'I try not to spoil him': Kim Lim tries to give son, 9, 'normal' childhood, doesn't let him fly first class all the time

Singaporean socialite and beauty mogul Kim Lim says she is not overly concerned about her son's academic performance. Instead, what matters more to her is the kind of person he grows up to be.

The 34-year-old appeared on the latest episode of the YouTube talk show DNA, hosted by actress Rebecca Lim, alongside her nine-year-old son Kyden.

Character-building is the most important

"The most important (thing) for me is character-building — the respect he gives to people. I think this will stay with him for the long term," Kim said, adding that academic knowledge could be picked up at any point in life.

"I don't want him to feel pressure about going to school... I want him to enjoy it, because he has to go anyway."

Being rude, she said, is something she does not tolerate.

"We are direct and straightforward, but not rude," she explained, noting that she has taken Kyden along to volunteer for charity work and this has helped him become a well-mannered boy growing up.

While she takes a relaxed approach to schoolwork, she added that she is more deliberate about other aspects of his upbringing, including limiting his sugar intake to keep him healthy.

Kim recalled that the one time she gave Kyden a serious talking-to was when he was just three years old, when he had been disrespectful to his grandmother.

"I made him face the wall and stand there until he fell asleep. I try not to punish (him), but sometimes there's no choice," she said.

Tries not to spoil him too much

Growing up in a wealthy family, Kim shared that she makes a conscious effort to ensure that her son remains grounded.

"I don't spoil him too much. When he was younger, I did spoil him, so now I try not to."

Kim shared an incident where they were seated in business class on a commercial flight, and Kyden called out loudly, asking if they were in economy, seemingly unaware of the difference.

She said she immediately shushed him, which made her realise she had spoiled him too much.

Kim said she regretted exposing him to premium travel at such a young age, and now emphasises that if he wants something, he has to earn it — a lesson her own father instilled in her.

Co-parenting

Kim said Kyden benefits from what she described as "a balance of both lives", split between her world and that of his father, her ex-husband Kho Bin Kai, with whom she said she remains on good terms.

"He's a very good guy, he's a very good father. He brings Kyden back down to earth, so there's a balance," she said, adding that Kho would take Kyden to hawker centres for meals.

Lim also brought up the lavish birthday parties Kim has thrown for Kyden.

In 2024, she organised a Roblox-themed celebration featuring a chocolate fountain, indoor rides and game zones.

Two years prior, she hosted an extravagant "Kandy Karnival" at Sentosa for his fifth birthday.

Kim said she tries not to hold such events too frequently, and ties rewards to effort and achievement rather than giving them freely.

"If you do something good, study hard, or swim a certain number of laps in a week, then I will reward you," she said.

Background

Kim and her brother Kiat Lim, 32, are the children of Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, 73.

Kim has also built her own beauty empire KLHealth, with brands such as Papilla, illumia Skin, illumia Medical and illumia Therapeutics.

She also has a second son, born in December 2024, conceived via in-vitro fertilisation.