My kids

When I have kids, where will I want to bring them up? What are the key considerations?

1.) Must be close to family. I was brought up in an environment where I constantly had lots of lovely family holidays and gatherings. We are a close knit bunch, and family and close loving relatives were never too far off. This in turned developed me to be the close family loving person I am today, and also is a good sort of moral compass to help keep my kids on the right track. My relatives sure did that with me!

2.) Society. I rather, much rather, my kids grow up in an Asian values based society compared to a Western based sociey since young. When comparing in general (and this is a v broad generalization) Asian kids and Western kids, based on the overseas born Chinese I encountered in my years in Australia as well as white kids, I much rather my kids have the values of Asian kids. Western brought up kids are imbued with less respect for others, humility, selflessness and consideration. They tend to reject their very heritage and consider themselves white kids, and if I had a kid like that, I'd kill him personally.

3.) Opportunities in life. By this I mean education opportunities and professional opportunities. This is a tough one because there is discrimination here, as well as overseas. However, I have to sit back and take a look at the bigger picture. I must allow my kid to be in an environment where he has a fair chance, and not face an uphill battle for what he merits. I want the best for my kid. And that involves bringing him up where he has the best opportunities for education and professional success.

When it comes to Chinese people, across generations, we all want the same for our kids. We are just like our parents.