Text Cindy Tong

When MediaCorp artiste Xiang Yun found out that her second baby was going to be a girl, she and husband Edmund Chen, also a MediaCorp artiste, were stunned. Why? Because Xiang Yun consulted a fortuneteller after the birth of her first son, Chen Xi, she was told that she would have three more children, all of them boys. The 44-year old says, "I’m quite superstitious so I believed him. I gave up all hope of ever having a daughter.
 
Little Things Mean So Much

Xiang Yun says, "We never planned the second pregnancy, hence the large age gap. But I must say that both of them get along pretty well. They fight sometimes, but that’s quite normal. We always tell our son that it’s only right to be magnanimous and give in to his little sister."

With the nine-year age gap between older brother, Chen Xi and sister Yi Xin, Xiang Yun admits that handling the two kids can be a challenge at times. One is just beginning to experience adolescent blues, while the other had barely even started school. She says, "It might have been hard on my son because he was so used to being the only child."

To encourage both of her children to develop close bonds with each other, Xiang Yun says the family often goes on outings together. "It doesn’t really need to be anything special. We can do simple things like just go out on walks or for car rides.

"We might go swimming or play computer games together on the Internet. Sometimes, we even do spontaneous things like going out to the food centre just to satisfy a craving for ice kachang. I believe if you play together, you become closer."

Each Child is Unique

Having wowed audiences in two hit movies, I Not Stupid and I Not Stupid Too, both of which deal with the education system in Singapore and the generation gap between parents and children, Xiang Yun is determined not to make the same mistakes by the characters in the two movies.

She says, "I think the important thing is to realise that no two children are exactly the same, whether in terms of their personality or abilities."

"I think one weakness of our education system is the fact that it is too rigid and does not cater for the individual development of different kids," she observes.

"My job as a parent is to recognise that each of my two kids is special and unique in their own ways, and to encourage them in every way I can."

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