A FAMILY AFFAIR
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Peekaboo bag, Fendi launched the #Meandmypeekaboo campaign to celebrate the relationships between mothers and daughters. Inspired by the series, Cheryl Chan talks to society mums Caroline Low-heah and Jacelyn Lai, and their offspring, on the strength of their bonds
Caroline Low-heah and Elizabeth Heah
Mutual respect. That is the one thing that Caroline Low-heah, clinical director at Drs Jiten and Caroline Medical Centre, has always believed to be important in her relationship with her daughter Elizabeth. “I think one has to respect each other’s position,” Caroline stresses. “I respect her as a daughter and she respects me as a mother. Given today’s generation, the line is blurred and the traditional parenting concept of ‘I speak, you listen’ doesn’t hold up. We have mutual respect for each other and that sums up our relationship, but it can’t be this friendtype of relationship. It only works to a certain extent, but if you know where you stand with each other, it’s a lot easier.” Elizabeth, a houseman at the Singapore General Hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, agrees. “Traditional parenting is so different from modern parenting. There needs to be a balance between having a sense of authority and an openness where you can approach your mother and not be afraid to let her know you’ve made a mistake,” she says. “I think that’s very important in today’s society because it not only helps to strengthen the parent-child relationship, it also helps the children become more responsible.”
Jacelyn, Katerina and Micaela Lai
Don’t call Jacelyn Lai a tiger mum. The stay-at-home mother of four describes her parenting style as “chill” and prides herself in allowing her children to grow up at their own pace. “I hold to the belief that we should have the confidence in our kids that they know how to manage their own lives,” she says. “If you impart the right values to them, then you should be confident that they would be able to make the right decisions. Of course, there will always be a couple of detours along the way, but life isn’t perfect. They need to be able to make mistakes and learn from them.” “I think she’s found the balance between being a tiger mum and a cool mum,” chimes her oldest daughter Katerina, a business development associate at Bountie, a start-up gaming company. “Sometimes too cool!” youngest daughter Micaela, an international school student, quips. “The most important thing my mum has taught me is to always have compassion,” Katerina continues. “At the end of the day, the clothes, jewellery and make-up don’t matter. What really matters is how you treat other people.”