Mother horrified as stranger on MRT tries to feed half-eaten pau to 17-month-old son: ‘That’s a whole new level’
A mother took to TikTok to share her horror after a stranger on the MRT attempted to feed pau to her 17-month-old toddler with neither her knowledge nor consent, describing the encounter as being on “a whole new level”.
The mother, Yanti, 30, shared a 22-second clip showing the aftermath of the incident on her TikTok account @yantilala95 on Sept 12.
In the video, a man wearing a lime green shirt is seated on the floor next to her son’s stroller.
According to the in-screen caption, the man, whom Yanti described as a stranger, had allegedly tried to feed pau to the toddler. The mother added that the bun was half-eaten and she was unsure if it was halal or not.
“I don’t mind when strangers sayang sayang my children, but to give unknown food to my child????? That’s a whole new level,” the mother said.
Man “shocked” and “gasped” upon hearing mother scream
Speaking to Stomp, Yanti said the incident occurred while they were taking the MRT from Jurong East to Bukit Gombak on their way home after dinner.
“I was talking to my other son, who was seated next to me. It happened in a split second. When I turned to face forward, the pau was already right in front of my child’s mouth, and my son was about to take a bite,” Yanti recalled.
“I screamed and pulled my child away as soon as I saw what was happening,” said the healthcare worker.
Yanti said the stranger appeared “shocked” and “gasped” upon hearing her scream. She added that his expression at the time made it seem as though he thought she was overreacting.
According to her, the man even shook his head after her reaction. However, she said she was unable to confront the man because they were approaching her stop.
Yanti said she was “very upset” by what happened to her son, Khalis.
“If I hadn’t looked up at that exact moment, my son could have already taken a bite of something a complete stranger was offering him,” she said.
Stressing that she has no issue with strangers being friendly with her children, Yanti said that feeding her child without first asking her is “a completely different matter”, especially when it involves a half-eaten pau that may have been exposed to the stranger’s saliva.
Yanti hopes that people will respect boundaries and obtain the children’s parents' consent in such situations, adding that it was the first time an incident of this nature had happened to her.
Netizens critical of man’s actions
Her post has racked up more than 117,000 views, 3,550 reactions, and 25 comments.
Most netizens were critical of the man’s actions.
“Some people have no sense of boundaries!” said one TikTok user. “Omg what???? the audacity,” another said. A third said: “And the audacity to shake his head.”
Several were also concerned about how feeding a stranger’s children could impact their health.
“What if the child got allergies…bruh…” said one netizen.
“I hate that people just give food without consulting and calling me petty when I stop them feeding other kids... like you wouldn’t want to be responsible if there is an allergy or contamination happens... you never know the kid’s health condition,” another user said.
A couple of netizens pointed out that the man was not supposed to eat in the train in the first place, let alone offer half-eaten food to a child he did not know.
“Why is he eating on the train?” asked the first. The other said: “Should’ve reported to the MRT staff. That’s an instant $500 fine.”
One netizen saw the funny side of the situation.
“Careful ah, later the internet brigade will come here and say that back in the old days, feeding kids half-eaten food is normal and part of the ‘kampong spirit’,” said the TikTok user, alluding to a previous incident where an elderly man was pushed to the ground at a food court for patting a girl’s head.
The Rapid Transit System Regulations states that passengers are not allowed to eat or drink on rail premises. Those caught doing so face a fine of up to $500.
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