SINGAPORE: A netizen took to social media after seeing a young boy appearing to be publicly humiliated by his mother at a food court when she made him kneel to apologize to her while many were walking by.
A follower of the sgfollowsall Instagram page posted a photo of a young boy, wearing a black t-shirt and shorts and with a yellow hoodie draped around his shoulders, kneeling beside a woman.
“The boy looked like P3 or P4, never said one word to fight back, did everything the Mum demanded, the way he kneel down looks like he’s done hundred times already. and the Mum was still full of rage, and seemed she can’t stop herself from scolding the boy. She shouted at him very loud, hardly not notice, already disturbing other people who were eating around them. The boy was scared and traumatised.”
When a man, presumably the boy’s father, who sat across from the woman, said something to the effect that the boy should be allowed to eat lunch, the woman began to scold the man, the post author added, writing that the ordeal, which lasted for around an hour, “felt like the longest hour in my life.”
And while the post author admitted that what transpired between the boy and his mother is none of his business, the boy looked up and accidentally caught the eye of the post author, who wrote that “he seemed desperate and deeply ashamed.”
“I wanted go talk to the Mum but my friend said it might make it worse like the Mum feel (lose) face and go home abuse the boy even more,” the post author wrote, adding that they ended up not doing anything.
“I know parents have the right to educate their child but to force them to kneel down in public seems wrong to me, might cost psychological scar to this boy all his life. So I would like to know if next time I encounter similar situation should I go interfere or just mind my own business and not care?” /TISG