SINGAPORE: Netizens are praising a Singaporean father online for standing up for his two-year-old daughter in the face of a playground bully and his mother.
Sharing the incident on r/askSingapore, he said that they met her bully, whom he described as “a bigger boy who’s twice her daughter’s weight” at a playground they visited occasionally.
This bully would yell “excuse me” at her daughter really loudly, and on one distressing occasion, even used his knee to forcefully push her down on the slide.
Alarmed by the boy’s behavior, the father gave the boy’s mother a stern look, hoping she would step in and manage her son. However, despite his silent plea, the mother chose not to intervene at that moment.
When the bullying incident repeated itself, the father felt compelled to take action.
“When he yelled at my daughter the second time I told him firmly to wait for his turn,” he said. “Mother confronted me and told me her son is not shouting, just talking loudly.”
This led to a heated argument, during which the mother accused him of ‘bullying his son’ and ‘acting like a hooligan.’ She also threatened him with, “I better not see you here again.”
“I’m a bigger guy and was about to lose my temper after that threat so I ended the argument and walked off,” he recounted.
At the end of his post, he asked others in the online community how to handle such cases in the future.
“You were the bigger person because you walked away when you felt you were losing your temper.”
In the discussion thread, many netizens agreed that the father did the right thing for his daughter.
One netizen shared that she feels grateful towards her mum to this day because she defended her from a school bully when she was still a child.
She said, “That kid was only 6 years old. She never dared to touch me again. Stand up for your kid whatever you think is right. Because your child will remember this moment forever.”
Another netizen commended the father, saying, “You did the right thing by walking away when you felt yourself losing your temper. Standing up for your daughter was the right move. I don’t think you acted unreasonably at all.”
A few netizens also suggested that he eventually teach his daughter how to defend herself against bullies or consider finding another playground to avoid further conflict. They advised against engaging in arguments with such individuals, emphasizing that it’s not worth their time and energy.
Meanwhile, there were others who criticized the bully’s mother and called her an unreasonable and terrible parent who cannot discipline her kid properly.
One netizen said, “The kid you’ve encountered is probably treated like this at home – his parents will just say “excuse me” and then physically force whatever they want on the child, so he does know any better.
The mother probably felt extra attacked, because her son represents her own behaviors.”
Another chimed in, writing, “The problem is not the kid but the parent. Some people really cannot reason one, but society now has a different right. Kiam pa but cannot pa.”
Read also: Mum: “Parents of Singapore, how do you teach your kids to deal with bullies/potential bullies?”