Wan of a Kind V2.0

Mother's Day is a relatively modern “special” day. It was officially celebrated by the Americans in 1914 when Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation setting aside the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honour mothers. However, it was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in Grafton, West Virginia. She campaigned to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the USA in 1905, the year her mother died. Her mother was a peace activist during the American Civil War of the mid 19th century. She was carrying out acts of kindness by caring for wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict. The original Mother’s Day was created by her as Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues she encountered in taking care of the wounded. In setting aside a day to honour mothers, whom she aptly described as "the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world", Anna was also hono...

I have just received some copies of the latest Infocus , a Ministry of Manpower publication for employers of foreign domestic workers. The cover story Kindness is the Movement is an interview I gave to its writer. What are some ways in which employers can help FDW adapt to living and working in Singapore, I was asked. Though we had never engaged a FDW, I had spent periods of time with families with FDWs and I shared some of my observations of the way FDWs are treated that facilitated their happy adaptation. They include, The children addressing them as aunties – there is respect shown to them They are given good accommodation, meaning, their rooms are adequately furnished They have television set and watch local news and other programmes during their rest times They are encouraged to read local newspapers They are given a day off and encouraged to explore Singapore They eat out at the same table with their employers like a family member. I bel...

“You look like Grandma,” exclaimed my niece. We were visiting mother’s niche at the columbarium. My sister and I and members of our family make it an annual ritual to do so around this time – between Easter and Mother’s Day. Yes, I do look like my mother, and I hope I am as kind and gracious as she was. May I share with you some of the lessons on kindness and graciousness I learnt from her. “Always be respectful – know your place,” I can hear her saying in Teochew. Recently, Prof Tommy Koh, who taught me Criminal Justice when I was a final year law student, introduced me at a university forum as his friend. I felt very complimented but I could never bring myself to call him by his first name. “Once a teacher, always a teacher,” my mother would say. My mother’s idea of respect is to address your senior respectfully, so “Prof Koh” he is and will always be to me. My children are no longer children, of course. They are professionals in their chosen fields, and two of the th...