Joscelin Yeo lets 4-year-old son run errands on his own for TV show
Former national swimmer Joscelin Yeo proud of how youngest son did on MediaCorp reality TV show
Describing herself as a "chill" parent "curious" to see if her child was ready to be independent, former national swimmer Joscelin Yeo decided to let her youngest son, four-year-old Michael, star in an episode of On The Red Dot's Old Enough!.
It is the local adaptation of Nippon TV's hit Japanese reality TV series, which centres on children running errands on their own for the first time - all the while being shadowed by an incognito camera crew.
The second season premieres tomorrow on Channel 5 at 9.30pm with a one-hour special featuring celebrity parents such as Yeo, Andie Chen and Kate Pang, and Jay Nesh Isuran and their children, with subsequent half-hour episodes airing every Friday at 9.30pm.
Michael's tasks included buying a bag of dog food and a new toothbrush for their pet dog, as well as tea for Yeo's sore throat.
Yeo, 40, has three other children - two boys aged seven and six and a one-year-old girl - with her husband, pastor Joseph Purcell, 36.
Yeo said the tasks were challenging as Michael gets "distracted very easily" and is usually taken care of by his older brothers, and it was the first time the pre-schooler crossed the road by himself.
She told The New Paper in an e-mail interview: "Usually one of us will be with him (because) he is not allowed (to) cross the road by himself.
"So he did good by standing behind those yellow bumps every time we were at any kind of crossing."
Michael also took escalators on his own, figured out where the pet shop was and conversed with the shop assistants.
She said: "He even remembered which brand of dog food to get, as our dog has a very specific diet. I think he did a good job. I was really proud of him.
"I think he had the opportunity to step out, step up and be him... That was pretty cool to see."
She also sensed a change in Michael after the filming, and felt he has a newfound confidence. "He keeps telling me, 'Mama, anything you need me to do, just tell me. I know what to do. I know where to go'."
Yeo added: "I think in parenting, it is a fine line in how much you should push them beyond their natural comfort zone.
"Whether he does it to perfection or not doesn't matter. (It is the) whole experience of being able to achieve what I tasked him to do that was the most important takeaway.
"I will look for more opportunities to allow him to do that without his brothers (around), because I think that will help him to grow as an individual."
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