What Do These Two Women Have In Common

They’re both millennials. And they’re both married. But there’s another trait they share…

- Adora Wong

Karin Chew

28, had her first child when she was 25. She’s a mum to Yu Ren, three, and twins Yan Jia and Yi Jia, one.

“ My first pregnancy wasn’t planned. I had missed my period, and when I expressed my worries to my then boyfriend, he was pretty chill, and that was when I knew he was open to settling down. I was happy to start a family with him, so we got married and had a baby. It helped that my family and friends were very supportive.

Much as it was the life I chose, I can’t deny there were moments when I felt like I was missing out on my 20s. That took a while to adjust to. My husband and I didn’t plan for a second child but we were OK if one more came along. But, of course, when we found out we were having twins, we were shocked. I was very worried about how I’d go about taking care of two babies and a toddler.

I still don’t have the freedom to travel or meet my friends as and when I want, as I’m still breast feeding the twins. Since they’re still very young, I can’t bear to leave them in the hands of anyone else.

I raise my kids differently from how I was brought up. I was raised by a helper because both my parents worked, but since my husband is able to support us, I stay at home and look after the kids myself. I feel very privileged to be able to spend so much time with them. Not all parents have this option.

However, we haven’t had a date night since the twins were born. Although our parents help us out a lot, they can’t exactly handle three young and active kids. We do not engage outside help as we don’t trust anyone else outside of the family. We feel that the first five years of a child’s life is what lays the foundation of their character, so we want to be around them all the time to guide and nurture them.