Independent Woman

I usually skip Sumiko Tan's articles in the Sunday Times as I always felt that her articles were overly woe-be-me, perhaps reminding me too much of a friend whom I used to be close to. Her article today however caught my eye. It was about how women should somehow retain their economic power, and not to turn to men for money. This is a view that resonated closely to my heart.

Perhaps my desire to be financially independent stemmed from very young. I saw how my mother slaved and was under-appreciated as a homemaker. My dad was the traditional man who did not want his wife to work and also believed in not overly indulging us. Very often, my dad's almost impossible definition of over-indulgence differed from what the rest of the family had in mind. I vividly remember my mum breaking down in tears of frustration in those altercations as she had no control over the pursestrings. As young as nine, I also learnt not to approach my dad for money and I remember counting the days to when I can start work and be financially independent. When my parents tried to get me to be better at housework, I would often retort that I would rather be a career woman and hire a maid to take care of those tedium tasks.

After I gave birth, many have asked if I would stop work to take care of my baby. My answer is always 'Only if I strike a million bucks'. In fact, having a baby makes me want to work harder (in these days its more like trying hard to keep my current job) as I want to make sure that I have the ability to provide the best for him. Yes, a minute spent at work is a minute I spend away from my baby and I have missed the first time he crawled and his first word already. But I know that I am not the kind of woman who is contented staying at home and revolving my life around my husband and kid. I sincerely salute my friends who have stopped work to tend to their kids, but going to work is my way of being motherly to my child.