Summary:
A 34-year-old Internet celebrity from Singapore who has 5 children and 3 marriages. His 17-year-old son gave birth to a child with his girlfriend, making him the youngest grandmother in Singapore. Facing her first grandson, she was very calm, not only because of her attitude towards life, but also because of the courage given to her by Singapore's mature housing, medical, education and welfare systems.
1. This Internet celebrity from Singapore who has 5 children and 3 marriages at the age of 27 and became a grandmother at the age of 34 is called Shirley Ling.
On April 1, the South China Morning Post introduced the story of a 34-year-old Internet celebrity from Singapore who has 5 children and 3 marriages. Her 17-year-old son gave birth to a child with his girlfriend, making her the youngest grandmother in Singapore.
The woman who was promoted to a young grandmother last year is called Shirli Ling. She is 35 years old and runs a chicken hotpot restaurant and has 17,000 followers on Instagram.
Shirley Ling stars in the 2022 Singaporean military comedy film Ah! After "Girls Go to the Army", he became famous for his handsome appearance.
Shirley Ling has been married three times. She gave birth to her first son when she was 17 years old, and then gave birth to her second son and three daughters. When she was 27 years old, she had given birth to five children. The child's mother.
By 2024, Shirley Ling’s eldest son will be 18 years old, her second son will be 17 years old, and her three daughters will be 13, 10 and 8 years old respectively.
2. When her son was "inspired" to become a parent by her at the age of 17, Shirley Ling did not object and told her son to make his own decision and be responsible for it.
Shirley Ling, a grandmother, actually regrets having children too early and getting married too early. She said: "When children grow up, you have to keep telling them not to be like their mum and not to get married so young. But it backfires. The more you tell them not to do it, the more they will do it."
Although she has reflected on her early marriage and early childbearing, last year, when her eldest son's girlfriend became pregnant, Shirley Ling, a young mother, did not have a strong reaction.
She joked that her son was "inspired" by her to become a parent at the age of 17.
Shirley Ling described her eldest son as a "curious" and "naughty" man. She said: "What needs to be done is done, and rather than scolding my son, I would rather offer advice and more support."
Shirley Ling said that when she was told that her eldest son’s girlfriend was pregnant, Shirley Ling let her eldest son make his own decision and take responsibility for it.
Shirley Ling said that even if her son chooses not to have children, she can't guarantee he won't make the same mistake again.
The influential Singaporean internet celebrity stressed that she would not encourage her children to start a family early. But the most important thing is to be there for her children and "educate and guide them" when they need help.
3. The story of Shirley Ling not only triggered the collision of people's views on fertility and marriage, but also triggered people's thinking about the social welfare system.
In this surprising story, the 34-year-old Singaporean Internet celebrity said calmly that she did not blame her son, but promised her 17-year-old son that she would give him more support.
However, the family’s story conflicts with most people’s perceptions and has unsurprisingly sparked heated debate and divergent opinions on social media.
One online observer commented on Shirley Ling on instagram: "I think you are a failure as a mother. Is it really good for a child to start a family at an immature age?"
But another One person expressed a contrary opinion, saying: "This mother has done a great job. She always guides her children to be responsible people."
Regarding these controversies, Shirley Ling said: "Young parents face challenges and it is not easy. But now that it has happened, I can only teach my son how to be responsible for his actions."
Shirley Ling also said that she will continue to encourage her son and hopes that he can ensure that his children are well taken care of.
After reading this news from the South China Morning Post, I logged into Instagram out of curiosity and found Shirli Ling’s account @shirli_ling. Judging from Shirley Ling's posts, I found that in the face of five children and the birth of the next generation by her 17-year-old eldest son, Shirley Ling does not seem to be burdened by the burden of life that we think must be heavy. , Shirley Ling's life seems to be full of happiness and joy, and she does not have to worry about the burden of overpopulation.
This 34-year-old grandmother of five children was so calm when facing her first grandson, not only due to her attitude towards life, but also from the courage given to her by Singapore's mature housing, medical, education and welfare systems.
4. Why did Singapore’s social welfare system give Shirley Ling the courage to give birth to 5 children and become a grandmother at the age of 34?
What’s interesting is that under Shirley Ling’s post, some netizens also left messages asking Shirley Ling how the couple earned money to support such a large family?
This netizen told Shirley Ling that he was in Wuhan and they only had one child in kindergarten. However, the couple’s wages were deducted from their mortgage, property fees, water and electricity bills, and they often worried about living expenses. This netizen left a message and said: It is so difficult to raise one child, but to support five children who are all at school age, is there a gold mine at home?
