The mother of a burger hawker in Penang, Malaysia, recently heard heartbreaking remarks about her son from a stranger.
An elderly customer allegedly pointed the burger hawker out to his grandson, saying that’s the kind of manual job that awaits him if he doesn’t study hard.
The mother of the young hawker overheard the conversation and was naturally saddened by the comments.
In turn, she took to Facebook to recount what happened and express her pride for her son, who has been independent since young.
Her post has since gone viral, with nearly 3,000 shares at the time of writing.
On 23 Mar, Facebook user Ms Ong posted about an unpleasant encounter she had the day before.
She wrote that she and her son Steven were busy tending to their makeshift burger stall when they overheard a conversation between an elderly customer and his grandson:
See that? You will end up working such manual jobs if you don’t study hard. You understand?
Ms Ong said she felt a “twinge in her (my) heart” upon hearing the comments.
Steven, on the other hand, continued making the uncle’s burger in silence, seemingly unaffected by the remarks.
The mother-and-son duo sat down later that night to talk about the incident.
Perhaps aware that the customer’s comments may have hurt her son’s feelings, Ms Ong advised him to pay no heed to negative remarks.
She also assured him that he had been doing good so far and urged him to continue working hard.
In the post, Ms Ong added that Steven has been independent since young. He apparently bought his own bicycle, handphone, motorbike, car, and even an apartment.
Pointing out that every career choice deserves respect, Ms Ong urged others to live a positive life and not care too much about what others have to say.
Speaking to Sin Chew Daily, Ms Ong shared that she has a daughter and a son — the latter of whom is 24 years old.
Despite not being highly educated, both of them are down-to-earth and work extremely hard.
She further shared that Steven has done a good job managing his finances since young and was able to pay for his house’s downpayment on his own.
Ms Ong reportedly sells popcorn at a stall next to her son’s burger stall and would help him out when he’s busy.
We hope Steven doesn’t let any negative comments put him down as he certainly seems to have a lot to be proud of.
Kudos to Ms Ong too, for coming to her son’s defence and rightfully lauding his achievements.
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Featured image adapted from Hey Broger on Facebook and Sin Chew Daily.
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