‘Bucket List Family' Dad Tosses Son Off Cliff in Viral Video — and Explains Why

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2 days ago

Garrett Gee, the patriarch from 'The Bucket List Family,' recently shared a video that he predicted would stir controversy.
The influencer and his wife, Jessica Gee, have amassed millions of followers across social media platforms over the years by posting videos of their family traveling the world. They first started uploading clips from their family adventures in August 2015 and have continued to do so ever since.
Recently, the couple has been sharing content on their individual and family Instagram pages from a trip to Lake Powell. But on July 12, Garrett Gee posted a clip on Instagram that he predicted 'most people won't love' given that it highlighted his daring parenting style.
In the clip, the dad of three taught his youngest child, son Cali, how to cliff jump … by throwing him off a lakeside cliff.
At the start of the video, text over the screen reads, 'Most people won't love how we teach our kids how to cliff jump.' The video shows Garrett Gee sitting on the edge of a cliff beside his son, who starts to jump before retreating and grabbing his dad's hand. Garrett Gee then lifts Cali into the air and tosses him into the water as the boy lets out a scream.
The clip ends with Garrett Gee's two older children also jumping off a clip together.
Garrett Gee explained his unique method for teaching his son how to cliff jump in the caption.
'This is NOT parental advice. This is NOT something I advise you try. Also, this is NOT something we've done with all of our kids,' he began. 'Each kid is quite different so the way we parent, discipline, and teach HOW TO CLIFF JUMP is quite different :)'
He continued, 'For sure 1st priority is safety. 2nd is learning that YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. 3rd is HAVE FUN :)'
Garrett Gee said to ensure Cali was safe, he took him to a height that he knew wouldn't harm him.
'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 said.
Garrett Gee compared the moment to a baby eagle learning to fly away from its nest.
He also offered a lighthearted warning:
'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!' Garrett Gee wrote.
In the comments, some fans supported him. 'I love that you even show the things where there could be some backlash or judgement.'
Garrett Gee replied, 'Eh, that's basically everything on the internet these days ;).'
Others had some questions. One asked, 'Honest question, no judgement. Did he know he was going to be thrown?'
Garrett Gee responded, 'YES. He had the choice to climb down, jump himself, or have me throw him. He chose to be thrown.'
However, he acknowledged that it was still a scary experience for him and Cali.
'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 ;),' he added.
The Gees frequently offer parenting and traveling advice for fellow parents in their posts. Last year, Jessica and Garrett Gee spoke to TODAY.com about raising their three children together and visiting over 90 countries.
Jessica Gee gushed about being able to share many special moments with her family in so many different places.
'Those are some of the best moments as a family, when you all get to participate together and you all find joy in the same thing. That's what you hope for, I think, as a parent, finding joy together,' she said.
The couple lived on the road, traveling from place to place, for years before finding a permanent home base in Hawaii in 2018 where they return in between their adventures.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com