Single mother Elaine Ng (吳綺莉) has been through many trials concerning her teenage daughter, Etta Ng (吳卓林), such as actor Jackie Chan’s (成龍) refusal to acknowledge his paternity and the accusation against Elaine of child abuse last year. However, Elaine remains optimistic about her role as a mother, even though 16-year-old Etta has entered into the teenage stage of rebellion. Elaine recently shared that she is constantly thinking of how she can be a better mother who is also liked by her daughter. She admitted that it was not until the child abuse accusation last March that she realized Etta had grown up. “For many years, I used the traditional method to teach her – she must listen to whatever I say,” explained Elaine. “When she was little, she would accept this, but after growing up, she rebelled.” Though Elaine and her daughter have been reconciled following the child abuse incident, there are still times when conflicts arise. For instance, Etta recently developed the desire to eat nothing but instant noodles for every meal. When Elaine insisted she eat something different for dinner at least, Etta responded by refusing to eat at all. After an hour of confrontation, she finally relented. Despite the hardships of being a single mother, Elaine maintains an optimistic attitude. “Everyone has difficulties,” she said. “You just have to see where these difficulties lie…. A lot of people have it worse off than I do.” “I Want to Hold on to Her for Two More Years” Because Elaine was not close with her family members when growing up, she considers it even more important to have a good relationship with her own daughter. “If the mother-daughter relationship isn’t right, I will be very sad,” she remarked. “You can have a falling out with friends, and you can divorce your husband if he isn’t right, but no parent will break off a relationship with her child.” In an attempt to communicate more with her daughter, Elaine often shares stories about herself, even at the risk of Etta finding her long-winded. “Perhaps in her rebellious stage right now, she might think I’m mean,” said Elaine, “but at least she is still willing to talk to me.” Unlike the typical tiger mom, Elaine is eager to foster Etta’s interests, which have ranged from veterinary work to computers to filmmaking to making cakes: “The last time we talked about this, I told [Etta], ‘Simpler is better. Don’t overthink it. When you leave this world, what do you want to leave behind? The most important thing is happiness. Don’t have any regrets!’’ Elaine also revealed that even though she had previously considered sending Etta overseas to continue her studies, she is holding off on those plans for now. “It’s still too early to talk about studying abroad,” she said, “and I’m reluctant to let her leave my side right now. With her personality, she won’t come back after going abroad, so I want to hold on to her for two more years.” Creds: Sina
