From The Straits Times    |


1 EAT HEALTHILY BUT ALLOW CHEAT DAYS 
“I pick my battles when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. We cook simple and nutritious meals like stir-fried vegetables, grilled meat and brown rice during weekdays, except for Thursday. Since my son has to attend an enrichment class, which is held at a shopping mall, I cut him a bit of slack and allow him one fast food treat at McDonald’s. But I have one condition: his Happy meal (choose the healthier Cheeseburger instead of McNuggets) must come with apple slices instead of fries, and with milk instead of Coke.” – Stacy Tan, 38, mum to a six-year-old boy

2 SHARE THE HOUSEWORK 
“After years of hiring a domestic helper, my husband and I agreed to cut costs and split up the household chores with the whole family, including our seven-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter. They’re responsible for their own rooms and simple chores like washing plates, folding clothes and vacuuming the living room. They complained at first, so we showed them a simple chart of how much money we save every month,to help motivate them. Last year, instead of our usual road trip to Malaysia, we went on a trip to Bangkok using some of our savings. 

“We explained that this was only possible because everyone helped out at home. They’ve since become more enthusiastic about doing the chores!” – Jasmine Chee, 40, mum to two kids aged nine and seven

3 EARN A TREAT
“To encourage my kids to do their assessment books, I offer them a reward system – every five pages completed earns them a star sticker, which we’ll paste together on a chart on their wall. Every three stars collected allows them to buy one snacK, while 10 stars allows them to buy one small toy. 

“I advise them to aim for 10 stars because it teaches them patience. Being able to see their rewards grow on the chart really motivates them.” – Lau Bik Har, mum to two kids aged eight and five

4 STAGGER THE “MUST-EAT” WITH THE “FUN TO EAT”
“I used to have such a hard time getting my daughter to swallow her daily supplements but now, I simply ‘bribe’ her – with more vitamins! She loves the type in gummy form. I always make her complete the not-very-tasty supplements first, such as Cod Liver Oil and Colostrum tablets, followed by the gummy bear multivitamins. It works wonders!” – Anne Chew, mum to a six-year-old girl

This article was originally published in Simply Her March 2015.