'Car policy made our son cry': Preschooler tearfully bids family car goodbye after COE expires

We all have something we feel sentimental towards, and it's no different for this four-year-old.

TikTok user Melissa Low took to social media last Friday (May 10) to share a 53-second video capturing a bittersweet moment between her son Joshua and the family's car, which was about to be scrapped.

The video has since garnered over 7,000 likes and more than 300,000 views.

In the video, the young boy learned that his family's BMW — a car he had grown up with — was going to be scrapped because its Certificate of Entitlement (COE) was expiring. Overwhelmed with despair, he sobbed in the car.

Joshua's mother gently asked him why he was feeling sad and if it was because he "liked this car." Through tear-filled eyes, Joshua nodded and affirmed his deep affection for the car with a louder wail.

Melissa, 39, who's the Head of Treasury and Tax at Ikea, tried to explain to her son that they could not own two cars at the same time because cars were too expensive to maintain in Singapore. She also shared in the video's captions that since the car had already been extended for five years, they had no choice but to scrap it according to regulations.

She added that Joshua was so distraught about losing the car that he was even willing to use the money in his piggy bank in hopes of keeping the old car.

The video ended with Joshua's parents asking him to wave and say goodbye to the old car for the last time.

Unable to hide his emotions, Joshua looked at the car and cried loudly before running into his mother's arms.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@anak.khoo/video/7367192086568897810[/embed]

Speaking to AsiaOne, Melissa shared that her son has a "very strong attachment" to things. She gave the example of how Joshua would wake up every morning looking for the toy car he typically goes to sleep with every night.

She said: "He would turn the whole room upside down if he lost any of his cars."

She added that he also told her that he would buy a "big black BMW" when he's older.

"Hope he can do that in the future," shared Melissa with a laugh.

Many netizens expressed empathy for Joshua after viewing the video, sharing that they "felt the same" as he did when they had to part with their old cars.

According to another video uploaded by Melissa later that day, the family was seen with their new car, and Joshua appeared to be nothing but smiles.

In the clip, his mother joked: "(Son) suddenly stopped crying."

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aishahm@asiaone.com