DNA Tan

Another Baby?


The recent news in the entertainment section highlighted Zoe Tay's disappointment in having yet another baby boy. Sensing the emphathy in my voice? You are right. I can thoroughly understand how she is feeling and the pressure she could be handling from not being 'blessed' with a baby girl to meet expectations of friends and relatives, fans too. Since the birth of Baby Rei, many had been asking me if I'd like to go for another one and hopefully my courage can turn blessings into having a baby girl. I was always thinking to myself, "Having 3 is already above national quota, what more do you want?" Before I found out Baby Rei's gender, I consoled myself saying that the ill-fate of having 3 boys will not happen to me, yet it did. A kind colleague consoled me that God always have plans for such families as He thinks that the parents are equipped with great love for such imbalance. But where was God when I asked for a baby girl? Obviously oblivious. I have seen many families with 4 or more kids of the same gender. So would I subject myself to more disappointment? Maybe not.


However, I am proud to say that I wouldn't trade my boys for anyone else. Yes, despite the yearn for a daughter, I wouldn't give up being parents to Donovan, Dominus and Doreitius. If it had been a HER, I wouldn't get to know Donovan; the smart one who wins hearts with his eloquence and ability to empathise. I wouldn't get to know Dominus; the baby who crawls on three and drags the other leg, and as the baby who can say 'Mummy' before his 1st birthday. I wouldn't get to know my handsome Doreitius, who can walk before he turns one.

Making the decision whether to be parents once again isn't just about trying for a daughter. Really, the gestation journey is a wonderful one as I share one amazing blood stream with the little one, being inseparable and seamlessly connected. Watching the birth and happily categorising where they inherit their features from is another activity hubby and I like to engage in. And as they grow older, with their antics and tantrums surfacing, we would again 'blame' each other for the kids' lack of patience, habit of screaming etc. If the child is of a different gender, there would be a surprise element and something new to learn about. But at the end of the day, we really enjoy watching our different traits being exhibited in different combinations and degrees in different child and having a good laugh at them. And if we were to decide to have another baby, it'll still be for the same old purpose of discovering how our character can be manifested in another tiny being.