BECOMING THE DE FACTO MUM EVEN WHILE DATING
Four-and-half-years after we got together, his divorce finally received a judgment – Adam and his ex-wife would share custody of their kids, with sole care and control given to Adam. The latter covers day-to-day decisions pertaining to the children, such as what schools they go to, what they eat, when their dental appointments are, and so on.
That arrangement was in place for five years until July, when the kids’ mother left Singapore for good. Since then, my 14-year-old stepson and 11-year-old stepdaughter have been with us 24/7, barring the occasional sleepover with their friends or stepcousins.
For a few years, I stepped in to fill some gaps financially – the kids were enrolled in local schools but paid much higher fees (S$875 for primary school and S$1,750 for secondary school, monthly) because they are not Singapore citizens, and my husband was going through a temporary financial setback at that time.