Ah Girls Go Army actress Shirli Ling opens up about being a grandma at 34 after oldest son became a father at 17
The actress, who has four other children, emphasised that she had not encouraged her kids to become young parents.
The Ah Girls Go Army actress never wanted her children to follow in her footsteps, but fate had different plans.
In an Instagram video posted on Monday (11 March), Singapore actress Shirli Ling - who is now 35 - shared her views on her eldest son becoming a father at 17. Her son is now 18 years old.
She said, “Compared to other kids, he is more curious, he likes to play. So when he told me his girlfriend got pregnant, I felt that I wanted him to decide for himself and take responsibility for his actions.”
Ling felt that she couldn’t make a decision for him on whether to keep the child “because this is your future”.
She added, “If I help you decide, will you hate me if you regret it in the future?”
Never encouraged kids to become young parents
Coincidentally, Ling also became a mother to her firstborn when she was 17.
In a separate video posted on Friday (8 March), she spoke briefly of becoming a grandmother at 34 and emphasised that she taught her kids not to follow in her footsteps.
“The more you tell them not to do it, the more they will do it. So at 17, they learn from you - inspired by the mother to be a father at 17,” she said.
In her latest video on Monday, Ling said she has never encouraged her children to become young parents because it was challenging for her.
Ling added, “But since it has already happened, I can only teach them how to face it, how to make decisions, how to be responsible for your behaviour. I also can’t guarantee that if you ‘take away’ the first baby, you won’t have a second baby. If they don’t how to think, they’ll still make the same mistake.
“When they need help, parents have to be there to keep educating them, encouraging them, and teaching them. Always be there for your kids, no matter what happened.”
Apart from her son, Ling has four other children between the ages of 8 and 17.
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