Forum: Discuss what it means to be a parent in schools
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When my friends are asked about the prospect of having children when they become adults, they tend to give a fascinatingly singular response: “ew”. I can understand the sentiment. We are children ourselves.
But I think this perspective sheds some light on Singapore’s low birth rate. Young people do not desire to have children, and this is not helped by the silence of schools in this area. Sexuality education, which in itself is quite short, tends to cover relationships and teen pregnancy, rather than what it means to be a parent.
The decision to have children is life-changing, and requires years of thought. Even as we mature, the knee-jerk reactions we used to have will play a part in making this decision when we’re older.
Without guidance from adolescence, why would we prioritise this aspect of adulthood? It would be useful to discuss this more extensively with youth in schools.
Adwin Lau Yu Tan, 17
Year 1 Junior College
