Comments on London Expat | Singaporean in London: Having your children close by

CK: Good to see you the other day. Re: your questi...

2008-12-01T09:26:00.000Z

CK: Good to see you the other day. Re: your question about coping with large families - yes, indeed, lots of houses get constantly expanded to accommodate growing families. Check out Manju Kapur's lovely book Home, which describes very intimately the lives and affairs of one such 'joint' family in Delhi. You may find that traditionally this is the norm, although these days many kids are moving

CK, if Sg Telco's were to sign a pact with Unisour...

2008-11-29T21:49:00.000Z

CK, if Sg Telco's were to sign a pact with Unisource EU, the charges here would be just cents. In spite of being penalised with hefty fines, Telco's within EU r still overcharging. Callers with a mobile phone doesnt even know what it cost to call home from outside NL until they get a big bill !

No incoming charges that I know of. My family r aware of the "mob" charges here, so they

@Dutchie, Are you kidding me? Over 2 euros per min...

2008-11-29T08:31:00.000Z

@Dutchie,
Are you kidding me? Over 2 euros per minute?! A weekend call must have cost a small fortune. Say, do your folks back home have to pay for tele charges for incoming calls? If not I assume the same goes for you and you should get them to call you instead, no?

I guess that's the irony with regards to elderly care in Europe. As the cost of hiring a full time maid/caretaker is

CK, Sg Telco's has no treaty of any kind with NL, ...

2008-11-28T11:57:00.000Z

CK, Sg Telco's has no treaty of any kind with NL, so I hv to fork out E 2,46 (incl 19% VAT) p/min. U can imagine why I only use the phone why it's absolutely necessary. My sisters on the other hand uses prepaid cards, costing S$2,00 for 20min - "sub sub soi" as they r fond of saying. R u using prepaid ?

Haha, true abt being presentable at the skype cam ! Those familiar background

@Martin Miller-Yianni,I think the younger generati...

2008-11-27T17:37:00.000Z

@Martin Miller-Yianni,
I think the younger generations of Singaporeans tend to prefer not to live under one roof as their parents. However, due to high cost of childcare, some may opt to live near for practical reasons.

Then again, many flats in Singapore are relatively small and really meant for one family.

@My Bug Life,
Just curious, would you mind living with

Well, I just see the difference between my family ...

2008-11-25T22:59:00.000Z

Well, I just see the difference between my family (Filipinos) and my hubbys (white folks from Oklahoma). My techno-phob parents bought a webcam and learned how to use it just to talk to us. My sister and her boyfriend (also Filipino) talk to us for about an hour once a week and ALL of them are coming to London for Christmas.

My husband's family... couldn't even call to tell us we have a

Well.. Asian or not.. I guess all parents would lo...

2008-11-25T22:38:00.000Z

Well.. Asian or not.. I guess all parents would long to see their children when they are far away. But gets irritated by their presence when their children are living with them. I lived with parents of both cultures. I understand this important part!

It would be a dream to have my 3 kids living nearb...

2008-11-25T20:58:00.000Z

It would be a dream to have my 3 kids living nearby with their own families, which they don't have yet.

My son lives in Dubai right now and I miss him so much..

My daughters are not so far away in Leicester and Brighton..

Check out the show "Everybody Loves Raymond". It'...

2008-11-25T19:55:00.000Z

Check out the show "Everybody Loves Raymond". It's a great show that echoes the down (and sometimes happy) side of having your parents close by. Too close, in this case.

I do think that this has got to do with Asian cult...

2008-11-25T18:36:00.000Z

I do think that this has got to do with Asian culture. Family values are highly prized in Asian societies, and that filial piety always comes up top.

Family values in Western societies mostly intermingle with religious ones, and the Church used to have authority or a say over these matters in the Middle Ages. With the rise of capitalism and consumerism, family values have eroded along

I am black and unfamiliar with the Chinese culture...

2008-11-25T16:18:00.000Z

I am black and unfamiliar with the Chinese culture. I will tell you that my parents would LOVE for us to move closer to them (they are in NC and I am in TX--20 hrs away). This is primarily so they can see their granddaughter more often. Living within the state is good enough for them--certainly not living under the same roof. I don't think any of us could even imagine that!

Davida

CK - ur phone bills !!! I skyped with cam when th...

2008-11-25T15:24:00.000Z

CK - ur phone bills !!! I skyped with cam when the family meets up for an eternal Sunday buffet at mom's. It does take couple of hours to chat with 20+ members :-/

Emm has a point abt mom driving one mad - sorry if other mom's r reading this ! I hv been living too long in my own private space n having guests around does turned one's life into quite a bit of chaos. I heard the same

We want to be together - my Mum is moving to the U...

2008-11-25T14:12:00.000Z

We want to be together - my Mum is moving to the UK now because both my brother and I are here - but no matter how close my Mum would like me to be, I wouldn't be able to stand living with her for too long. My Mum is moving in with us in the new year and i should start going crazy after 6 weeks...

Does it have anything to do with the primacy of th...

2008-11-25T13:56:00.000Z

Does it have anything to do with the primacy of the individual over that of the social unit, I wonder? In countries such as the UK or US, where individuality is prized, I suppose parents would like their kids to strike off on their own, live by themselves and learn about life. In cultures such as India, where the family is considered more important than any member, one is expected to remain

Having your children or loved ones close by seemed...

2008-11-25T12:11:00.000Z

Having your children or loved ones close by seemed to be an Asian thing as they say we tend to be more communal..but I believe non-Asians are communal too but have gradually "moved out"...so they tend to be more individualistic. I know my parents would love to have their children close by and I guess in a way I am that way too.

Your heritage seemingly is from a close family cul...

2008-11-25T11:19:00.000Z

Your heritage seemingly is from a close family culture. In the UK this is not the case for many families. It is the same in Bulgaria, not only do parents want their grown up children partners and grandchildren living close by, but in the same house. This also has to do with economics and not being able to afford a home to move in of course.