“Imagine returning every year just for the exams!” the 43-year-old actress-host exclaimed when 8Days.sg caught up with her at the press conference for the upcoming President’s Star Charity Show (PSC). “It’s impossible to continue with our life on the boat as our children are starting to grow roots and have friends here.”
 
What about the clan’s sea expeditions?
 
“Right now, [the boat] is just for charter for people to come and enjoy. But it’s gonna be our retirement home next time!” she muses.

One thing that hasn’t changed since their lifestyle switch is the fact that the stay-at-home mum is still home-schooling her kids, having successfully seen her eldest daughter, Kristen, through PSLE. “I don’t want to give her that pressure by revealing her score, but she did get above 200 [for PSLE],” says Evelyn with some hesitation. “She’s now taking charge of her own learning and is pursuing an American diploma.”
 
While Kristen now has a tutor to guide her along, Evelyn is still home-schooling her other three munchkins, with Jairus due to take his PSLE this year. “It’s still challenging, especially for Jairus. Children at that age have yet to fully develop their higher order thinking skills, but they still need to perform,” she revealed.

Unlike regular Asian parents who expect their children to become doctors or lawyers when they grow up, Evelyn and Darren aren’t fretting over their kids’ futures, thanks to the fact that their kids already have a clear idea of what they’re going to do.
 
Kristen is currently taking vocal lessons with hopes to become a professional singer, and has a band formed with her friends. As for Jairus, “he likes sailing and has his license”, just like Dad. He takes a dingy out whenever he likes, which is a-okay with Mum who confesses that she’s “forever thinking of ways to get them outdoors now that a lot of young people are stuck with their phones”.

Even their younger sons, Way and Elliot have their own budding talents. “Their talent ah? Making mummy angry, lor!” Evelyn joked. 
 
While she thinks that Elliot may be “a bit behind” academically, she has found a strength to make up for it — cooking. “He makes damn good ondeh-ondeh,” she divulged. “That’s the beauty about home-schooling. I can choose to focus on strengths that allow my children to grow."

Since Evelyn’s spending so much time as a stay-at-home mum tutoring her kids, how does she even find the time to maintain a love life? 
 
“Dating. You still need to go on dates. Our children also understand that Mummy and Daddy sometimes still need to go pak tor. I will tell them to settle their meals themselves. We’ll [go on dates] whenever we can. With our kind of jobs, there’s no such thing as reserving a specific day for dating. It can be just pockets of time, whether we go for dinner or go to the supermarket,” she said laughingly.
 
When asked if she ever regretted leaving showbiz at the peak of her popularity in 2005, she reiterated that family is always her priority. “I’m a very simple person. Family comes first for me and I’ve never regretted making this decision. If I were to continue in this line, I think I would’ve missed a lot of my children growing up,” she said.

Still, the mother-of-four will return to our small screens next month for a good cause. She will be singing a reprise of ‘The Moon Represents My Heart’ with Kym Ng, the same song she had performed in 1999 along with late former President Ong Teng Cheong, who played the piano. 
 
“I had to consider if I would sound just as nice before making the decision to come back!” Evelyn laughed. “But I think it will be very meaningful, especially when it’s a tribute to the late Mr Ong Teng Cheong. He’s a very humble and inspiring person.”

PHOTOS: ALVIN TEO
 
The President’s Star Charity 2019 will air live on November 10 at 7.30pm on Channel 5 and Toggle, with a repeat telecast on November 17 at 4.30pm.

To donate, visit this website or call the following numbers: 1900-112-8821 (for a $10 donation) 1900-112-8822 (for a $50 donation) 1900-112-8823 (for a $100 donation). For more information, visit the official President’s Challenge website.