Mum Seen Making Son Kneel At S’pore Food Court, Observer Wonders Whether To Step In

Mum Allegedly Makes Son Kneel At Food Court In Singapore

A mother was seen making her son kneel at a food court for about an hour, and a concerned person asked if they should have interfered.

Not wanting to cause a scene and potentially result in further repercussions for the son, the person who saw the incident did not confront the woman.

However, they were also concerned that such actions might lead to lifelong psychological scars for the boy.

It sparked much discussion online, many of whom had different opinions regarding punishing kids in public.

OP sees mum making son kneel in front of her at food court

The Instagram page @sgfollowsall brought attention to the incident on 31 May.

In the caption, the bystander recounted that they were queueing at an unnamed food court during lunchtime when they witnessed the scene.

Based on the onlooker’s observations, the mother had made the son kneel to apologise to her.

The boy apparently looked like he was in Primary 3 or 4 and never protested his mother’s behaviour.

“The way he knelt down, it looked like he’d done it a hundred times already,” the OP said.

Meanwhile, the mum was shouting at him loudly, apparently disturbing others who were eating around them.

“The dad sat opposite and said something like, ‘Let boy eat his lunch’, but the mom started to scold the dad,” the OP also said.

“This whole incident happened for about an hour and it felt like the longest hour in my life.”

Boy looked ashamed and scared

During the ordeal, the boy happened to look at the OP by accident and they said he “seemed desperate and deeply ashamed”.

Although the OP wanted to talk to the mother, the OP’s friend cautioned that they might make things worse.

“I know parents have the right to educate their child but to force them to kneel down in public seems wrong to me,” the OP said, concerned that doing so might leave psychological scars on the boy for life.

They also wondered if they should interfere or mind their own business if they encounter such a situation in the future.

Replies concerned for child’s well-being

Reactions to the post were not dissimilar to the OP’s, with many saying the mother was not parenting their child the right way by humiliating them in public.

Others hope the mother realises what she’s doing to the son.

TOUCH Community Services counsellor Chen Hanxi told Shin Min Daily News that children who are humiliated in public by their parents and cannot say a word back may form a habit of suppressing their emotions.

This can lead to a fear of making mistakes as well as an inferiority complex, he cautioned.

He suggested that parents try to learn and understand what their children are feeling and thinking, educate them gently, and guide their children at the same time on recognising and learning to express their emotions.

Mr Chen also said, “What children need most during their growth is a sense of security and belonging.”

He added that the mother scolding the father in front of the child would lead to ‘double harm’ to the boy.

“When mothers prevent fathers from protecting their child, it will not only damage the father’s dignity, but also make children feel extremely helpless.”

New parent, Mr Yu (transliterated from Chinese), said children can be taught patiently if they make mistakes.

“The parent has gone overboard in this incident, and it will damage relations between the parent and child,” the 31-year-old novice dad added.

Mother allegedly scolds son in public and makes him kneel

The picture of the boy kneeling has since made its rounds, but it’s not clear what exactly happened prior to the incident.

However, should the bystander’s account be accurate, we hope that the boy is safe with his caretakers.

At least, he had not been physically harmed.

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Featured image adapted from @sgfollowsall on Instagram.