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The parents of a primary schoolgirl in Putrajaya have taken to social media to address the situation after a photo of their daughter eating out of a large tiffin carrier went viral
The photo was first shared on Facebook by the student’s mother, Hasimah Abdullah, who said it was sent to her by her husband, Mohd Rizal Omar, who is a teacher at the school.
“Oh Papa, you could have placed all the food in one bowl and then moved the other tiers away,” she wrote while laughing on 2 March.
She was aware her daughter seemed out of place with the large, stainless steel carriers on her desk while her classmates ate from regular lunch boxes
However, the innocent Facebook photo of their daughter eating lunch was taken out of context and became a topic of ridicule among several netizens.
Oh! Media reported that a famous local influencer shared the photo on Twitter and laughed, “Those are very big bowls for her to bring to school. Is that her mother’s? Like a picnic.”
According to Mohd Rizal, some netizens also called his daughter “weird” and “old-fashioned”.
While many were poking fun, Hasimah said she was only hurt when a netizen accused her of seeking attention
“I didn’t expect the photo to go viral. There were many opinions and I’m thankful for the many positive ones and the encouragement for my daughter despite the negative comments. But it’s alright, that is everyone’s personal opinion,” she wrote on Facebook.
“However, this one comment affected me because it said I did it for attention.”
The comment called the mother “hungry for attention” and said the containers are bothersome because they are heavy to carry and that her daughter may dirty her uniform because the bowls are too big for her.
The mother defended herself and clarified that she has always been preparing food for her children to bring to school
Hasimah shared that she also prepares food for her two sons to bring to school and has always posted about the food she cooks online, but the only difference was that this time it went surprisingly viral.
“Whose attention do you think I want? I’m just a mother, a wife, and a homemaker who does this everyday routine like other mothers,” she wrote.
The mother said she was also thankful for the concern that the netizen had for her daughter and the tiffin carriers
However, Hasimah clarified there was no need for worry because her daughter was taught to eat in a proper manner at home and that her husband will always carry the food carrier to school.
She also implied in latter Facebook posts that the food in the carriers are for two portions: the colourful ones are for her two sons to share and the stainless steel ones are for her husband and daughter.
“A mother and father will never burden their children. As long as we are able to, we will teach and take care of our children to the best that we can.”
Other netizens have since poured onto social media to defend the primary school student, the family, and the food containers
“Normalise bringing tiffins to school or office! Your dishes won’t mix, you can bring breakfast and lunch at the same time, and you can bring fruits and dessert some more! No hassle at all,” said a Twitter user.
Another said, “Mad respect to mums who prepare food for their children early in the morning. When I was in school up to studying my degree, my mum woke up at 4.30am everyday to cook dishes for our lunch.”
“So many times we will bring our food and tiffins to school and university. I will share with my sister in between classes.”
This netizen also said, “My favourite picture on social media today was one of a little girl having the best recess meal ever: homemade tiffin goodness courtesy of a loving mum.”
“I don’t know how anyone could’ve seen otherwise.”
