Mum Claims "M'sia Isn't Child-Friendly" After Her Kid Wasn't Allowed To Run In Restaurant
The mother's statement backfired after it was posted online.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 26 May 2023, 02:50 PM
A mother faced backlash for claiming "Malaysia is not child-friendly" after other customers complained about her daughter screaming and running around in a restaurant
In a now-deleted social media post that has been re-uploaded by various Facebook pages, it is understood that the mother brought her two daughters to dine at a Korean fusion restaurant in Johor Bahru, Johor recently.
She said her younger daughter is one year and five months old, and the restaurant was not busy at 8pm that night.
Thus, after feeding the toddler, she put her down from the baby chair because she refused to remain seated.
"She was so happy after eating and (started) shouting and running around the restaurant," the mother of two said.
"Just when I thought I could finally enjoy my dinner, a waitress came over to me to tell me that some customers complained about my kids being noisy," she related
The waitress told the mother that it would be dangerous for her daughter to roam around the restaurant as she might bump into a food attendant.
Despite being warned about the safety hazard and the complaint, the mother defended her actions on Facebook, saying, "Only my child was noisy, but diners who were talking were not noisy?"
"Moreover, it wasn't a peak hour for the restaurant. I didn't see the food attendants delivering food all the time. If there was, I would have advised my child (to say put).
"It is not a restaurant with a beautiful environment and ambience.
"This is the first time we've met people who are so devoid of empathy," she said, adding that her family took both of her daughters out of the restaurant after that.
The mother also explained that her daughter can get a little out of control at times, but she is obedient, before ending the post by asking whether parents with kids cannot dine out.
At the time of writing, a re-uploaded post of the mother's views has gone viral with over 3,900 shares
"Don't weaponise 'child-friendliness' to pressure shop assistants. Restaurants are not playgrounds," read a top comment.
"(The mother) is not even ashamed to share this post," commented a netizen, while another added, "I am relieved to see so many people criticising you because there are still many normal people who can tell right from wrong in this society."
One person said, "Actually, this is really dangerous! If your child was hurt from getting hot soup spilled on them, by then, it would mean nothing even if the restaurant compensated you with lots of money. The restaurant made an effort to remind you, but you blamed them instead. Speechless."
Following the backlash, the mother's husband made a public announcement to address the issue and hoped netizens "could give her a chance and let the matter rest".
They did not apologise for claiming Malaysia is not child-friendly, and said they will raise their children to the best of their abilities.
