Ba Kut Teh with pork ribs: " Response to article 1"

I particularly liked the title of this article, ‘Ad on family life paints too rosy a picture’. It simply states that the advertisements the government is promoting about happiness in Singaporean family lifestyles disillusions the public by providing too beautiful a picture.

The author’s main objective is to tell the government that we should not depict an average Singaporean’s family life as ‘highly middle-classed, English-educated with western orientated lifestyles’ as this is not commonly seen in the majority of our families. He fears that people would be disillusioned into thinking that happiness is easily achievable in family life, when in reality, it is not.

There are two viewpoints. One perspective is from the government while the other is from a consultant family therapist who has been in practice for 35 years. The government’s viewpoint is rather biased as they want to encourage marriages with big families by only depicting the side where fun and harmony exist in an average Singaporean family life. However, the less pretty and more realistic sight would be seeing parents struggling to earn enough money to give all their children good education, close to no leisure time and children worrying about balancing school and social life. I tend to agree with the author because his view is more insightful. Being a family-life educator, he has experience in counseling families and is more familiar with struggles in marital relationships and parent-children problems. He even provides an example of family stress in which a father, who is overseas, is overly concerned about his child playing and not finishing his homework.

I can understand the government’s intentions in trying to promote happiness in family life and encouraging marriages and bigger families but they should also present a more realistic approach, something achievable for most Singaporean families. However, I find the author overly concerned with the public being disillusioned and getting a wrong idea of real family life. I am certain that almost every Singaporean knows that our family life is not as relaxing and enjoyable as seen from the advertisement but on the contrary, rather hectic and busy. The public is exposed to the media not only in the form of newspaper advertisements but also in the form television and radio. The ironic thing is that many of our home-made serial dramas on television depict an average Singaporean family life as complicated, full of tension and stress, and not the least bit free and easy-going. Perhaps it is to attract more viewers but this example goes to show that we are well aware of the type of life we are living. Singaporeans’ lifestyles are well-known to be fast paced and busy, having little time for relaxation.

As Singaporeans, we should realise that ‘family’ is more important than ‘work’ and should sacrifice more time in enjoying life as a family. However, as Singaporeans, you know as jolly well as I do that this will never happen. Not anywhere in a hundred years time.

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