4093. PARENTAL BONDING. a good father told his 4 children to talk to the wall

Thur 29 Sep 2022.

Met a happy Singaporean, a 72-year-old trim brown tanned road sweeper contracted by Super 800 to sweep leaves off the roads around Blk 1002, 1003 and 1004. "I am supposed to wear the protective jacket," he said. "But it is too hot." I told him that the SATS cleaner is forced to wear this jacket with luminous strips to protect them from being knocked down by cars, but it is extremely hot.

 

5.5 day-week.  7 am to 4 pm weekday. Sat 7 am to 12 noon. Gross about S$1800. "Foreigners come here to work and get paid less, so that their families can survive," he said. "Yet, my relatives' children do not wish to work. This is not right."

Two sons and daughters grown up and doing OK. One daughter is a housewife.The other 3 had jobs. One son-in-law at first did not want to work, but after being told off, he now worked and earned $2000 in logistics. He has grandchildren. So, all are okay.

Works for exercise and life is expensive in Singapore. Retired or retrenched from bus mechanic job (Covid-19), technician and cleaner jobs. Supported  4 children.

1. "Family court has jails," he told me. "If the offender refuses to pay maintenance for his kids, the judge will pack him off to Changi Prison. He will have to produce his POSB book and all accounts including pay slips. One offender with 4 children paid $100/m for 24 months. He earns $2000 pm." 

"He has to go to Changi Prison or pay up the balance and more, maybe $300 per child. He had to borrow from loan sharks to avoid going to Changi Prison. Then he had to negotiate with his wife not to make him
lose his job as she would not get any money!"

2.  "As for my children, I will lecture them on taking drugs and not wanting to work," he told me. "I will ask them to talk to the wall to ask whether I talked sense to them."

3. He does a good job of clearing fallen leaves on the road as seen in this photo at 4.30PM. He sweeps about twice a day.