‘I will just keep nagging at them’: Zoe Tay on conveying importance of higher education to her sons

What happens if her sons refuse to attend university? Don't worry, Zoe Tay has a plan.

In the recent press conference for Mediacorp's upcoming long-form drama My One and Only, AsiaOne spoke to Zoe about higher education for her sons, among other things.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Zoe Tay鄭惠玉 (@zoetay10)

On one of the episodes of the talk show The Zoe and Liang Show, the 55-year-old veteran actress shared that one of her sons felt that education was unnecessary as he already knew what he needed to survive in the world.

Zoe is married to Philip Chionh, a former Republic of Singapore Air Force pilot since 2001. They have three sons, Brayden, 17, Ashton, 15, and Nathan, 11.

Zoe shared her thoughts with us: "Nowadays, young people have their own views, and parents should be patient and give them some guidance. Parents are naturally naggy; I will just keep nagging at them and use different 'patterns' to assert the importance of university education.

"For example, my son in secondary four may not listen to me but he listens more easily to his older brother, and may find his words more acceptable…

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"It's not just about getting knowledge in order to get a good job, but also knowing how to analyse things better. My belief in the importance of education will not change, I will explain and persuade him in different ways and not repeat the same words."

Just like any other parent, Zoe has preferences for what they should study in the future, but she will not compel them to choose those.

She elaborated: "There is no job guarantee for any subject. I want them to choose for themselves. It'll be very sad if they said, 'I chose this major because you told me to'."

Zoe frankly admitted that she has her 'ideal subjects'; she said that it was enviable to see interns at hospitals and law firms, as well as tech professionals at tech firms.

Nonetheless, she encourages her sons to increase their exposure to various industries as "they may not even know what's best for them in the first place".

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"They think they know the world, and that's not good," Zoe added concernedly.

While many late millennials and Gen Zs got to know about the Queen of Caldecott Hill recently through the popular and relevant The Zoe and Liang Show, Zoe doesn't know if her sons watched the series.

"They didn't mention the show to me, but I know the show was popular among young people.

"Many topics were refreshing and eye-opening to me as well. We kept the mood free and relaxed, and many guests arrived tense but we reminded them that they could talk freely and if there were mistakes, we could cut it out afterwards.

"I fear I might have revealed too much of my life though!" Zoe joked.

Both Zoe and her manager confirmed that there are talks of a second season for The Zoe and Liang Show.

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In the upcoming drama, Zoe plays Ma Limin, a real estate agent who started the property agency My One and Only, and aspires to become a developer. She experiences marital troubles with her husband, Hao Jian (Brandon Wong), who is less ambitious. She also endures professional rivalry with Andy, played by Shaun Chen.

Limin has a son Renpin (Shawn Thia), who experiences various trials and goes to great lengths to earn money. The story follows the happenings of various characters related to Limin's firm and family.

My One and Only will be showing Mondays to Fridays, 7.30pm on Channel 8 from July 27, and will start streaming on meWATCH on July 24. It is still in production. The long-form series also stars Ya Hui, Elvin Ng, Tay Ying, Yao Wenlong and Fang Rong.

The Zoe and Liang Show, hosted by Guo Liang and Zoe, is streaming on YouTube.

ALSO READ: 'Studying isn't the only way to make money': Zoe Tay and Guo Liang differ on kids' education

jolynn.chia@asiaone.com

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