quality or quantity

I have been religiously listening to RIA89.7FM, Hafeez Glamour & Aura Shai's "sixten" segments every morning on my way to work.. at first I was quite skeptical of Hafeez's comments on some listeners but i guess the listeners are their avid fans and Hafeez's 'mean' jokes to them are being well received by them.. so, i thought OK =) and then there was this particular day their topic on their 'cakap-cakap' segment which i found interesting and brought me to 'air' my views here.

"Ramai anak.. Rezeki atau beban?"

well, it's a known fact that the malay community loves to have many children.. but how well prepared are they on the upbringing of their kids? with the current high rise of living in Singapore, can we afford to have 5, 7 or even 11 children?? some of the viewers called in to voice out their opinion.

caller 1: saya rasa, tak salah kalau kita ada ramai anak Feez, asalkan kita tahu kita mampu tanggung mereka. walaupun saya rasa kadang kala amat ketat dalam soal kewangan, tetapi bila saya pandang kehapadan, saya rasa sebagai seorang Ibu saya harus beri yang terbaik (well, this come from this listener who is a full time homemaker and have 5 young children)

-in this modern context, i wonder how they survive?? the husband as the sole breadwinner of the family, is he stressed or does he work long hours?? hm..

caller 2: alar Feez, anak 2 orang cukuplah Feez.. sekarang semua mahal.. makan mahal, sekolah mahal.. semua lah.. kalau kita ada 7 orang anak susah Feez, keperluan anak2 susah kita nak adakan.. kalau anak2 nak makan Mcdonald's, takkan kita nak bawak tujuh2?? sekali makan dah $70 Feez.. 2 orang cukuplah.. asalkan mereka bila dah besar nanti berjaya sebagai seorang manusia.. kita tak nak dah buat anak ramai2 lepas tu kita complain kat suratkhabar yang kita tak terima amal jariah utk membantu dlm segi kewangan.. malulah Feez..

- betul betul betul.. i agree 100%.. and to think that this caller was a man..

caller 3: Feez, tak nak cakap banyak lah eh.. senang cakap, orang yg buat anak banyak2 tu selalu aje kata anak tu rezeki.. bila orang tanya.. nak buat macam mana, dah rezeki Tuhan nak kasi.. sebenarnya Feez, memanglah anak itu pemberian daripada Tuhan.. tapi ia juga amanah Feez supaya kita tak sesiakan anak2 kita.. kalau kita ramai anak dan tak dapat nak beri kemewahan utk anak2 kita, mcm mana Feez? Jadi saya rasalah orang yang buat anak ramai pakai perkataan 'anak itu rezeki' sengaja nak tutup malu.. sebab tak tahu pakai protection.. sekarang tak macam dulu Feez.. orang dulu2 bolehlah 1 emak jaga 10 anak.. skrg?? blom tahu bole..

- LOL LOL LOL!!!! lepak seyyyyy ni abang... but but.. can I say that I agree with him too??

well, in my opinion, it's really up to the individual.. for me, i'm contented with only 2 children but with the current situation that i am in, i don't think having 3 kids is a burden as long as there are plans in placed.. that is why, from now, i am making plans and one thing for sure, the baby bonus that the government is giving as an incentives will be placed wholly into the CDA account and after some time doing 'mathematics' it seems the baby bonus + the dollar to dollar top up by the Govt, can, insyallah, see my children through to their Kindergarten 2. Normally the school fees for the pre-schoolers are more expensive as compared to primary schools etc..

I am not rich, neither am I poor, but I hope I can provide my children with a conducive learning environment, a comfortable home and maybe enjoy some 'perks' which can come in any forms.. =) other than that, i wish and hope for a healthy life for my family... insyaallah.

For now, i am enjoying my life with the 2 MEN in my life.. before the twins make their grand arrival..

disclaimer: you can choose to agree or to disagree with me on the above context because like i said, to each his own.. =)