Zhu Houren Was Worried When His Older Son Once Told Him That He Wanted To Marry His First Girlfriend
He wondered if such expectations would put too much pressure on his son's potential partner.
Last week, Edmund Chen told LOVE 972’s Breakfast Quartet about how he had trouble coming to terms with his 21-year-old daughter Yixin having a boyfriend.
Days after that interview, the show’s four hosts, Chen Biyu, Dennis Chew, Marcus Chin and Mark Lee spoke to another celeb dad, 66-year-old Zhu Houren, as part of their Father's Day special and asked him how he would react to his kids dating.
Houren, who has two sons, independent director Jonathan Choo, 32, and actor Joel Choo, 26, replied laughingly that he had no reservations whatsoever when his older son told him that he had found The One.
Jonathan at his graduation years back
“I was very happy to hear that he had a girlfriend,” the actor chuckled. “My son started dating when he was 30, which is a lot [older than Yixin, who is] 21.”
When the hosts expressed their surprise at this revelation, Houren continued, “When he was much younger, he told me that he hoped that his first girlfriend would one day be his wife. I was a bit worried because he might overthink things and wonder about things such as, ‘Would this person make a good wife?’ It would also put a lot of pressure [on his potential partner].”
But Houren’s worries were unfounded as Jonathan has made his childhood dream come true, and will be getting married soon.
He added, “I’ve held the hope that my sons will get married and have kids, but I won’t force them into it. I know that [starting a family] isn’t easy.”
Peas in a pod
When probed for anecdotes about his younger son, Joel, who left Mediacorp in May after four years with the company, Houren revealed that he was touched to find out how much his younger son has matured.
“Joel told me at the start of the year that he was leaving,” he said. “As a father, I was naturally worried. I told him that he’d be rewarded if he stayed on, but he said that he wanted to leave and try something new.”
Houren then revealed that discussions with Mediacorp were handled personally by Joel, who “never complained, was never emotional nor rash” about the entire process. Houren said with a fatherly smile, “He handled everything very well and I know that I don’t have to worry about him wherever he goes in life.”
Photos: Zhu Houren's Instagram, Jonathan Choo's Instagram
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