10 parenting blunders that will get you onto Stomp!

We know it’s hard work being a parent and there are days where nothing ever seems to be going your way. You’re at the playground with your child and they run ahead of you, trip over something, fall and scrape their knee; or the restaurant that you’re eating at has run out of your little one’s favourite mac & cheese, so you eventually cave and let them have an ice cream for dinner just to stop the crying and glares from other patrons.

Those are all excusable boo boos, and we’re bound to make a few mistakes as parents - but there might be some disgruntled members of the public who will take the opportunity to document your slip-ups and upload it onto Straits Times Online Mobile Print, otherwise known as STOMP, which describes itself as "Asia’s leading citizen-journalism website".

So before you let the stress and sleep deprivation get the best of you, here’s a list of parenting blunders you definitely should not make, or someone just might capture it and splash it all over Stomp!

1. Forgetting your child in the car

We know what you’re thinking, "Of course I would never forget my own baby in the car!", but believe it or not, there's actually a term for this called Forgotten Baby Syndrome (FBS) which refers to accidentally leaving your child in the car, and this has happened to parents.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of picking up groceries, running errands and dropping your kids off at school, some parents might actually walk away from the car without even realising they had left their child inside. This is more likely to happen if your little one is sleeping in the backseat, or it is out of your normal routine to have your baby in the car with you.

You can blame it on "Mummy Brain" or "Mumnesia", but just remember to make it a habit to always check the backseat before leaving your car at all times, because a baby or young child who is left inside a car in the hot sun can suffer from heatstroke which can lead to be fatal.

2. Not monitoring what your child watches online

Although new studies have shown that it is now safe to let young children have some screen time, parents are still advised to monitor what their kids are watching online and make sure that they don’t end up on the wrong side of the internet and be exposed to websites with adult content.

There have been incidents of young students accessing lewd material on their phones in public, so parents should take precautions by installing an app which blocks access to pornographic content and other websites that are not appropriate for children.

3. Having your own meltdown in public

We get it, sometimes when junior is screaming at the top his lungs in the middle of the supermarket, you can’t help but want to lay down on the floor, start kicking the air and cry your eyes out.

Mummy Meltdowns usually happen when you're over-exhausted and have been so busy taking good care of your child that you've forgotten to take care of yourself as well.

As much as you're tempted to shout at your child to get him to keep quiet, chances are you’ll only be attracting more attention to yourself and possibly making the situation worse, so calm down, take a deep breath and remember that you are the adult.

Then go and book yourself a relaxing day at the spa because you sure deserve it!

4. Giving your child some alcohol to drink

Some parents find that having a drink or two after a long day helps to take the edge off, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But there are those who have the misconception that by allowing their children drink alcohol from a young age, this will teach them how to drink responsibly. However, studies have shown that this is untrue and that such children will actually be more likely to grow up to become binge drinkers.

So please refrain from giving your child who is under 18 years old that sip of wine at mealtime, because not only is this illegal here, it is also likely to lead to drinking problems down the road and can be detrimental to your child’s health and development.

5. Leaving your young child unaccompanied

Do you remember that old tv episode of Mr Bean where he was accidentally left to care for a lost baby? He thought he was being clever by leaving the little bub in a coin-operated kiddy ride as he went to run errands, but the other parents who waiting with their kids in the long queue that formed were certainly not impressed.

Even though it's tempting to leave your young child unattended for "just a few minutes", it can be dangerous no matter where you are, be it at the playground, in a restaurant, at the park or even at home.

Depending on your child’s level of maturity, you should wait until they're at least 10 years old before letting them stay home alone while you pop out to the minimart across the street.

6. Letting your child pee or poop in public

Potty training your toddler is not an easy task and young children that age still have trouble controlling their bladders or are still unable to give you a heads up that they need to do a number two.

But there are public toilets available all over Singapore, so there's no excuse for you to let your child pee or poop in a public space!

Teaching your child to learn how to hold it in while you make a quick dash to the nearest loo is also part of her potty training, and remember that not only is it unhygienic, it is also against the law for anyone to urinate or defecate in public spaces here.

7. Dressing your child inappropriately

Even though it is absolutely adorable to dress your cherubic one in an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini, there are some outfits that are quite inappropriate for young children to wear.

Ruffle skirts, t-shirts with witty slogans and mini cowboy boots are fine, but over-sexualised clothing, prints of profanities or obscene images on tees and excessive makeup on your preschooler, are big no no’s.

Remember that your child is still that – just a child, so there is no need to dress them up in adult fashion which will raise a few eyebrows for all the wrong reasons.

8. Beating your child

Some parents feel that by caning or beating their children, it will help them to behave better or achieve more impressive results on their next exam paper.

Whatever the reason is, studies have shown that spanking your child can cause long-term damaging effects.

The public might close one eye if you swat your kid’s arm out of exasperation, but they will be quick to whip out their phones if you are full out beating your child repeatedly and make sure that your face is all over Stomp!.

9. Letting your child sleep on the mrt seats

As harmless as you think this is, Singaporeans take their MRT seats very seriously because the trains are always packed (or breaking down! ). So to be able to rest their aching legs on a long train ride home is a luxury.

But if your tot nods off on your ride from Boon Lay to Pasir Ris, please make sure you don’t let him sprawl out across two or three seats, because this will be sure to ruffle a few feathers on the local commute!

On that note, remember not to let your children swing from the bars or chase each other through the cabins too, because other commuters won’t appreciate the train or bus being turned into a playground either.

10. Smoking around your child

It’s horrible to see parents pushing their baby strollers while puffing on a cigarette and blowing smoke all over their kids, or when pregnant mums put their unborn baby’s health at risk by still smoking through her pregnancy.

Babies of mothers who smoked while pregnant are at risk of a lower birth rate, have a higher chance of Sudden Death Syndrome (SIDS) and may have damaged airways, which can cause breathing problems or asthma; and children who are exposed to second-hand smoke will have frequent bouts of flu and colds, be prone to asthma attacks or chest infections, get meningitis, or even develop lung cancer when they're older.

So remember that if you need a smoke break, be sure to have it far away from your little ones – or better yet, just quit smoking for the sake of your health as well as your child’s.

Written by

Dew M. Chaiyanara

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