The executive director of Banyan Tree Gallery and former Nominated MP is married to Mr Ho Kwon Ping, chairman of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts Group. They have two so'tis aged 21 and nine, and an 18-year-old daughter. She also co-chairs the Family Matters! Singapore Task Force for the Romancing Singapore Festival.
I believe in offering all the information about sex and unexpected pregnancy, and teaching my children by creating scenarios and case studies for discussion, so that they have issues to reflect on to formulate their own choices.
No amount of lecturing and preaching by parents will succeed in preventing our children from doing what we think they are not supposed to do. I have learnt to accept that parents have lost that prerogative.
When my children were toddlers, I taught them that their bodies belong to them alone.
I showed them what private parts are, who should and should not touch them, and what personal privacy means.
When they were in Primary 3 or 4, I borrowed tapes from the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association and showed them the birth process, to tell them how they came about.
Then, I talked about love between men and women and how their union creates life, and creates them.
Parents should remove their own embarrassment about sexuality if they want their children to have healthy attitudes towards sex and marriage.
I will not object to my children dating. I am glad they are attracted to the opposite sex, and I urge them to engage in activities to grow together as pals.
You cannot tell a young girl and guy when to start loving and when is the right time to love. Cupid's arrow hits in surprising ways.
The only thing parents must do is to supervise, and extend warmth and protection, as well as guidance to the young couple to influence their thinking and feelings.
We talk a lot about relationships with our children. Movies are great case studies for discussing relationships, because there is a certain objectivity to the whole discussion and no one needs to be too defensive or sensitive.
I think what they have drawn from our marriage is that disagreements and arguments do not necessarily break up a marriage or define it as a bad marriage. Rather, ours is a marriage full of spice.
The important thing is to appreciate and accept the differences and work on the common grounds instead."
