Former beauty queen, Michelle Reis (李嘉欣), is now a full-time mother. After her marriage with business magnate, Julian Hui (許晉亨), in 2008, Michelle slowly faded away in the entertainment industry. The birth of their first son, Jayden Max “JM” Hui in 2011, has cemented Michelle’s full retirement in showbiz. As the only son of two very wealthy and successful parents, JM is subjected to the possibility of becoming a spoiled “Hong Kong Kid”, but Michelle would have none of that. “I want him to grow up to be someone who has a high EQ, responsible, and polite,” said Michelle. “I want him to learn how to make decisions on his own, and not have to rely too much on his parents.” Little JM is currently two years old, and was born on February 8, 2011. After JM’s birth, Michelle retired her career in the acting business and dedicated most of her time to caring for JM herself. “He is my boss now! There are no wages to this job, but maybe an occasional kiss here and there.” In the process of raising and teaching little JM, Michelle has come to realize that she is also in the process of learning herself. “As parents, we must set good examples to our children. I once spoke up loudly against someone, and that scared little JM. He looked at me curiously and asked me what happened. I immediately realized that I shouldn’t raise my voice in such a manner, because children learn through imitation.” After giving birth to JM, Michelle took an interest in studying child psychology, and she would use the strategies in these textbooks on JM. “A book mentioned that parents nowadays like to tell children what to do instead of asking them on what they think they should do. These kids are individuals of their own right, and as parents, we should all give them at least five minutes every day in which these kids would be able to do the things they want to do. I do this to JM every night, and he calls it ‘special time,’ He would get really sad when special time is over.” Through these interactions, Michelle hopes to train JM to become a responsible and resourceful individual. Behind all of Michelle’s proud smiles, she admitted that there had been times when she felt useless and weak. “Once, I took JM to the doctor to get his shot. He was feeling very sick, looked miserable, and I could do nothing to help. I felt very helpless and useless… and I cried. My biggest wish, and my only wish, is to see JM healthy and happy, and to see my family and friends in bliss.” Creds: 21CN
