Hi toolman65,

Thank you for your questions. I agree that this is one sided and I as I have replied to Bill3, she mentioned that she is not comfortable with migration because she has never lived abroad for work or studies before and is not used to being independent. I feel this is something she has to learn and make the decision to step out of her comfort zone because it would be a mental breakdown waiting to happen if she were to migrate with her current mindset.

Q: What if you move back to Singapore and things don't go as planned between the two of you? Will you be able to go back to Perth? (visa, etc.)

A: As an Australian permanent resident, if I lived outside of Australia for less than 3 years, I will be able to return to Perth without any trouble. If I am absent from Australia for more than 3 years, I would have some administrative challenges returning to Perth.

Q: What if your career is hampered by living in Singapore? Are you able to accept that without feeling resentful towards her?

A: If my career is hampered by living in Singapore, I will not be resentful towards her because we understand that we are responsible with our career decisions. Likewise, I felt apprehensive about her career if she were to migrate because I was aware that she would not be able to find a similar job to her current employment if she moved to Perth. But I did open up to say I am happy to relocated to Sydney or Melbourne if that meant more choices for us.

Q: Moving home also means living with your mom. Can you do that after being on your own? Are you willing to fill your father's shoes?

A: This is the most difficult question to answer because I am not just not sure. When I was growing up I don't share similar values and life outlook with my mom and I find it challenging to communicate with her. A stereotype way of describing her is like an Asian tiger mom character. As the only son, I recognise that she does have her best interests for me. She is very strong willed in her opinions and I find that abrasive most of the time. I learnt to cope by avoiding her if I can and much prefer to communicate with my father but he's a man of very little words. Since his death six months ago, I made up my mind to put in all the effort I can muster to communicate with my mom because she is my only parent left. We made progress and acknowledged our differences in opinions but we do fall back into frustrated arguments due to conflicts in what she thinks is best for me.