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“Cinderella Effect”: Is risk of abuse higher in stepfamilies?
Drawing its name from the popular fairy tale, the “Cinderella effect” describes the tragic phenomenon where children have a higher risk of abuse by non-biological parents (married or unmarried to the biological parent). Though well-documented, the reasons for the trend are hotly debated. Nevertheless, understanding the unique and specific challenges and complexities faced by stepfamilies can guide us in preventing and addressing child abuse.
- 28 July 2025
Becoming Mum: A Cultivate Commune (May) update
Becoming a mother can be a very challenging experience for some. At our Commune on 10 May, Jennifer Heng shared her story about how she came to start Safe Place, an organisation helps unsupported pregnant women and their families.
- July 14 2025
Fatherhood, Friendship, and Finding Community
C.S. Lewis once wrote that friendship is born when one person says to another, “What? You too? I thought I was the only one.” This Father's Day, hear the story of The Ordinary Dad, a group formed when some stay-at-home dads came together and found community.
- June 15 2025
Double-edged Sword? Do grandparents help build strong families?
A study by Catholic Family Life found that strong families are undergirded by strong marriages. Four factors are key: family commitment, conflict resolution, marital satisfaction and family spirituality. But grandparents and intergenerational relationships could be a "double-edged sword" if values and attitudes are not aligned.
- June 12 2025
More For You
Non-interference: Parents Decide, Grandparents Follow?
In Singapore, there is an important social norm of "non-interference" between grandparents and parents. It implicitly recognises that parents have primary responsibility for raising children. Dialogue, mutual respect and understanding are important, if we want to move forward constructively.
- 16 May 2025
“Mom, Dad, Where Are You?” The Right to Know One’s Natural Parents
Adoptive children have a deep desire to seek their biological parents in an effort to find themselves. It touches on deep and profound questions, involving one’s identity and origin. This right to know one’s natural parents has been recognised as a legal and moral right in Singapore.
- 6 May 2025
“Mismatched: Dating and the Gender Divide”: A Cultivate Commune update
Do gender roles or differences matter in dating? What do men and women think? At our Commune on 8 March, we gathered some young men and women to talk candidly about the dating scene and their own experiences, and gained some interesting perspectives on the topic.
- 28 April 2025
