Keep calm and be a mom

For 30-year-old Nurul Atiqah Zulkifli, being the mother of two and a wife to a Singapore Civil Defence Force first responder is not an easy feat. Just after her second child came along, she made the hard choice to leave her job to be a full-time homemaker.

“It was quite tiring physically and mentally to juggle a job and having two boys. The mom guilt was difficult to bear because I had to send them to childcare from 7am to 7pm. They were always the earliest to arrive at the childcare and last to leave. It killed me inside,” says Atiqah, who has an Instagram following of over 21,300 followers to date.

She took to her social media platforms to share not only amazing fashion and beauty tips, but also nuggets of parenting wisdom that her followers greatly appreciate.

Let your kids be who they need to be

“I believe, as a mother, I have to raise my kids right,” says Atiqah, elaborating that it is not a “boys will be boys” world anymore.

“The older generation believes that a man’s job is to work and provide for the family financially, nothing else. I don’t want my kids to end up like that. I don’t want them to be confined to a certain gender stereotype. They should not just exist to work. They should also be helpful at home and within the community,” quips Atiqah.

Find a self-interest

After leaving her job, Atiqah admitted that she still wanted to be doing something for herself, apart from taking care of her children.

“I cannot just stay at home doing nothing. I feel like I’m just wasting my time, so I signed up for an SGUnited course in digital marketing. I am a content creator and I think that this can help me build my brand. I used my SkillsFuture credits to sign up for this 9-month course, which is a mix of physical and online Zoom lectures,” says Atiqah.

Searching and applying for these courses can also be easily done through the LifeSG app. The LifeSG app has a series of employment support guides which lets you explore courses from 32 sectors, make appointments with a career coach, and even provide information and resources to make a career switch.

Take care of yourself

“If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot possibly take care of anyone else. Somehow, as a mom, a lot of responsibilities fall onto you. Although my husband is very helpful, there are still a ton of things I must take note of too. So, there is always a huge mental load for mothers. And if you are constantly, mentally exhausted and unwell, how can you do a good job as a mother? With everyone depending on you, you must take good care of yourself.”

Parents out there, do remember to take a good break every now and then! Thanks to the recent SingapoRediscover vouchers distributed by the government, taking a day off to visit the museum or going for a staycation with the family might be just the thing you need. Your SingapoRediscover voucher balance, along with other government benefits, can be easily viewed and redeemed in the LifeSG app.