Anything that she had in her hand at that moment would be turned into her "weapon of choice".
For good reason, too, because Wang Weiliang was a tyrant in his teen years, as he readily admits.
He recounted how his mother Ang Ah Lian, a 49-year-old administrative assistant, would often beat him, but her reprimands fell on deaf ears.
As a teenager, Wang, 26, loved to play football with his buddies late into the night and he sometimes wouldn't go home at all.
In school, he would pick fights with his schoolmates.
However, everything has changed.
On Mother's Day, instead of a bamboo stick, a feather duster or a belt, Wang's mum carried a Louis Vuitton handbag.
It's a Mother's Day gift from her son, who has turned from tyrant to mummy's boy in just four years.
Said the Ah Boys To Men star, who is also a getai singer: "The turning point for me was when I looked into my mother's eyes when I was 22 and I suddenly realised that she didn't look young anymore.
"I thought about how she had brought me and my older brother up as a single mum by taking on jobs like being a coffee shop assistant and cleaner."
Wang's father left when Wang was three.
"Realising how much she sacrificed spurred me on to make a change for the better.
"I want to tell her, thanks mum, for never giving up on me, I love you very much."
This year's present isn't the first time Wang has splurged on his mum.
Last year, for Mother's Day, he gave her $2,000 for a trip to Thailand.
When we spoke with Madam Ang, it became clear where Wang got his sense of humour.
She said, with a hint of humour in her voice: "Am I proud of his success?
"No. I gave him money to spend when he was young so it's only right that he returns it to me.
"I'm just relieved that he has the ability to be independent now."
On whether she has urged her single son to find a girlfriend, she deadpanned: "No, I don't bother about such things.
"Oh, and about the handbag...Give me money is still the best.
"Or both, also can."
- Charlene Chua
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