Despite being married for a decade, Mr Deveyan Senthilkumar and Ms Jemaine Lim, both 34, are still on the fence about having kids.
Ms Jemaine, who works for a multinational corporation, said that although she’s “not a kids person” her husband is. “My in-laws hope we will have kids some day but we do not plan to,” she said.
Mr Deveyan, a security industry employee, said he loves being around children – be it his friends’ kids or his nephew whom he visits every month – but has always perished the thought of having his own.
“With the way the world is today, it’s just not ideal to raise children,” he said. “My wife and I also cherish the freedom to travel without second thoughts.”
The couple live in a five-room flat in Bukit Panjang earning a combined income of around $15,000 a month.
“Raising a pet today is cheaper than raising a kid,” said Ms Jemaine. “We have never really felt lonely since we have a pet and we frequently visit our parents and friends.”
The couple have a nine-year-old mongrel named Coco, and go on at least two long holidays (two to three weeks) a year – as well as two or three short trips.
On some of the trips, the couple take their parents along.
Ms Jemaine said: “In a way, we take care of our parents like they’re our kids, and we’re happy we can devote more time to them.”
