We would like our children to
do well academically, but it’s
not the end of the world if
they don’t. Everyone has
something they’re good at,
and our role as parents is to
help our kids discover
their strengths.
towards her three children’s athletic
pursuits, sharing, “I’m very proud of my
son’s involvement in his school’s canoeing
team. His training regimen is rigorous and
the discipline of the entire team speaks
well of them. They don’t always win the
races but there are lessons in failure that
are worth learning too. My daughters are
both involved in netball, which is also a
team sport. Again, apart from acquiring an
active lifestyle, netball helps them to build
valuable social skills.”
Having raised a family of avid adventurers,
she also fondly recalls how plights abroad
have helped bring out the best in her
children’s characters. “One very precious
memory was when we went for a walk in
the mountains in New Zealand. The walk
turned out to be much longer and more
treacherous than we expected. Moreover,
it was a hot day and we ran out of water. I
was really quite terrified of the physical
risks we had put the kids under. But the
children willingly pressed on, and we
encouraged one another not to give up.
I was so proud of them.”
The former alumnus of Dunman High and
Raffles Junior College explains her stringent
but flexible stance on parenting, saying, “in
terms of what the children do with their
lives, I see our role as parents as being much
like a coach. We can share lessons, point out
what we see are the kids’ strengths and what
they could do well in. We can highlight
risks and pitfalls, and be there to support
them if they fall. Ultimately though, they
have to discover what makes them happy
and take responsibility to build their own
lives. It’s their game, after all.”
For someone whose heart is in the welfare
of her fellow countrymen, how much
does Josephine expose her children to the
sensitive world of politics?
“Unlike just a few years ago, politics
has become very much a part of social
conversations in Singapore. As a family,
we talk about a whole range of subjects
including politics. When we travel or watch
movies together and the subject of politics
comes up, we’ll share what we know and
what we think.”
My husband and I have always
tried to reason with them and
give them space so that there
are no major disagreements
or conflicts. Our children
do point out our mistakes
and inconsistencies, and it is
important that we are willing
to apologise.
Might they ever follow in her footsteps?
“I don’t know whether my children will take
an interest beyond that of an active citizen,
and I would respect their wishes either way,”
she reveals with a smile.
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