GEORGE TOWN: There’s no stopping the maternal instincts in Loh Siew Hong who is a force unto herself.

       Single mother Loh, who was previously an assistant chef at a hotel, has been indulging her three children with home-cooked dishes such as chicken sambal, briyani and thosai.

       “And when we go out, I let them pick the clothes and things they want.

       “My son usually worries that I am splurging on them.

       “He always tells me not to spend too much but I am making up for the three years that I did not get to see them,” she said.

       Last month, Loh, 35, was granted full custody of her twin daughters aged 14, and her 10-year-old son by the court.

       She had lost contact with the children after her ex-husband took them away and converted them to Islam.

       Yesterday, Loh said her twin daughters were affectionate towards her.

       “My daughters usually want plenty of hugs.

       “I also help them with their school preparations as I want to make sure they are ready for the new school term,” she added.

       Loh said her son had asked her not to send him to a boarding school.

       “I reassured him and told him not to worry about that,” she said.

       She said she wanted her children to grow up to be strong and confident adults.

       “I have faced many obstacles and suffered quite a lot in my life. I don’t want my children to have the same fate.

       “As a mother, my wish is to see them succeed in life and to stand on their own feet,” she said.

       Alluding to International Women’s Day yesterday, she said women should not resign themselves to fate.

       “If there are any problems, we should face them head-on.

       “As a single parent, I know it is my responsibility to give my kids a good education, so that they can be independent and support themselves when they grow up,” she said.

       Super-mums: Lee with her mother Tan Siew Kee and her son Ong Xiu Zheng.

       Another single mother Lee Poh Gaik, 35, also spoke about having to be strong in dealing with problems.

       “Women do not always have it easy, but whatever the obstacles, I want to prove that we, as women, can handle them,” she said.

       Lee said life had been a struggle since her separation from her husband.

       Besides raising her 12-year-old son, she is also caring for her 70-year-old mother.

       “I separated from my husband when my son was 10 months old. It has been a struggle to make ends meet since then,” she said.

       Lee said her father died when she was nine.

       “My mother single-handedly raised me and my siblings.

       “So, now it is my turn to take care of her,” said Lee, who earns RM1,400 as a promoter in a bakery.

       She hopes to open an ice-kacang and drinks stall along Gurney Drive some day.

       “I need to make more money for my son’s education.

       “Expenses are high and as a single parent, I have to be both dad and mum. I must provide the best for my son,” she said.