Public relations account director Peiru Ng, 32, poses with her husband, finance manager Kenny Lee, 33, and their two-and-a-half year old daughter Faith and 12-week-old son Scott in her first week back at work, at their home in Singapore, February 17, 2019. Singaporean mothers are by and large entitled to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave while fathers are allowed two weeks of leave. Peiru chose to end her maternity leave after 12 weeks, four weeks earlier than she is entitled, because of a busy period at work. "Having my work is like having me time. I feel that work makes me a better mum. Of course, this is not to say that there's anything wrong with being a stay-at-home mum, but personally I like the sense of also leading a life for myself and not solely playing the role of a mother", she said, "It's better to have things more flexible and to see maternity leave in a more long-term way rather than a one-off, (and) to have a workplace more parent-friendly, allowing us to take leave as and when we need to. Kenny took five days off even though his company allows him two months. "I just take this as and when needed", he said, "I think, two weeks for dads is pathetic. One or two months would be great for the family bonding time. But practically and realistically, it's hard because it's difficult to detach from work." REUTERS/Feline Lim SEARCH "MOTHERS GLOBAL" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.