Posting anonymously on the Facebook group Complaint Singapore under the name QuickLlama9346, the woman said she had recently visited Yamazaki by Four Leaves at VivoCity with her children and a helper. She said each child picked up a donut from the display and bit into it before she was able to intervene.
“I immediately apologised to the staff and assured them that I would pay for both donuts without hesitation,” she wrote, as quoted by AsiaOne.
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A bakery employee arranges freshly baked goods for sale. Photo from Pexels |
Although embarrassed by the incident, the mother said she stayed composed and continued looking around the bakery while her helper waited outside with the children.
She then allegedly overheard an older female employee speaking loudly in Chinese behind the packing counter. “We cannot blame the children. We can only blame the parents for their poor upbringing.”
The mother said the remark was deeply hurtful and defended her children, stressing that they were not badly behaved, spoiled or deliberately defiant.
She explained that their impulsive actions were linked to ADHD, a neurodevelopmental condition they did not choose to have.
Being judged publicly by someone who knew nothing about her family or the difficulties they faced was both painful and humiliating, she said.
She urged others to respond to such situations with empathy rather than making assumptions about parents and their children.
The post divided social media users, Mothership reported. Some defended the mother and called for greater understanding of families raising children with ADHD.
Others said the condition might explain impulsive behavior but should not be treated as an excuse, arguing that parents remain responsible for teaching boundaries and preventing similar incidents.