Singapore Influencer Becomes Grandmother At 34, Internet Can't Believe It

Understanding the causes and effects of early motherhood phenomena is necessary. Although the mother is the one who is most directly impacted, we have begun to talk about the effects on her. However, the research on the effects on early mothers who survive is not unambiguous. Does early parenting have an impact on the children? Does this impact the parents that are involved? Was this a decision they made on their own? Are they being made to do this? A Singaporean influencer has prompted a debate after becoming a grandmother at 34.

South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that now-35-year-old Shirli Ling welcomed her first-ever grandchild last year after her son, who was 17, became a father. Notably, the influencer owns a chicken hotpot shop, has three marriages under her belt with five kids.

She had her first son when she was 17 and went on to have another son and three daughters. Her eldest son is 18, and the other children are 17, 13, 10 and 8.

Ling, who has 17,000 Instagram followers, became popular owing to her appealing features after appearing in the 2022 Singaporean military comedy Ah Girls Go Army.

“While kids are growing up, you have to keep telling them, ‘Don’t be like mummy, don’t get married so young’,” Ling told SCMP. “But the more you tell them not to, the more they’re going to do it.”

According to SCMP, Ling — a young mother herself — did not react angrily when her eldest son’s girlfriend became pregnant last year. She quipped that she had “inspired” her son to become a parent at the age of 17.

“What’s done is done,” Ling remarked, adding that she would rather offer advice and “more support” than scold her son. She defined her son as “playful” and “curious.”

Upon learning of his girlfriend’s pregnancy, Ling gave him the freedom to decide for himself and accept responsibility. She stated that even if her son chose not to have the kid, she couldn’t promise that he would not commit the same mistake afterwards.

The Singaporean influencer came to the conclusion that the most crucial thing is to “educate and guide them” when her kids require assistance. She also stated that she wasn’t going to encourage her kids to start families early. “Young parents face challenges, and it’s not easy,” said Ling.

She continued by saying that she could only educate her kid to accept accountability for his actions going forward because of what had occurred. Ling continued that she hoped her son would make sure the child is well taken care of and that she would support him.

On social media, the situation has generated a heated debate. She received criticism on Instagram from a commenter who called her a “failed mother.” “This mother is doing great, always guiding her child to be a responsible person,” remarked a different commenter.