Andie Chen and Kate Pang relocate kids to Taiwan

It's not easy to pack up and move your life overseas but local celeb couple Andie Chen and Kate Pang have relocated their family to Taiwan for the time being.

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao recently, Taiwan-born Kate, 37, explained: "Andie has some jobs in Taiwan and the initial plan was to fly between Taiwan and Singapore, but because of the pandemic and the quarantine, our plan was disrupted."

After a long discussion, the couple — who have been married for six years — decided to live in Taipei for the near future.

Their two kids — son Aden and daughter Avery — have already started school in Taipei. Kate laughed: "In Taiwan, Aden's English is very good. However, his Mandarin is lacking compared to his classmates."

For the moment, she is back in Singapore because of work but she'll be flying to Taiwan in December. Her mother, who's retired, lives near the couple's Taipei home and will be able to help take care of the kids. 

The relocation doesn't mean that the couple is giving up on opportunities in Singapore, Kate added. 

Worried about Andie as a 'single' father

While Andie, 35, is the only parent in Taiwan with their two kids, Kate is actually more worried about her hubby, whom she describes as a responsible man who is hard on himself. For example, he insists on helping Avery braid her hair when Kate feels he "didn't need to push himself that much".

She joked: "I'm worried that Daddy will get depression."

ALSO READ: Kate Pang recalls wanting to throw her baby against the wall as she struggled with postnatal blues

Andie also confessed: "The hardest thing about raising kids is that your time is theirs. You can't do your own things. After a while, it gets stressful."

Initially, he was nervous about being a self-proclaimed 'single' father. It was very tough and tiring, he said. However, he's getting used to it and he's growing closer to his kids.

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"In the past, I thought being a dad meant reading with them and playing with them. Now that our relationship is better, I realised I almost missed the stage where we build closer ties with the kids," he said.

Andie added: "Everything is okay as long as you're with family. Kate and I will return to Singapore often and also during the school holidays in Taiwan. It feels like we have one more home."

bryanlim@asiaone.com