SINGAPORE: When a 30-something man asked Singaporeans on Reddit whether they would reconsider having children if their parents offered S$500k in financial support, one woman rejected the idea outright, saying no amount of money could tempt her.
In a post titled “Young couples – Will you choose to have kids if money is not a concern?”, the woman made it clear that her love for freedom is priceless.
“I don’t like kids and love my freedom,” she said. “Also, money won’t help you if your kid comes out severely disabled, mentally challenged, etc. Some people can accept that risk with grace, but I refuse to take that risk. I know I will just be miserable even if I had all the money in the world, if I had to raise a kid that needs a 24/7 caretaker.”
“I have a friend who has a kid with severe mental challenges that will need a full-time caretaker for the rest of their life. That’s not a fate I would wish on my worst enemy.”
She also questioned the practicality of the S$500k figure, pointing out that sending a child through international schools and private universities abroad would easily cost far more.
“S$500k is not that much lah,” she added. “You need way more than that.”
“Having that amount means one parent doesn’t have to hustle hard for a while.”
In the comments, one Redditor agreed with the woman, saying, “Exactly this. You don’t know what kid you will get. You need to be mentally prepared for ALL In. S$500k is def not enough. Even the idea of raising a kid cannot be predicted.”
Another wrote that, in addition to compromising one’s freedom or preparing to risk caring for a child with special needs, having a child also means giving up private space.
“Any kid I have might stay with me until 35 years old (BTO age). Given how small the flat and condo sizes are, this is quite annoying (kids are not your kids forever; when they grow up, they are their own person who shares 50% of your DNA; thus, ethically, I feel that I will need to respect them as that in terms of sharing living space),” they explained.
“Also, until the child is independent, I’ll have to wake before dawn. Since school days, I hated getting up at 6+am before the sun even rose just because of the school start time.”
Others, however, disagreed, saying they would accept the S$500k offer, as it would not only help ease the financial burden of raising a child but also allow them to experience the joys, challenges, and rewards of parenthood.
One commented, “For us, yes. Having that amount means one parent doesn’t have to hustle hard for a while and can stay home and take care of the kids 100% while a domestic helper does the house chores. The other parent can also come home to a clean house and can also devote 100% to the kid.”
In other news, a man took to Reddit to ask if he was in the wrong for ending things with a woman simply because “she was always busy.”
Sharing his dilemma on the r/sgdatingscene forum, the man said he genuinely tried to give things a chance, but the whole situationship started feeling like a long-running scheduling nightmare.
