Chinese men are kind of known for “running home to mamma”. While many would point to the “little emperor syndrome” as being the culprit, this part of the lads’ character recently gave rise to a teenage outburst of an altogether different kind.
It was just after Mother’s Day (there’s your clue, Sherlock) that Nanjing Police found themselves once again dealing with the kind of incident that they, in all honesty, should not have to, being supposedly engaged in the catching of hardened criminals.
But no, for during the night of 10 May, officers at one police station in Nanjing (location unspecified) were alerted to something amiss by the sound of tears being shed outside.
There, they found a 17-year-old lad weeping bitterly, reports The Paper. The officers took him inside, sat him down and said simply, “OK, let’s talk”.
Between weeps, the young man let police in on the cause of his distress. His mother was dead and he missed her terribly, especially around Mother’s Day. The boy is also alone in Nanjing.
“My mum died when I was 6”, one policeman told him. “Make your life better through your own efforts.”
After some patient persuasion, a smile gradually returned to the lad’s face. By way of appreciation for their encouraging words, the end of the incident was marked by the boy rising to his feet and saluting the officers, and the police taking him out for a late-night snack.
Of course, this is far from the first time that local law enforcement has responded to the downright bizarre, as The Nanjinger is fond of reporting.
In October of last year, Nanjing’s finest were in the odd position of having to pull over a 10-year-old boy for driving a toy car down a public road. Amused attending first responders educated the boy as to road safety and driving etiquette.
Sometimes, police need to also deal with the weird behaviour of those who deliberately break the law. In November of 2020, a burglar walked into a police station in Nanjing to complain that he was beaten by the very person from whom he was looking to steal. It was the proverbial slap in the face for the thief.
But topping our list is the mother who, also in November 2020, called police to say her son was not doing his homework. During their increasingly heated discussion, the two came close to blows. The mother felt she had little choice but to to ask law enforcement for assistance.
Nanjing’s finest, you have our admiration at your patience (and our sympathies).
