'The joy is times 9': S'pore couple shares about challenges & joys of raising 9 kids

Before they even had a large family to raise, Luke insisted on buying a "big round table" that fits 10.

For him, mealtimes are precious bonding opportunities.

Now, he and his wife, Lay Hui, are raising nine kids together.

Took things as they came

Luke, an interventional radiologist, and Lay Hui, a housewife, did not plan for such a "large family".

"We just took it is as it came," Lay Hui shared in an interview for GovTech's 10th anniversary.

The couple's kids are named in alphabetical order. Again, not something that was planned.

"When we had Amanda, we couldn't decide what name to choose. So we just said, 'Okay, let's start with A'," the housewife shared.

Their large household turns heads, such as when the family shows up at church and takes up the entire pew, Luke shared.

While their large family is out of the norm, Lay Hui shared that they have recently found families who also have nine or ten kids.

No easy feat

Lay Hui frankly admitted that it is no easy feat.

On a school day, Lay Hui has her hands full being the "Grab" driver, going in and out of home to fetch the younger ones to school and later back from the MRT station.

Their oldest children are now in university or National Service, the couple shared.

When it comes to chores like laundry, dishwashing or mopping the floor, it's all hands on deck.

Lay Hui also tries to preserve the children's books, getting them to write on "rough paper" instead so the books can be reused as hand-me-downs.

Joy times nine

That being said, having nine kids is not without joys.

Tools like GovTech's LifeSG app help make admin matters, such as managing birth certificates and accessing ChildSG credits, easier.

It also came in handy when their oldest boy and third child had to go off for national service, the first in the family to do so.

For Luke, it all comes down to Lay Hui's resilience.

"As a woman, as a mother, to be able to have such a big family, to manage everything. I think, in itself, it's a celebration and success story," Luke commented.

"The children can say very interesting things and do things unexpectedly that make you feel, 'Oh, actually it's a blessing to have them around'," Lay Hui reflected.

Now, Lay Hui says that the absence of just one of the nine is palpable.

"Even when one is not at home, it's very quiet," she shared.

While kids can be kids and you cannot expect them to be "quiet all the time" or "do their homework every day", Lay Hui acknowledges that "[they themselves] are also not perfect".

"It has its challenges, but the joy is just seeing them grow up. And the joy is times nine," Lay Hui concluded.