I REFER to recent debates about legislation of flexi-work.

I do not agree that there is no need to legislate flexi-work to promote work-life balance.

Some working mothers do not want to try for more than one child due to a lack of work-life balance in Singapore.

Many mothers feel guilty that they have to work long hours and cannot find time to spend with their young children.

What good is having more children if you cannot be a good mother and watch them grow up?

Many place their children in the care of babysitters and manage to spend only some time with their kids over weekends.

While not all mothers favour this arrangement, they do so out of necessity as there are no alternatives.

Children taken care of by babysitters tend to bond more readily with their babysitter's family than their own.

Sadly, I was in such a situation myself as a child.

My parents worked long hours and had to leave me and my brother with a babysitter.

We lived with the babysitter formany years, and saw our parents only twice a month.

Naturally, my brother and I felt closer to our babysitter's family than our own.

When we were older, we were very reluctant to move back to our parents' home. My brother lived with our babysitter until he was 16.

The same thing could happen if children are taken care of by domestic workers.

Womenmay not be able to resign from their jobs to become full-time mothers as the cost of living is rising.

For a family to live on a single income is almost a luxury these days.

Some husbands might also pressure their well-educated wives to work as they feel the stress of supporting the family on only their income.

Many employers push workers to work beyond normal working hours.

Without legislation, employers would feel no need to follow the call to implement family- friendly policies at work. Workers have everything to lose if no flexi-work law is put in place.

Mr Gilbert Goh Keow Wah

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