‘Shame on you!’: Commuter allegedly berates mum after toddler asks for food on MRT
A mother whose toddler was holding a waffle while on the MRT said she was unexpectedly chided by an elderly commuter who questioned their nationality and shouted: “Shame on you!”
TikTok user @gracetie0930 said in a TikTok carousel post on Aug 10 that she has experienced first-hand “how little patience and understanding society sometimes has for parents and kids”.
The mother said she had spent the morning with her toddler at a wet play area and was on the way home on the MRT when the incident happened.
Gracetie0930 did not state where the playground was located, but a picture of the wet play area at Waterway Point was used for the background of her carousel slides.
The mother said that she had bought a waffle for her child before they boarded the MRT, planning to give it to her after getting off the train.
Having burnt off energy from the playground, her daughter spotted the food quickly.
“She saw it. She grabbed it and said, ‘Mama, I want,’ while starting to whimper,” gracetie0930 wrote.
Confronted by elderly commuter
Just as she was about to give her daughter a small bite, she said another commuter raised his voice at her, saying: “She shouldn’t eat on the MRT! You are teaching her a very bad habit!”
At the commuter’s outburst, she said her daughter started crying while holding on to the food, wanting to take a bite.
However, the commuter purportedly continued: “In fact, today is National Day, you know? Are you even Singaporean?”
Despite her anger, gracetie0930 said she held back, ignoring the man. When they arrived at their stop, the mother-and-daughter pair stood up and prepared to get off.
“The uncle stood up too, right by the MRT door, staring at us with such an angry expression. And honestly… I lost my cool,” the mother wrote.
She added that she crossed her arms, shook her head and said:
Shame on you, uncle.
He apparently started shouting: “Thank you! Shame on you too!”
‘She wasn’t making a mess’: Mother urges empathy
Reflecting on the commotion, gracetie0930 acknowledged that eating and drinking is prohibited on public transport.
“She wasn’t making a mess. She wasn’t disturbing anyone. She was simply a little child who wanted a bite of her waffle,” the mother said.
“Do we really have to be so rigid that we lose all sense of patience and compassion?”
She also questioned the relevance of asking for her nationality.
“Children will sometimes break our routines. That’s part of being a child. And perhaps the adults around them could choose a little more kindness,” she wrote.
“Honestly, I’m sad that on National Day, this was one of the experiences that reminded me how much more kindness our society still needs.”
Stomp has reached out to gracetie0930 for more information.
‘Rules are important, but so is empathy’: Netizens
In the comments section, several netizens supported the mother.
“Rules are important, but so is empathy. A hungry toddler asking for a bite of food didn’t deserve to be shamed or judged,” one netizen chimed in, while others described the situation as “frustrating” and “overwhelming”.
However, others sided with the elderly commuter.
“Uncle is right. You as an adult should anticipate this,” one user said.
Several also suggested that the toddler be fed before boarding the train. “So where is the line drawn between following rules and being empathetic?” another asked.
According to the Rapid Transit Systems Regulations, commuters are not permitted to attempt to consume food or drinks in any part of the railway premises, except in designated areas.
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