Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Singapore vs Aussie: Parenting


This episode of a TV series doesn't say it all, but it definitely says a lot. I started watching the episode with a light heart, laughing and sniggering at all the seemingly absurd strict rules we have in Singapore, and at how Memphis (the girl) put her hand to her chest to say our pledge a pretty hilarious manner. The episode started to get a bit more heart warming near the end, as both teens began to appreciate their parents.

It's definitely not so that all Singaporean parents are that strict, or that all Aussie parents are that laxed. But I really enjoyed seeing the flaws and imperfections existing in both families (and cultures). We might seem extreme in our little asian, authoratitive country, but you have to admit, that you do see results. Yet again, a lot of what we do is 'learnt' behaviour, rather than us thinking for ourselves.

It's a touchy topic, and I would rather not elaborate as much, but just as a little digression, our group of four Singapore speechies were having our group discussion on ethics this evening, and spent a rather long time stuck in a rut over a seemingly simple ethical dilemma, which, at one point, I think all of us agreed that our "one-track-mindedness" that has been well honed through our education system was getting us no where, and that we very much needed the dynamic viewpoints many of our Aussie counterparts had. A lot of times we are quite rigid in our thinking, especially for those of us who have been in science streams. Whereas I've observed quite a number of the Australians having no difficulty thinking outside the box. I've loved every bit of my course and stay here, and I hope to continue to bring the best of both cultures together.