The reason

Most touched by the letter written to forum in the Strait times, on the 22nd Aug:

" I am a Singaporean studying at the Monash University in Melbourne. By no means am I from an affluent background. The only reason I can pay my school fees, and have food and accommodation is because of my parents.

My mother had the luxury(if I may put it) to be a stay-home mum when I was born. But, out of necessity, she had to join my father and become part of the workforce after my brother was born three years later.

I think my mother would have loved to stay home and watch both of us grow up, witness our developmental milestones and participate fully in our growing up years.

My youngest sister, nine years younger than me, saw even less of mummy because mummy had to work.

The idea of my mother having to work did not sit well with me. Even now, I recall throwing tantrums in the morning and standing tearfully at the gate, watching her leave for work with dad.

My grandmother had to parctically pry me away from mum whose business shirt I creased and streaked with my tears.

With all the Online Forum letters taht I have been reading, I want my mother to know that I love her, even though she had no government-sanctioned maternity leave, no baby bonus and no incentive to have me. She had all my attention as she prepared my lunchbox in her office attire, all my admiration when she sat through the night with me, despite a long day at work, while I did my prmary school problem sums; and all of my love when she picked me up from school rehearsals with a bun in her hand, just in case I was hungry.

I am all I am because of my mother. And now, it really doesn't matter if you were a stay- home mum or a working mum, you were and always will be, the best mum." Yick Wan Jie(Miss)

The reason for having a child must be one of love and fulfilment not of incentives.