Elderly man argues with mother over child's behaviour on MRT: 'I'm telling you off'
A video showing an elderly man arguing with a mother over her young child's behaviour in the MRT has gone viral.
It appears that the man had scolded the child for "jumping around", and the mother took exception to that.
She is heard asking him to "stop raising his voice", to which he retorts: "This is my voice. What kind of mother are you? Everybody's looking at you."
The mother then says she did not ask her child to jump around, while the man interjects that the child was kicking him. She responds by telling him: "You don't tell him off. You speak to him nicely."
"I'm telling you off," the man replies.
The 41-second clip, shared on Facebook page Singapore Incidents on Jan 13, has garnered more than 66,000 views, 407 reactions and 187 comments.
Mixed reactions online
Many netizens agreed with the man, saying parents should be responsible for managing their children's behaviour in public spaces.
"I have to agree with the uncle. If parents don't know how to discipline their child, the public would," said a Facebook user. "Uncle belongs to the generation where discipline was the norm. These days, we have so many kids misbehaving,"
Another said: "If really her kid was monkeying around, then it is the mother's responsibility to educate her kid not to jump around disturbing others."
Some even praised the man for speaking up.
"Well done to this man!! This man is right to tell this mother off for her child's misbehaviour," said a netizen. "A lot of parents don't ensure that their kids behave properly in public transport and public areas."
Not everyone thought the man was doing the right thing, though.
"Did the uncle scold the child for being mischievous? If yes, uncle take a chill pill. You are one yourself in your younger days," one commenter wrote.
Another criticised the man's gestures and tone, pointing out that he was wagging his finger repeatedly at the woman.
"Uncle, you don't have to get aggressive and 'tell off' people here and there. You sound obnoxious," said the netizen, adding that it was understandable for a parent to be protective of her child.
A few commenters took a softer stance. "Whenever I see kids like this, I always assume they might have undiagnosed ADHD," said a Facebook user.
Others were simply amused by the exchange. "I'm not sure who's winning, but this is entertaining," one netizen quipped, while another was more reflective: "Trains in Singapore are a place where people release stress, and they often become a hotspot for arguments."
While there is no information on how the altercation concluded, one netizen imagined a happier ending: "In the end... they will say, 'Will you marry me?'"
