"Do you think professional parenting is the way to go for Singapore?"

To many in Singapore, professional parenting is the way to go, however in my point of view, this is one thing that should not be sanctioned. Most of the time, the need for professional parenting is closely intertwined with the long job hours of BOTH PARENTS.

What are parents and their roles in the society or even the small family units that exists now? Parents are supposed to be the guide and guardians of the younger generation, ensuring their healthy growth both physically and mentally such that the young will grow to be useful individuals in the future and society. However the trend now is that the "parents", instead of personally taking care of their young, are putting their sacred duties aside and are fighting for materialistic wants under the pretext of "giving their children a better life". I understand that people may try to justify their actions by stating that their financial output is greater than their income. On hindsight, if one do not have the means to pay, why spend so much?

Moreover there is not a universal definition of a "better life" to children or adults. Parents nowadays have the tendency to tie this idea down with materialistic satisfaction. Thus they embark on their journey to climb corporate ladders for greater financial benefits and giving their children a life of no worries, such that anything they ask for, they will get it. In this sense, it is obvious that parents fail to see the fact that it is only through facing adversity together can family members bond and understand each other better. It is also through adversity that children can be moulded into upright characters and thinking individuals. Not forgetting, children also require their emotional wants to be satisfied too. This can never be done by the money that parents work so hard for.

Regardless of any reasons given, it is undeniable that parents spend most time with their children, and are thus at a better position to change and affect their children most. Therefore I feel that professional parenting is not the way for Singapore as Singapore requires and relies heavily on human resource and the only way for growing talents and useful individuals is through cultivation of the younger generations within the small family units, done personally by the parents.