A video of a 10-year-old girl in Thailand taking notes in class while feeding her baby sister a bottle has captured the hearts of millions across the country.
On May 20, a primary school teacher shared the video on TikTok. It shows the young girl attending class and simultaneously caring for her one-year-old sibling.
The footage depicts the student writing with one hand while holding and feeding her sister with the other. The girl, from Prachin Buri province in central Thailand, brought her baby sister to school because their mother was busy working, reported Thai media outlet The Thaiger.
The teacher encouraged her students to attend class regardless of their circumstances. “Your mother was busy, so you brought your sister to class. Well done, you did it,” she told the girl.
The video has garnered 2.2 million views and elicited emotional responses on social media. “This girl has incredible multitasking skills. To be able to take care of her sister and continue with her studies as well,” one person commented on TikTok. Another remarked, “When she grows up, her little sister will be proud to have such a great role model.”
Similar heartwarming stories are common worldwide.
In Malaysia, a boy named Wan has worked as a rubbish collector for nearly three years. He dropped out of school at age 14 to support his family. He and his sister are the main breadwinners for their family, which includes their mother and three younger siblings aged eight to 13, according to Must Share News, a Singaporean media outlet. Wan said he feels a responsibility to be strong and support his family like a father would.
In December last year, a 10-year-old boy in China participated in a parent-child sports event at school on behalf of his six-year-old sister. He stepped in after their father died of leukemia two years earlier. The boy’s mother, surnamed Xu, shared that her son tried hard at the event to help his sister win the competition. “You have a dad, I have a brother,” the sister proudly told her classmates, touching many on social media.
In the same month, following a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Gansu province, northwestern China, a 10-year-old girl stood in line for relief meals in sub-zero temperatures. She fed her three-year-old brother before eating herself.
