Dad throws his son, 7, off cliff to teach lesson on facing fears and sparks controversy

Popular vloggers The Bucket List Family have divided the internet after a video showed a YouTuber throwing his son off a cliff in an attempt to help him ‘leave the nest’.

Garret Gee, a self-styled family travel journalist, is a 35-year-old father of three who believes in showing your children they can accomplish ‘hard things’.

On Sunday (July 13), the influencer posted a video to Instagram which has sparked backlash online, with some going as far as to call Gee’s parenting methods ‘irresponsible’.

Gee began by stipulating that the intention of his now-viral post was not to give out ‘parental advice’, nor was the action something he thought other people should practise.

“This is NOT something we’ve done with all of our kids,” he continued. “Each kid is quite different so the way we parent, discipline, and teach HOW TO CLIFF JUMP is quite different."

Influencer Garret Gee has caused controversy on social media (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The content creator continued, writing to his 436,000 social media followers that while he prioritises his family’s safety, he does like to teach his children that they can ‘do hard things’ and have fun.

To make good on his word, Gee recently took his youngest son, Calihan, to a rock formation in Lake Powell.

The location was chosen because Gee apparently knew it ‘would be safe’ for his child to jump from a rock formation into the swirling waters below.

“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.”

Gee reasoned that ‘eventually a baby eagle needs to leave the nest’ or ‘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,” he added in capitals.

In the accompanying clip, Gee can be seen standing with his seven-year-old on the rock formation before picking him up and throwing him off the cliff into the water below.

The viral incident took place at Lake Powell (Getty Stock Image)

Calihan, who screamed as he plunged from the rock, survived the cliff push and was soon joined by his father, who followed him into the watery depths.

The controversial video, which has racked up over 3.6 million views and 68,000 likes at the time of writing, has divided the internet.

Some have been praising the dad for sharing his and Calihan’s exhilarating cliff-push, with one writing: “Each parent knows their kid and what they can handle. Looks fun when taught safely.”

A second Instagram user commented: “This is great. I love that you have the guts to post stuff like this too.”

Another echoed: “You guys are raising STRONG SMART CONFIDENT KIDS!! I applaud your parenting style most should watch and learn. Bravo!!!”

However, not everyone agrees, with one typing: “Nope. I’ve worked as a therapist with pediatric brain injury. Accidents happen; from some you never recover. Just my two cents.”

“He didn’t look happy. He looked traumatized,” remarked someone else.

A third said: “Irresponsible, terrible parenting.”

People reported that cliff jumping is just one of the many activities the Gee family have recently posted about on their decade-old Instagram account, The Bucket List Family.

Others include swimming with sharks, flying in an air balloon and making ‘friends’ with an octopus in the depths of the ocean.

The family, which also includes mother Jessica Gee-George and children Dorothy and Manilla, began traveling in 2015 after the patriarch sold his iPhone app to Snapchat for $54 million, as per The Bucket List Family’s website.

After three years on the road and visiting a total of 65 different countries, the family settled down in Hawaii in July 2018.

Despite being settled on the island, the family continues to chronicle their adventures on social media, with Gee contributing to National Geographic via writing and photography, People stated.

UNILAD has contacted the Gee family for further comment.