"I helped a lost child in a shopping centre. And then his mother insulted me."

Daily I find myself astounded by my acts of heroism.

From surviving a four-hour lecture to eating an entire block of chocolate in one sitting, I never fail to outdo my mediocre standards.

So when I did something that I considered to be truly heroic, only to be yelled at, I was shocked, angry and then spent some time reflecting on the society we now live in.

During my lunchbreak at a busy shopping centre, I noticed a little boy crying and alone. He was looking frantically around and was quickly getting swept up in the swarm of people in the food court.

As other people moved by either not noticing or choosing to ignore his obvious distress, I made the decision to try and help the boy relocate who he was looking for or at least comfort him until he was safe again.

I approached the boy, asked him who he was looking for and sat on a nearby bench with him so that he was safe in one place.

We sat together for two minutes -- it felt like 20 -- and during this time he calmed down significantly and began telling me who I should be looking out for.

Just as I was about to call centre security for assistance, I heard shouting and suddenly a woman came running forward, picked up the little boy and in the moment where I thought she would say thank you, she called me a “sicko” and kept walking.

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Instead of feeling happy that I had helped the boy be reunited with his mum, I felt embarrassed.

As I moved away from the bench, all too aware of the stares from the surrounding people who had minutes earlier chosen to ignore the little boy’s pain I became angry.

Why should I be treated like a villain for trying to help?

I intervened in the situation because I know how quickly children can wander off and the intensity of a mother’s emotions when she notices their absence.

I am not a parent myself, but I have witnessed my own mum momentarily frantic when my little brother hides behind a rack of clothes in a department store, only to jump out after a couple of seconds, so I can imagine what minutes would feel like.

There was also the time that we accidentally left my little sister in a maze and didn’t realise until we were in the car on the way home, but that’s a story for another day.

I am also all too aware of the society that we now live in and the dangers that exist, the people who may take advantage of a vulnerable and distraught child which was part of the reason I chose to help.

I don’t regret helping because at the end of the day the little boy was safely reunited with his, albeit angry, mum but it hurts that doing nothing is now the safer option. That doing something can lead to being yelled at and labelled unfavourably.

I hope that when the little boy’s mum was able to calm down because she had her baby back in her arms, that she regretted her comments and saw that I was trying to, that I did help.

It is sad that the minority of society who do bad things, are continuing to wreck it for those who do good.