SINGAPORE: An employer has sparked debate online after alleging that her domestic helper had been repeatedly scolding her young child with remarks she found unacceptably harsh.
In an anonymous post on Thursday (Dec 11) in the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper Facebook group, the mother claimed the helper often spoke to her child in ways she believed crossed the line, citing comments such as “You’re bad” and “You’re a liar!”
Despite addressing the issue directly with the helper, the employer said nothing changed. According to her, the helper continued behaving the same way, “as if she didn’t hear anything,” raising questions about whether the helper felt entitled to discipline the child however she saw fit.
Worried about how this might affect her child in the long run, the employer asked members of the online community for guidance. She wrote, “What should I do? What is the effect on a child when they are constantly told ‘you’re bad’ or ‘you’re a liar’?
“She’ll damage your child’s future thought process.”
Opinions in the comments section were mixed. While some netizens strongly urged the employer to terminate the helper’s contract immediately, arguing that such language could be damaging to a young child’s self-esteem, others suggested she might be overreacting or misinterpreting the helper’s intentions.
One wrote, “Since you already advised her not to say those words to your kid, but she continues to do so, get rid of her. Send her home. Save your child from being traumatised. Not their kids; they don’t care!”
Another echoed the concern, saying, “Whoa, the trauma the child is going to get, and it’ll stay etched in his psyche! Get rid of the helper. Find a better and more nurturing one. Please hurry and change her! She’ll damage your child’s future thought process.”
However, some commenters felt the helper might simply be trying to correct the child’s behaviour. One asked, “What if the kid is really bad and a liar… and needs to be corrected…or what if he adopted or inherited it from the parents? It’s a big deal, actually. What if the kid tells some lies about the helper that the helper didn’t do?”
Another shared, “The kids that I take care of always say to me ‘stupid’ or give me middle finger. The parents also always cover his bad [behaviour] and never try to stop him.”
A third commenter added bluntly, “Maybe you should talk to your son too, maybe he is like that. That’s why.”
In other news, a Singaporean shared on social media that he is now reconsidering early retirement after realising that there is surprisingly little to do in Singapore during weekday hours.
Writing on the r/singaporefi subreddit on Tuesday (Dec 9), the man explained that he recently used a week of leave to “test-drive” retirement. He wanted to simulate what life might feel like once he eventually reaches FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early), so he carefully planned a series of activities to fill his supposedly relaxing weekday schedule.
