Hmm... if given free choice in the matter, I will choose NOT to
have kids if I'm remaining in Singapore.
Key reasons being stress, cost and lifestyle.
Stress... Not talking about my stress but rather, referring to the
high stress levels kids face whilst growing up here. This is an
extremely competitive society with parents wanting their kids to
come up tops not just in their studies, but also in extracurricular
activities.
Kids are meant to grow up and develp at their pace and at a young
age, I wouldn't like them to have to worry about writing essays,
Ting1 Xie3, etc. Nosiree!! Not right! And after school these days,
they're given tons of homework. Not to mention, quite a lot of kids
have tuition, remedial classes and extra-curricular activities too,
right after school.
That doesn't seem to be a kid's life - it sounds more like a
mini-adult's kinda life complete with the stress and pressure to
excel! 
And, it's also stressful for parents, cause I remember my
ex-colleagues grumbling about the homework being so difficult, when
they return home, they have to tutor their kids. Or teachers being
control freaks and they have to scout around for specific kinds of
files in specific colours for their kids group work, or worse, they
complain about going home and more or less 'doing' the kids'
project work for them cause it's way too difficult for their kids
to handle. 
I'm NOT going to do schoolwork after returning home from work,
nosiree!! You can drag me kicking and screaming to the table... and
I'd STILL be kicking and screaming! 
COST... it sure ain't cheap to raise a kid these days! Everything
is rising in costs and everyone is experiencing a drop in real
income.
My generation was kinda dumb... Bata shoes were the norm and nobody
ever thought about 'style' and 'fashion' because everyone was gwai
gwai toot toot. Now, it's sneakers, and branded ones too, no less!
Mom, I need a new schoolbag! *ka-ching!! Mom, I need to buy
textbooks! *ka-ching!! Mom, my sneakers aren't nice anymore... I
want what Bobby's wearing! *ka-ching!!!
And oh, son, can you skip your next two meals cause mom bo lwee
liao!
Don't forget too, it isn't just ourselves and the kids we have to
support - there's the matter of ageing parents, unemployed
siblings, and what-not as well! 
Lifestyle... if you have a kid, your already stretched lifestyle
will take a further dip.
On another spectrum, kids expect more these days and they'll go
around comparing with their mini Joneses and want to keep up with
them.
Entertainment is costly, well, everything is, tell me what's cheap
these days?
So anyways, if you're earning well, good. If not, your own
lifestyle will also be affected.
I just cannot imagine slaving away at work just to have a
hand-to-mouth existence with the craziness starting every month
with the never-ending heaps of bills to pay, then coming home and
doing the housework and the kiddo's project work or tuitioning him,
and then taking care of elderly parents and/or parents-in-laws
needs, and then feeling like you're on the verge of a grand mal
burn-out but you can't cause you cannot handle yet another hospital
bill...
Craziness! And it's a brand of craziness I'd opt to do without,
thank you!
