Government? Ascendas? or MY BABY?!

Yay!!! 4 months maternity leave!!! Could be better - like 6 months - but it's okay! 4 months is good too!!! kekeke... Yes, for those not in Singapore ... Last night, er, make that night before last night, in the 2008 National Day Rally, our dear Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced more pro-baby measures!!!
Full details are not out yet, but other than the increase in maternity leave, there is also an increase in childcare leave - from 2 days to 6 days a year, and now it can be taken by either the mother or the father. Introduction of Infant Care Leave - no pay leave of up to 7 days a year for the first two years of the child's life. More tax incentives for working mothers. More childcare facilities, more subsidies for childcare... FANTASTIC! Could always be better, but you know, Government needs baby steps too :p so, we're not complaining!!!
Oh one thing the Government should do is to encourage companies to have pro-family policies and culture. Like Ascendas - where I'm working right now :) Our hero here is an Ascendas baby!!! Conceived with the help of the legendary Ascendas (off)spring water. The year I was pregnant with Isaac, there were 3 in my department alone, and about 15 in the company! We even have a dedicated Mum's Room constructed (has two cubicles in it, cubicles can be locked, with power point provided, mini-fridge for keeping our expressed breast milk...) Kudos to all companies that are pro-family! Government should give them tax incentives too! kekeke...
You know, I was just thinking about it, I think about the only thing the Government hasn't done to make us all have more kids - is to dis-incentivise (that's the politically correct phrase) - or shall we (as Hamish Brown always says) call an apple an apple - PENALISE!!! Yes! The one thing our dear Government hasn't done is to penalise people for having too few kids!

Hey, I wouldn't put it pass them you know. I mean, remember our Stop at Two campaign - was soooo successful it's one of the reasons why we have such a low birth rate now. It's also the major reason why I only have one sibling, and most of my friends and my sister's friends our age - all have only one other sibling each! At that time, the Government penalised people for having more kids by way of not giving benefits (that was given to the first two kids), and tactics like denying 3rd or 4th kids from school placement priority etc.

But of course it'd be taboo to implement any such "penalty" now, in this day and age, for not having enough kids. We'd have riots for sure. hahaha. But then, you never know, given time, if the situation doesn't improve - even as the wheelbarrow is overflowing with carrots - the Govvy just might get desperate enough... then... ho ho ho... out comes the whip!!! EAT THESE CARROTS AND PROLIFERATE, YOU SILLY BUNNIES!!! NOW!!! EAT CARROTS!!! PROLIFERATE!!! NOW!!! LOOK AT HOW WELL I TREAT YOU?!?! HERE ARE YOUR CARROTS!!! EAT THEM YOU SILLY BUNNIES!!! THEN PROLIFERATE - NOW!!! WWAAAHHAHAHAA!!!

Here's my baby bunny with puffy cheeks. Ain't he cute. kekeke...

pictures above taken on 30th March 2008 Isaac @ a week to 7 months

Oh by the way, I'd like to clarify... hubbs and I, we like kids, that's why we aim to have 4. We're having them FOR OURSELVES. Not "for the Government" - which a lot of people always comment when they hear we aim to have 4 kids. Don't get me wrong - it's good that the Government is giving us these lil carrots to munch on - but these carrots are not the reason why we're having kids! We have kids, coz we like kids and we want a big family. But primarily, it's for ourselves that we have kids - not "for the Government".

I always ask those people who tell me that:"Oh, you mean to say you had YOUR kid - FOR THE GOVERNMENT?" Which then they would reply:"No, of course not!" Then I say:"So why do you say I have MY kids "for the Government"?!?!"

Now, but if you tell me:"Wah... the Government sure like people like you..." .... ah.... given that it is 2008 and the Govvy just announced a whole slew of pro-baby measures - Yes, I totally agree with you - I think the Government likes people like us - at the moment :p