Dad 'abandons' son at National Library to teach him a lesson; gets mixed reactions online
A Singaporean father decided to teach his son a lesson – so he played a prank on the little boy.
Alex Lee, 38, posted a TikTok video on Tuesday (Oct 31) where he shared how his family, including 10-year-old son Daken, was at the Smart Nation Builder truck exhibition at the National Library Building recently.
Daken, it seems, was too engrossed with the interactive game stations on hand and “didn’t want to leave”, Lee said.
So the father decided to sneak away.
"Go and find a new family, my son. I will miss you”, he wrote in the video, posted under his account name Familee1985.
"We abandoned our son… He needs to learn the hard way," Lee added.
Lee then hid a pillar outside the library to keep an eye on how his son would react.
The clip shows Daken running out of the exhibition upon realising he’s been left behind. He looks around desperately for his dad.
After a few panicky seconds, the boy reaches into his pocket for his phone. At that moment, he spots his father hiding behind a pillar and looks relieved.
Lee's video received mixed opinions from netizens on his parenting style.
There were some who agreed with the move, adding that such an incident “educated” them when they were kids.
But they were also those who thought Lee’s actions were dangerous.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Lee, a digital marketing manager, said he wanted to teach Daken about situational awareness – the ability to perceive, understand, and effectively respond to one's situation.
Aware that the video received mixed responses, Lee said he understood how some might not agree with his parenting style, "as they may not be familiar with how safe Singapore is".
But Lee said he would make sure their son was safe before playing such a prank on him.
"We would remain close by in case he needed us."
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