As parents, it’s their responsibility to prepare their kids for the future. And often, it takes unorthodox methods to ensure the lessons ‘stick’.
Recently, a father in Singapore pretended to abandon his son at the National Library Building to teach his son to be more aware of his surroundings.
A video documenting the ‘lesson’ has gone viral on TikTok, with many users sharing how relatable it felt.
Alex, who goes by @familee1985 on TikTok, recently shared how he had pretended to abandon his son at the National Library Building.
The video starts by showing 10-year-old Daken leaving the area, looking confused as he descended the steps towards the ground floor concourse.
Alex explained in the caption of the video that Daken had gotten too engrossed in some games and was reluctant to leave.
“He needs to learn the lesson the hard way,” said the father.
The video goes on to show Daken roaming the area, unable to find his parents anywhere in the vicinity.
Source: TikTok
Growing visibly anxious, Daken reaches for his phone, presumably to contact his family.
Source: TikTok
Eventually, Daken spots his father and with a wide smile on his face, rushes forward to embrace him.
Source: TikTok
The video has since gone viral on TikTok, with many expressing their views on Alex’s ‘lesson’.
A few netizens disagreed with how he handled the matter, pointing out that something bad could have happened to his son.
Source: TikTok
Others were more understanding of Alex’s intentions, stressing how important the lesson was.
Source: TikTok
Some said they experienced similar ‘lessons’ when they were younger, and found the boy’s expression extremely relatable.
Source: TikTok
Speaking to MS News, Alex said he wanted to teach Daken about the importance of being aware of his surroundings and staying close to his parents in public.
As such, he pretended to abandon him for a few minutes to see how he would react.
Alex shared that Daken realised they had gone missing after about 15 minutes. As Daken approached his hiding spot, Alex “came out a little” so it’d be easier for the 10-year-old to spot him.
When asked about the comments he received, Alex said he didn’t view them negatively as they were from concerned overseas users who didn’t know how safe Singapore was.
He also pointed out that others from Singapore had shared accounts of how they similarly pretended to abandon their children.
“Some even called it a rite of passage for all Singaporean children,” he said.
Also read: Father In China Makes Addicted Son Play Mobile Games For 17 Hours, Child Apologises After
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Featured image adapted from TikTok.
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