Real mums from Lion Mums get tips in this parenting vodcast

If you’re a parent, take a moment to acknowledge how much you’re doing.

Parenting today comes with challenges that previous generations never faced – whether it’s navigating school issues, understanding AI’s impact on learning, or keeping up with growing expectations.

MOE’s vodcast series Canteen Chats with Lion Mums explores these realities in four new episodes. Lina Ng and Nurul Aini, from the drama series Lion Mums, continue their conversations with educators, experts, and fellow parents. Together, they discuss parenting issues ranging from dealing with conflicts at home to mismatched expectations between parents and children. Most importantly, these episodes serve as a reminder that you’re not facing these challenges alone.

Here’s what each episode covers, and why you should add them to your watchlist.

Link to Schoolbag article of Episodes 1 to 4 here.

Episode 5: Is AI helping or hurting your child’s learning?

This episode takes a balanced look at parenting in the age of artificial intelligence. Actress Nurul Aini joins parents and experts to make sense of this rapidly changing landscape and its impact on children’s learning.

Watch this if: You’re concerned about AI misuse in your child’s homework or feeling overwhelmed by the pace of technological change.

Watch for:

• How Singapore schools are teaching students to use AI as a thinking tool rather than a shortcut to answers
• A sandwich approach you can use to guide your child’s AI use at home
• Warning signs that indicate when children might be becoming too dependent on AI assistance

Episode 6: When your child says, I was bullied.

When a child experiences hurt, parents feel that pain too. This candid discussion acknowledges the emotions that bullying incidents create while offering guidance for parents whose children come home distressed.

Actress Lina Ng speaks with a school principal, a counsellor, and a father from Centre for Fathering to explore responses to such difficult situations.

Watch this if: Your child has come home upset from a peer conflict and you’re uncertain how to respond appropriately.

Watch for:

• Why your initial response to your child’s distress can set the tone for everything that follows
• How schools focus on repairing relationships rather than using punishment-based approaches
• How to help empower your child in challenging social situations

Episode 7: Why your tween stops talking to you and how to fix it

This episode offers advice for parents who feel like their child changed overnight, becoming distant and uncommunicative.

Host Nurul Aini explores the mysterious tween years, the transition period between childhood and adolescence, with guests who understand these challenges firsthand. A school principal, counsellor, and the parenting blogger behind Cheekiemonkie.net discuss why children begin to pull away during this stage, and how to rebuild relationships after heated disagreements.

Watch this if: Your child has started responding with one-word answers or you’re worried about their online activities.

Watch for:

• Why jumping to criticism can shut down communication entirely
• The importance of parents taking time to cool down before addressing conflicts
• Steps for rebuilding trust and connection after arguments

Episode 8: Am I good enough? The hidden costs of an education arms race

Singapore takes pride in being a meritocratic society. This episode examines how that same achievement-focused mindset might influence parenting.

Host Lina Ng sits down with a parenting researcher, youth mentor, and father of two to discuss Singapore’s competitive academic environment, the painful realisation that can come from misunderstanding your child’s needs, and the value of modelling how to handle failure.

Watch this if: You find yourself caught up in constant comparison with other families or feeling overwhelmed by academic pressure.

Watch for:

• How children interpret and respond to conditional expressions of love
• Why unstructured free time plays a more crucial role in development than many parents realise
• Simple ways to build lasting trust and connection with your child