My children

My secondary school friend blogs about her wish of being a mother.
I guess it is true that once a woman reached a certain age, she will have a desire to give birth to a child. It doesn't matter if she is still single or not, she just want to have a baby. I think there must be some DNA controlling that.

I always want to have my own children. In the past when I was still suffering from depression, I was almost afraid of everything: getting on a plane, giving birth, being in a lift... etc. Now I'm a lot better, and the desire of having my own children is growing and growing. Not to mention the fact that my old friends are all getting married and having their lovely babies already!!

However, the more I want to have baby, the more I think it is impossible. Let's assume that I have no problem finding a man to "make" the baby with me first. But what kind of life do I want to give to my children?

Look at the kids in Hong Kong. They have to start learning even when they are still in their mom's tummy. Their parents play music to them, talk to them without even meeting them. Once they reach the world, they can never stop studying. There are tons of "learning materials for babies" available in the market. Super expensive but parents buy them without hesitation. Babies have to learn many languages BEFORE they can say their first word.

Parents start planning for the admission for kindergarten, primary school and secondary school when the kids are still 2 years old. Families have to move to the districts with high quality schools. Besides normal studying, children NEED to learn piano, dancing, drawing... etc. So that they will have a nice portfolio to show when they apply for secondary school.

Do I want my children to have this kind of life??? Definitely NOT. I just want them to be happy.

But if I choose to have baby in Hong Kong, I'd probably do the same things as the other parents do, maybe not that extreme, but if I do nothing, my kids will be "left behind" from other kids of the same age.. and they will suffer in the future.

This is terrible. You think this is why we have the lowest birth rate? Not really. The main reason for the low birth rate is the expenses of raising a child in Hong Kong plus all other living costs for your own. A child is a luxury product to consume.

I can't afford raising a child in Hong Kong and I definitely do not want them to grow up in such pressure environment. So if I still have a chance to have my own children, I will never raise them in Hong Kong. In fact, even I don't have children, I won't stay in HK for long. I will go when everything is ready.