief (capped at a total of $50,000/child with Qualifying/Handicapped Child Relief) could be what lets her make ends meet or afford little luxuries in the care of her child.
9. Enlisting the help of foreign domestic workers and the subsidised government levy for the care of a child, an elder, or a person with disability.
10. HDB (Housing Development Board) flats that give Singaporeans the pride and long-term financial advantages of being home-owners.
11. Paid childcare leave days that really let us be there for our kids.
12. Peace of mind thanks to the Medisave scheme plus the savings it brings upon baby’s delivery.
13. A very low maternity death rate in terms of global rankings, thanks to excellent healthcare. I gave birth at Mount Elizabeth, Orchard, and the team there really took good care of me and my daughter.
14. No guns due to our strict gun laws.
15. No drugs (many) thanks to our harsh drug laws as well.
16. Both of these significantly contributing to our low crime rate.
17. The Dependant’s Protection Scheme that protects our loved ones when time comes that we can’t.
No one could have set a better example to generations of parents than the father of our nation, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
HISTORY & CULTURE
18. The leadership example we have in Lee Kuan Yew and his legacy of building a great and prosperous nation.
19. Being immersed daily in a melting pot of races and consequently, traditions, cuisines, arts, languages, and so on.
20. Singapore must be the only country in the world with 2 hawkers being awarded the prestigious Michelin stars – Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles and Hawker Chan with 1 Michelin Star each.!
21. Having tons of messy, yummy fun eating Chilli crab, whether on family or date night. Roland Seafood is a great place to have it, since it’s right next to Parkway Parade too!
22. Ang Ku Kueh [red tortoise cake] at celebrations and festivals bringing back happy (end-of-) confinement memories. I can still taste the ones from Secret Moments. Yum.
23. Getting competitive over Yam Seng [“drink to success”] and remembering the merry rounds at your own wedding.
24. 24-hour Dim Sum for those midnight pregnancy cravings.
25. Then heading over to Mustafa (open 24 hours a day) to walk off that huge meal and get some shopping done.
发啊!
26. The rowdy Lo Hei [“tossing up good fortune”] CNY ritual that really does get you excited about the new year and what’s to come.
27. Getting to savor flavors from all over the world at Lau Pa Sat.
28. Tiger balm and all the relief it brings. Aaaaaaaah!
29. A meritocratic, equal opportunity society leading to a diverse workforce and a culture of excellence.
30. Singlish, because some things just can’t be expressed in English lah.
Our passport may be tiny but it is mighty, just like our beloved country!
TRAVEL
31. Our tiny but mighty passport that unlocks visa-free travel to so many amazing destinations like Iceland, Fiji, Peru, Switzerland, Morocco, South Africa, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the UK, and Spain just to name a few.
32. And having family-friendly Changi Airport – voted the best in the world for many years in a row! – as the hub for all this traveling.
33. The superior service of Singapore Airlines, making trips with the kids that much easier and more memorable.
34. Add to that, direct flights to many parts of the world, letting us skip the hassle and stress of layovers.
TECH
35. Singapore has produced many billion dollar tech companies like Razer, Grab, Lazada and Garena
36. GrabTaxi making our daily lives so much easier.
37. theAsianparent app, of course! The parenting app that is both iOS and Android friendly. Sign up and get access to advice from experts and fellow mums/dads on all your parenting concerns. Expectant mums can also look forward to daily pregnancy and baby development notifications.
Access to a world-class education system open many doors around the world to our children.
EDUCATION
38. Our world class education system enabling generations of Singaporean children to become globally competitive and successful in their chosen fields. We constantly top Pisa rankings, with our children consistently ranking first in Maths and Science.
And we don’t even have to pay crazy school fees to have access to this excellent education system, vs. the rest of our neighbours whose Pisa rankings are no where close to ours.
39. Having relatively low school fees for first-rate education.
40. The Edusave scheme on top of this.
41. Swimming as part of the PE Syllabus in primary schools – it’s such a necessary life skill!
Swimming – fun, but also a crucial life skill for all kids.
42. The Smart Nation drive that’s enabling our kids to learn coding in school.
43. Singapore Math giving our kids a serious edge over many other students in the world.
44. Though not as famous as its Math counterpart, Singapore Science is undoubtedly topnotch, as our students rank first in the world for both subjects.
Weekends with kids are never boring in Singapore!
ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES
45. From learning to cook a new cuisine to coding and everything in between, our amazing Community Centres provide endless opportunities for life improvement. The family fun fitness activities and programmes for kids also serve as great cures for boredom and cabin fever! I spent so many summers at Marine Parade Community Center.
46. World class shopping malls with so many rooftop gardens and public play areas. The City Green park at City Square is a great haven in the city, plus it’s a very family-friendly mall.
47. Because kids eat for free at so many restaurants, mum and dad can indulge their gourmet cravings with the little ones in tow. We even have a kid-friendly bar! On weekends, The Bank Bar + Bistro lets kids (aged 4-10) get a free meal when you order yours.
When it comes to kid-friendly activities, there’s no place like home!
48. Our gorgeous free parks that let our children commune with nature and offer opportunities for active play, picnics, exercise, or just going for relaxing strolls. A visit to the Botanic Gardens or Gardens by the Bay is always good for the soul.
49. Great walking weather and sunshine all year round.
50. $6 mum and baby movie shows at Golden Village complete with diaper changing stations.
51. Year-round fun at Sentosa, so you don’t actually have to venture far for family adventures.
52. Night Safari for the thrill plus the added value of education in such a unique setting.
53. Where else to take the kids on weekends? We have 26 public libraries and 27 public swimming complexes scattered across the island!
54. “Best country in the world for kids to grow up!”, according to the End of Childhood report published by Save the Children on 31 May 2018.
So there you have it – 54 incredible reasons that make us love our country even more!
Now it’s your turn, parents – Do you think Singapore is a safe country for kids? Let us know your opinion in the poll below!
Also READ: Stop asking me if I am Singaporean!