PUBLISHED ONApril 17, 2026 9:17 AMBYKristy ChuaIn most Asian households, the concept of moving out of our parents' homes as a teenager is unfathomable. However, Evelyn Tan almost made it a reality for her daughter.
The local actress-host and her oldest child, 21-year-old Kristen Lim, appeared as guests on the YouTube talk show DNA uploaded on April 16, sharing in detail to host Rebecca Lim about spending time together as an atypical family.
Evelyn and her actor husband Darren Lim also have sons Jairus, 19, Way, 17 and Elliot, 13.
Reminiscing the times she looked after Kristen with Darren, the 51-year-old said: "Being a first-time parent of a child who was growing up was very tough for us, because she was an ideal, model child.
"We would give [the children] iPad time for just half an hour once a week and when the timer was up, she would be like, 'Here, mum' - she wouldn't argue and there'd be no complaints from her."
However, things took a "180-degrees flip" when Kristen started wanting more independence and she became defiant before her parents. For instance, her hangouts with friends would stretch longer than expected and she would neglect to text her parents about safety updates or her whereabouts.
In response, Evelyn and Darren set a new curfew of 11pm for Kristen, which she ended up disobeying. Thereafter, they requested that she update them about her whereabouts, which she also failed to do.
Eventually, the couple reached their wits' end with Kristen's rebellion when she was 17.
Evelyn recalled to Rebecca: "We told her, 'If you don't want to listen to us, maybe just get out of the house.'"
However, they were surprised when she refused to do so - "I didn't want to, not in this economy," she had quipped.
Darren had even told her he was willing to pay her rent to get a room outside of home.
"I'm glad that after going through those very turbulent years, she's telling us that she looked back and realised how much it would have cost us, with the agony of not knowing where she was," reflected Evelyn.
All four children were homeschooled under her care. The family also lived on a boat for four years until Kristen turned 12, going back on land to take her Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE).
Explaining the rationale behind her unconventional decision, Evelyn said: "The most important checkbox for us to tick was to make sure that we grow our children up to be good citizens of this country. If they're not that smart academically, it's still fine - we can put more focus into the values that we impart into them."
However, as the teacher at home to her children, her biggest hurdle came when her sons showed signs of having dyslexia.
[[nid:722707]]
While they were skilled in holistic subjects like physical education, they would struggle with core subjects that included essay writing. When Jairus was in primary one, Evelyn started to sense something "amiss" when he struggled to read, while Kristen was able to do so aged five. Evelyn recalled that he could not write essays in primary five.
"He had a pretty hard time adjusting to the fact that he has dyslexia. And he was very upset - he said, 'Why me? Out of every 11 people, why is the one person me?' He actually wasn't able to focus on his academics so can you imagine if he were to be in a mainstream school and had to deal with this emotionally?" recalled Evelyn.
She eventually decided to let her children go to mainstream schools when the family hit a turbulent time during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We were faced with several issues. I had to deal with the lack of social interaction for Way, who is a very social person. The last straw came when my health was not doing too well, and I realised that [homeschool] was a bit too much for me to take on," admitted Evelyn.
"Mothers especially are like that, right? We try to give the most of ourselves to our children, but even airlines will tell you that in times of turbulence, you have to take care of yourself first. I learnt that in a rough way, but I'm thankful for that."
For Kristen, she began a new phase when she transitioned from homeschooling to entering Temasek Polytechnic to pursue film and media studies.
"I wasn't used to the rigour of a public school and even polytechnic isn't that rigorous," said Kristen, laughing. "I learnt to adapt and I honestly really enjoyed my years in polytechnic."
There, she participated in extracurricular activities, including hosting a National Day celebration with friends on stage. In the audience were Evelyn and Darren, and the latter enthusiastically raised his hands to answer a question knowing that Kristen was the host.
"Kristen immediately said no, and that she didn't give him the answer in advance," recalled Evelyn about the humorous moment. "So she's a natural and I think she holds herself really well as a host."
Upon graduation, Kristen starred in several plays with Pangdemonium, most recently playing protagonist Veronica Sawyer in the local theatre company's adaptation of the teen musical Heathers. She is also in a live band that plays pop-rock music.
With actors and hosts as parents, Kristen jested that "performance is in the blood", and admitted she feels more comfortable when she's on a stage.
Citing other celebrity parents and the fears about their children following in their footsteps, Rebecca asked Evelyn on her and Darren's openness in Kristen's next steps.
"I believe that we are all made with an inner calling that we have to respond to. If we try and dissuade [our children], it'll make them even more fired up," stated Evelyn.
"The only thing I don't want her to do is to follow blindly and think just because she has a talent for something, she must pursue it. Just be open and see what life can offer and just jump on."
[[nid:733421]]
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