Shirley Ling did not answer the Wuhan netizen’s question. Observing from Shirley Ling’s own Instagram posts, Shirley Ling and her husband run a chicken clay pot shop with a small area, only a few dozen square meters. In mainland China, this can only be considered a small restaurant. According to the rent and business conditions in mainland China, the annual profit of a small restaurant with an area of several tens of square meters, including the owner's salary, would hardly exceed 200,000 yuan (don't use individual restaurants to criticize, we are talking about the average level). This kind of income is enough to support a family of three in the city, but it is basically impossible to support five students.
But Shirley Ling does not live in a mainland where social security is not very complete. Fortunately, she lives in Singapore, where the social security system is fair and mature. Friends who know Singapore’s social security system know that in a country with a relatively mature social security system, regardless of income level or family size, becoming rich may require ability and opportunity, but food, education, medical care, and housing are definitely not problems.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said the most heart-wrenching words with a kind smile like an old father: "What we need are new people - our children!"
But Lee Hsien Loong did not just talk, he only used big words, beautiful words and pictures. There is no market for big-cake politicians in Singapore.
First, in Singapore, giving birth to a child will receive many rewards and subsidies from the government.
In Singapore, every newborn baby will enjoy baby rewards ranging from S$8,000 to S$10,000.
In October 2020, the Singaporean government launched a new maternity incentive, providing an additional one-time maternity subsidy on top of the existing benefits. That is, any eligible Singaporean newborn born after October 1, 2020, can receive a one-time subsidy of S$3,000 from the government.
In addition, on February 26, 2020, the Singapore government announced that it would provide more financial support to parents giving birth to their second child. The matching top-up limit for the second child’s Child Development Account will be increased from S$3,000 to S$6,000.
This means that the second Singaporean baby will receive assistance of up to SGD 24,000, including baby bonus, infant maintenance grant and Medisave Newborn Grant. The third baby of
will receive SGD 29,000, and so on.
Meanwhile, Singapore also provides cash benefits for working parents.
Similar to maternity leave benefits, Singapore has launched government-paid paternity benefits for biological fathers or adoptive fathers, and provides adoption benefits for adoptive mothers with government-paid wages. Any parent with a child's date of birth, due date, or official intention to adopt may apply.
Second, the "home ownership" policy ensures that families with multiple children in Singapore have a place to live.
The "home ownership" policy proposed by Lee Hsien Loong is specifically designed to ensure that Singaporean citizens do not have to worry about housing issues.
On the one hand, Singapore citizens and permanent residents can buy HDB flats. Because of government subsidies, the purchase price is relatively cheap, the interest rate is extremely low, and you can move in with a down payment of 10%. Under normal circumstances, the price of a HDB flat with 5 bedrooms and 130 square meters ranges from S$300,000 to S$500,000 depending on the location. With a down payment of S$30,000 to S$50,000, you can own a fully furnished and move-in house in Singapore.
On the other hand, for Singaporeans who cannot afford or are unwilling to buy a house, the government provides subsidized rental housing that is significantly lower than the market price. Whether you buy or rent, housing is not a problem.
Third, Singapore’s education and medical benefits have solved the worries of Singaporeans.
Singapore provides universal education opportunities, including compulsory education and higher education.
Compulsory education in Singapore is free, including kindergarten, primary school and secondary school. Singaporean children at this stage do not need to pay any out-of-pocket expenses as all tuition, fees and charges are covered by the Education Savings Fund or financial aid.
Higher education offers a variety of scholarships, loans and grants to help students. Importantly, Singaporean government colleges and universities give priority to the children of citizens and permanent residents, and they can enjoy ultra-low tuition fees for studying in government schools, about 7,000 to 17,000 yuan per year. The tuition fee for international students studying in Singapore government schools is 2-3 times more expensive than that for local students. This is a completely different model from our foreign students' annual subsidy of tens of thousands and accompanying study.
Fourth, Singapore’s medical welfare is composed of the government and enterprises.
The government is mainly "Medicare Savings". "Health savings" is to accumulate funds for hospitalization, for the future, for old age, and for disease risks. The savings account can only cover hospitalization expenses and a few expensive outpatient expenses, and can be used by three generations of a family. Hospitalization expenses are borne by state subsidies, personal medical accounts and individuals, rather than being fully paid by personal accounts.
Singapore companies often provide thoughtful and comprehensive benefits to their employees, which mainly include benefits such as outpatient services and specialist medical treatment. Most companies also provide medical benefits to employees' immediate family members. Employers generally provide employees with life, personal accident and hospitalization insurance, with coverage ranging from 12 months to 36 months' salary, with an average of 24 months.
[Author: Xu Sanlang]
