Like many parents, local actress Rebecca Lim thinks that her child is growing up too fast and wants to accompany him in every step of his growth.

The 38-year-old, who gave birth to a son in January, shared in the latest episode of her talk show With Love, Becks that her priorities changed after becoming a parent.

"I think we prioritise different areas when we're in different stages of life. I've been seriously thinking about becoming a full-time mum. My son hasn't turned one yet, but I feel like he's already grown so much and I've missed so many moments," she said, adding that she regretted returning to work so soon.

In the episode which aired yesterday (Dec 16), she also heard more about striving a balance between parenthood and career from local actress Yvonne Lim, who set aside her work to relocate to Taipei with her husband, former Taiwanese boy band member Alex Tien, and their five-month old son in 2015.

Yvonne, 48, told Rebecca: "I lived in my pyjamas most of the time [back then]. Can you believe it? As artistes, we're always dressed up for the camera. But when I was in Taiwan, I was just wearing my pyjamas all day long. I never left the house."

She also shared her decision to move to Taipei then: "Alex had to travel very frequently and I saw how exhausting it was for him to constantly travel between Singapore and Taiwan… He looked really tired at the time and didn't even manage to shave his moustache. I felt sorry for him, so one day, I sat him down and told him I'd move to Taipei with him."

Yvonne also told Alex that she would only live there for two years and would return to Singapore after that for their child's education. However, she ended up giving birth to their daughter in 2017 and staying for a decade.

When Rebecca asked if Alex had ever asked Yvonne to relocate before, she responded: "Honestly, he had never asked me to move to Taipei with him. He respects all my decisions. He never stopped me even when I wanted to return to Singapore."

In recent years, Yvonne spoke about returning to Singapore and announced her decision in a YouTube video posted in November, sharing how thankful she was towards the friends she had made in Taiwan.

She also told Rebecca in the latest episode that the renovation for their home in Singapore is underway and she is looking forward to a cosier place to host friends.

Prioritising family over career

After listening to Yvonne's experiences, Rebecca reflected: "When I heard how Yvonne gave up everything in Singapore to become a full-time mum, I feel like it gave me the courage that it'll be okay if I ever decide to become one."

Veteran local actress Xiang Yun also made a surprise visit later in the episode and shared her own regrets of prioritising career over family in the past. She shares Chen Xi, 33, and Yixin, 24, with her husband, actor-turned-artist Edmund Chen.

The 63-year-old, who returned to filming about four to five months after giving birth, said: "I saw a photo of my son crawling at my mum's home and was shocked, asking, 'When did Chen Xi start crawling?' My mum told me then he did while I was filming a drama. I feel so guilty when I look back at it now.

"These days, perhaps because I have more spare time, I find myself constantly apologising to my children. I've been saying sorry to them for not spending enough time with them or taking good care of them."

'You should ultimately follow your heart'

Xiang Yun also shared that when her children were younger, she used to film more costume dramas. As the filming duration was longer, there was a long period of time where she would leave their home every day while they were still sleeping.

When Rebecca asked if she would have made a different choice if given the chance, she said: "I'd really choose to stay at home. Because the children will have their own lives once they grow up… They won't want to be with you once they grow up. They're so busy with school and their friends."

She added that Chen Xi and Yixin have also been asking their father to return to work.

"Edmund was always nagging at them, so now they keep telling him to return to filming," she laughed.

Yvonne also told Rebecca not to worry as there will come a time when her son would tell her to return to acting and to cherish her time spent together with him now.

"But you should ultimately follow your heart, because only parents would understand their children best," she said.

yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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