Raising 7 Kids in Singapore: Life in a Big Family | On The Red Dot | CNA Insider

When 1 or 2 kids is enough for most couples today - imagine raising 7, as the Hengs are doing. It's not easy, with financial, logistical and parenting challenges.

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About the series:
It’s tough to raise children in a country where the rising cost of living coupled with the huge stress to excel at school makes most couples consider stopping at 2 – or even 1. But our 4 families are bucking the trend with 5 and even 7 children! What does it take to raise a supersized family? Amidst the laughter and the tears, On The Red Dot reveals the inner lives of what it means to grow up in a Full House.

[xdan]

Just a thought. Maybe the mum and dad could try switching roles? As a qualified MOE teacher, she can command a much better salary, and the dad can spend more time with the kids. No more excuse for dad to feel like "lousy daddy", and mum can catch a break with some personal time (and engagement to the outside world)...

[shamzambada]

But to be honest, when they all are adults family gathering will be fun, hectic and chaotic

[happyleaf]

Of course the father don’t regret having so many children la. All he does is work outside, then come home can nap at sofa. The mother work 24/7 do all the chores and attend to children

[gyratingduckies]

Feel like the Husband got what he wanted (SEVEN kids) and the Wife has to bear all the consequences - extra chores, toll on her mind and body, dealing with them day in day out. All he has to do is work a little harder. Dude, that’s not cool.

[SparkzMxzXZ]

"sometimes i just want to have a meal by myself without being called every 30 seconds. i feel like i had more personal time in the past when i was working compared to now." this is so sad. i feel like the mum has a high risk of developing depression at this rate.

[toestud]

the dad's love for having more children compared to caring for each child's quality of life is mildly worrying

[aninternetuser]

The father is tired after work and takes naps and admits he feels lazy, while the mother struggles with the 7 kids and he would have even more?! They should have planed better, smh

[theinternetisafacade]

3:31 "Accidentally one..." "No you purposely." "Accidentally." "Purposely."

the root of almost all sibling arguments lol

[jadnexTheRnewed]

instead of having 7 kids and being a "lousy dad" to all of them, he should have had 2 or 3 and be a great dad to them

[Tekhelet]

He and she should have planned better. 7 kids is a blessing and great. However more planning could have been done. They look like they are struggling to make ends meet or have a comfortable life. If one’s finances and time cannot afford, don’t try and be a hero. Plan well, have realistic target.

[wbgsci]

I am blessed to have her as my form teacher at Hua Yi Secondary School. :)))

[JaneSagan]

wait... so they started to struggle after having their 6th kid but decided to have an additional one anyway?

[rickyshan]

It’s hard to empathise when the reason for your poor living standard is entirely the result of atrocious family planning. It’s simple—don’t have children you can’t afford. It’s also selfish to jeopardise each child’s quality of life as you cannot distribute sufficient parental care (emotional and physical) amongst your children.

[toyoyoyo]

The mum is a fantastic woman. Hopefully the kids will understand the sacrifices made by both parents and grow up to be good, filial kids. 🙏🙏

[toestud]

the fact that an 11 year old has to be dubbed the second mother of the family...? that's not something admirable you know, she should be able to have a normal childhood?

[MrPieman]

I feel bad for the eldest sibling, shes going to have to become the adult very early in her life and take care of her siblings

[thecatfromsingapore]

I hope that he takes into consideration the children's long-term needs - e.g. education alone is going to be very expensive. Going to university ain't cheap. Moreover, they're gonna have less opportunities compared to their peers who have access to more resources.

[chensoonteo]

Dude, you wanted the 7 kids. When you get home from work, look after them! It's not your wife's sole responsibility. You don't get to take a nap!

[tadashiyamaguchi]

I came from a family of 11 siblings... My mother had diabetes and couldn’t really look after our entire family and my father had to work extra hours to feed everyone. However, I was fortunate enough to be adopted out of the family into a much wealthier one. But till this day, I feel sad whenever I think of my biological family back home. My mother recently passed away though, but thankfully, my siblings are old enough to get a job by now to support the family

It’s harder to make a living in Singapore with this amount of children, however, I hope that when they’re all much older, they’ll have an amazing family gathering :”D

[ernestkj]

7 kids with take home 2.5k. wow! after CPF, this and that. Very brave man!