Why Dad Influencer 'Threw' His 7-Year-Old Son Off a Cliff
A travel and family influencer has gone viral for unconventional method to help his son face his fears.
Garrett Gee -- who runs the brand, The Bucket List Family, alongside his wife Jessica -- shared a video on Instagram, in which he threw his 7-year-old son Calihan, aka "Cali," off a cliff in Lake Powell to teach him how to cliff jump.
In the viral video, which has amassed 3.6 million views since it was posted on Sunday, Gee and his son can be seen talking while on a small cliff, before it cuts to Gee grabbing his son from under his arms and tossing him into the water below.
Cali screamed on the way down, and landed with a splash. He appeared to be happy while treading water, before his dad joined him and swam over as others can be heard cheering for Cali nearby.
The clip then showed Cali jumping off the cliff without his father's help, with the 7-year-old leaping off the rock with his sister.
"Most people won't love how we teach our kids how to cliff jump," Gee wrote over the clip, before opening up about why he did it in the first place in the caption.
"This is NOT parental advice. This is NOT something I advise you try," he began. "Also, this is NOT something we've done with all of our kids. Each kid is quite different so the way we parent, discipline, and teach HOW TO CLIFF JUMP is quite different :)"
"For sure 1st priority is safety. 2nd is learning that YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. 3rd is HAVE FUN :)," Gee said, before further discussing the importance of safety. "Well speaking of the top priority, safety..We took our youngest Cali to a cliff height that we knew he would be safe. Really the biggest danger would be if he hesitated, didn't jump far out, and fell down the cliff side."
"So to be extra safe, because he wanted to jump but was not feeling confident.. I threw him," he added. "Eventually a baby eagle needs to leave the nest..or be tossed out of the nest ;) and learn HE CAN FLY! But warning : teaching your kids to be brave starts to backfire when they become older and begin jumping from heights that you don't even dare!! /// BE SAFE OUT THERE! YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS! HAVE FUN! - @thebucketlistfamily."
Fans and followers took to the comments section to react to the video. While some praised Gee for his method, others criticized him.
One commenter asked Gee for more information. "Honest question, no judgement. Did he know he was going to be thrown?" the user asked, to which Gee replied, "YES. He had the choice to climb down, jump himself, or have me throw him. He chose to be thrown."
"But regardless it was still scary for him," he added. "Scary for me too because I need to make sure he doesn't cling onto me and hit the cliffs and also make sure he hits the water feet first. Kinda tricky but I feel like it's part of the dad job description ;)."
Meanwhile, another commenter said cliff jumping is "very very dangerous! Ask an ER doctor or nurse," before asking, "How do you reconcile that as a parent?
"WTH is wrong with you 🤦♀️," another said. "He didn't look happy. He looked traumatized."
However, there were many people who applauded Gee.
"What I love so much about Cali is that he's the first to wanna try it! He might be scared but he's always first in line! Go buddy go!" a person wrote.
"He chose to be thrown and they have built that trust all his life ♥️," another shared.
Meanwhile, The Valley star Kristen Doute -- who recently welcomed a baby girl -- commented, writing, "👏👏❤️❤️ i want my daughter to try everything and be braver, bolder than I am. love this."
Calihan is the youngest of Gee's three children he shares with his wife Jessica. According to The Bucket List Family's website, they describe themselves as "5 Family Travel Journalists." The Gee family launched their Instagram and YouTube channel in 2015 after they sold their Utah home and began traveling the world as a family.
Per their website, the Gees lived "full-time on the road" for three years, visiting 65 countries together, before they moved into a bungalow in Hawaii. However, Garrett, Jessica, and their kids, Calihan, Dorothy, and Manilla, have continued to travel and go on family adventures together.
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