A short video showing a woman seated at a void deck with her back to a wailing boy rolling on the ground has gone viral, sparking a heated online discourse on parenting, handling tantrums and the risks of making assumptions online.
The eight-second clip was shared on Facebook page Singapore Stuff on Feb 24. The post claimed that the woman, described as a “helper”, was “playing on her phone and didn’t do anything” while the child cried for “a very, very long time”.
Geotagged at Tampines, the video has since garnered more than 443,000 views, 975 reactions and 290 comments.
Mixed reactions online
Some netizens were quick to criticise the woman, assuming she was a domestic worker and accusing her of neglecting the crying child.
“Maid (busy talking) to boyfriend,” one wrote. “What (happens) if he runs out (onto) the road?” commented another.
Others, however, cautioned against jumping to conclusions without finding out what was really happening.
“You don’t know their story, doesn’t mean you can make your own. Don’t like something, approach them and ask, not film them quietly and post on social media like a big hero,” said a Facebook user. “What if she’s the mum?” another asked.
“Nowadays, bo liao (useless) people a lot. Without knowing the reason, just shame people,” yet another said.
Several commenters defended the approach shown in the video, saying that allowing a child to cry during a meltdown can sometimes be an intentional parenting strategy.
“This is obviously a full meltdown, and the correct way is to let the kid act it out before talking to the kid. The helper is doing the right thing,” one netizen wrote.
