Tech mogul turned content creator and outdoor adventurer, Garrett Gee, who went viral for tossing his 7-year-old son off a cliff, has surfaced to defend the controversial move.
Gee posted the video to his Instagram handle on September 12. He cautioned that it was not parental advice but rather a case-specific approach to child rearing and admitted that it could backfire.
Highlights
- A viral video shows tech mogul Garrett Gee tossing his 7-year-old son off a cliff.
- Gee admits the clip “looks terrible” out of context, but says safety was paramount.
- Critics called the move “irresponsible” and “traumatizing” parenting.
The video garnered over 100,000 likes, but not all audiences were impressed, with some calling the move “irresponsible.”
Gee, however, has surfaced to say that he is confident in himself and his wife’s parenting.
Garret Gee says that people who have been following his journey would know that he believes in safety first
Image credits: garrettgee
Speaking to People in an exclusive, he said: “If somebody came across that video and had only seen that video, then I agree with them.”
“Oh man, this looks terrible, and this father’s pushing their child too much,” Gee empathized with his viewers.
“But anyone who has followed our journey for a longer time, they understand how thoughtful and cautious we are as parents,” he told the outlet.
Image credits: garrettgee
Gee was not completely unaffected by the backlash.
He says that people’s criticism made him sad
“A small part of me felt sad when I would read the comments because you could tell how many people out there didn’t have the opportunity to be pushed by their parents to try new things and stayed within their comfort zone,” he said.
Image credits: garrettgee
“When people were very upset or terrified by the video, those were the people whom I thought, ‘I would love to go on an adventure with you and help you try something new.’”
Gee was sure to stick to his guns in the wake of the criticism.
He said, “I’m very confident in who me and my wife are as parents and our intentions and how careful, cautious and loving we are,” and claimed that he understands “the nature of the internet.”
Earlier, critics called Gee out for being irresponsible
Image credits: garrettgee
Previously, outlets reported reactions like “Irresponsible, terrible parenting,” and “He didn’t look happy. He looked traumatized,” referring to Gee’s son Calihan.
“One of my best friends was in the hospital for months from cliff jumping. She broke her back!!! Almost paralyzed! Horrible parenting here!!! Awful!!!!” wrote another.
However, following Gee’s interview with People, the opinion tide has changed.
The tide of opinion is turning in favor of the adventurous father of three
Image credits: garrettgee
“When I heard about this I wasn’t sure what I thought, but after seeing it I think it’s ok,” wrote one person displaying a positive attitude towards the video.
“It seemed like the little boy knew how to swim and his dad was in right after him. I would feel different if the boy could not swim.”
“Now that I’ve seen it I do not understand why so many people are so upset,” echoed another.
“The way people were reacting, I was expecting the drop to be a huge distance to the point of being unsafe.
“Clearly, it is not. I applaud these parents for raising their children to push past their fears even if they need a nudge to conquer them,” the netizen wrote, summing up the changing sentiment.
Gee says he threw his son into the water because he was not confident
In the caption accompanying the controversial video, Gee shared his priorities as safety, “learning that you can do hard things,” and fun.
Image credits: garrettgee
“Well speaking of the top priority, safety..We took our youngest Cali to a cliff height that we knew he would be safe,” he wrote.
“Really the biggest danger would be if he hesitated, didn’t jump far out, and fell down the cliff side.”
Image credits: garrettgee
“So to be extra safe, because he wanted to jump but was not feeling confident.. I threw him,” the father of three explained.
“Eventually, a baby eagle needs to leave the nest... Or be tossed out of the nest ;) and learn HE CAN FLY!” he declared.
Some netizens think it's pure fun, while others think it's dangerous
