Fancy having Prime Minister Lawrence Wong himself coming to your house to meet your child?
That’s exactly what happened to content creator couple Hubert Ng and Yihru, better known as Bert and Lulu, whose one-year-old daughter Toto recently got to meet the prime minister.
“It was great reconnecting with Bert and Lulu after a few years, and even more special to meet the newest addition to their family, Toto,” PM Wong wrote alongside a YouTube video of the visit posted on Thursday (Aug 27).
In the video, the prime minister could be seen visiting the couple’s home, where he had a conversation with Bert and Lulu on parenting — including topics such as the joys of parenthood, the important role fathers play, and how support can continue to be given to fathers as they spend more time raising their children.
Why Toto?
During the visit, he also spent some time getting to know baby Toto, asking the young parents how her name came to be.
The couple then revealed that their daughter’s real name is actually Koei, and Toto is just a nickname.
“The fun fact is because we had her on our first try, luckily,” Hubert explained, adding that the name also meant “duo duo” in Mandarin, which translates to “a lot of”.
He continued: “We wanted a lot of bliss and a lot of happiness [for her], that’s the main reason.”
PM Wong also recalled that he first met the pair four years ago, to which Hubert noted that that was when he and Yihru had only recently become a couple.
“It’s been a journey, so you really saw us evolve,” the father added.
Encouraging young people to take on parenthood
The prime minister then shared that he had wanted to visit the couple and encourage more young people to “go on the parenthood journey” like them, and for more fathers to follow in Hubert’s footsteps.
The conversation then turned to what day-to-day life with their daughter looks like.
When asked about their favourite thing to do, the couple shared that Toto enjoys trips to the supermarket.
“She loves looking at colours. Like carrots, apples,” Hubert said, adding that she gets “excited”.
This prompted PM Wong to share that he too, “used to love to go to the supermarket” with his own parents.
‘Very different from the past’
He then asked the couple whether they had already started thinking about matters such as schooling for Toto.
While Hubert and Yihru said that they do have discussions with friends, they are “probably more relaxed” as compared to them in general — though they admitted that “it’s still stressful”.
“There’s so many things to think about, especially after becoming parents,” Hubert said, listing things such as enrichment class and preschool as examples.
Among the many enrichment classes Toto currently attends is swimming, which Hubert says she enjoys.
The discussion led PM Wong to point out that this is one of the things that’s “very different” these days.
“Parenting is very intensive and [there’s] a lot of enrichment programmes at a very very young age,” he said.
“Very different from the past.”
He added that such activities can also give parents some time for themselves while their children are occupied with something they enjoy.
“It’s also a way for them to find their own ‘me’ time,” he said.
Flexible work arrangements, shared parental leave
The prime minister then asked if Toto is currently in infant care, to which Hubert replied that she isn’t, as his work arrangements are flexible.
He added that he sometimes works from home and tries his best to be with his daughter as much as he can.
PM Wong then noted that Hubert appeared to be taking on a fair share of parental duties and “promoting fathers”.
“I try my best to,” the latter replied, adding that “it’s fun” to be around his daughter.
“I just try my best to be working from home rather than going to the office now,” he said.
It was also revealed that between the couple, Yihru is the one that “spends more time outside”.
The discussion also touched on how parenting duties are shared between parents, with PM Wong observing that more fathers are taking paternity leaves and spending time with their children though mothers still tend to handle more of the “difficult stuff”, such as feeding and changing diapers.
The couple then shared that they both take on these responsibilities.
When asked who Toto prefers when she needs to be soothed or is throwing a tantrum, Hubert said that it’s usually him — with the couple attributing it to the “funny” and “exaggerated” actions he does.
Touching on shared parental leave between him and Yihru, Hubert also said that he had taken most of them, as his wife had wanted to return to work “as quickly as possible”.
“That’s why I spend more time with her,” he said, adding that he also creates content with Toto as much as he can.
“[It’s] mainly to document her growing up.”
In response, PM Wong pointed out that the couple’s content has shifted to focus on parenting and Toto — before saying goodbye to the family.
“So good to see you finally in person,” he said to Toto.
“I’ve seen so many videos of you. You’re so famous,” he quipped.
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carol.ong@asiaone.com
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