Single Mother Appeals to PM Lee to Stop Penalising Single Mothers

Dear PM Lee,

I’m writing this to you, not because I’m a single mother. I’m writing to you because I’m a Mother. I’m also trying hard not to be emotional while writing because I do personally know single moms who didn’t choose the path to be a single mom. I really can’t think of any Singaporean woman who goes out of her way to get a child if she didn’t think first of setting up a happy family.

But sometimes, things happen. Have you heard of pregnant women who find out their husbands-to-be are cheating on them? Or have you heard of a woman who ends up pregnant, but realises that the child shouldn’t be paying for her mistake even if the man decides to walk away? Ask any of these single moms, and you’ll find that no matter what the reasons may be, they are being responsible human being. They have chosen a path of insane sacrifice for the sake of an innocent child.

I’m sure there is no dispute that being a mom in Singapore is really tough. Most of us work. We can’t help but work because the standard of living is getting higher. And I’m guess that in principle, it is what our nation wants from us women…. Because stay home moms don’t get much benefits, and the father’s who have to support stay-home moms don’t enjoy any benefits of a working mom, considering he’s got a lot more weight on his shoulders. So there. Policies are in place to make sure that women stay in the work force. In the past, the men go out to work, the women stay home. Now the women go to work as well as juggle to be a good mom. And it’s not easy. But we try.