This is an anonymous story collected from the public as part of the Human Archive Project

I love children and I think they are such a joy in life. I have seen our country become more and more child friendly and turn into a great place for bright young people. But in the past, I have thought a lot about the souls that we bring into the world. I came through the time in the 1970s when in Singapore you were penalised for having too many children, which was stated as more than two. You would be fined after two children and your third child would not necessarily have a school placement and they got lower priorities in education. There were a lot of extra fees  charged for children after two.

For example, you had to pay additional delivery fees in a hospital to give birth to a third child. Its three months wages you were fined, I think. I had two children that I was fined and penalised for but it’s worth it - all the people who made choices for abortion and sterilisation when I did not, those who said oh just keep the money don't have the children, they are not happy people now. It caused me a lot of financial harm, you cannot get a good education for the child. In the end, I had to sell my family home, to get money to send my daughter to university. But now she has become very successful, and has bought back to the family home  her own earnings. A gift to us. Nowadays life is very different in Singapore and young people are encouraged to marry young, and have larger families. This is the way of life, nature is a great force, souls who are meant to be born will be born.