Got a child who’s a bully? Well, here’s how one dad decided to handle it:
"Let me make this extremely clear: Bullying is unacceptable."
Ohio dad makes his 10-year-old daughter walk 5 miles to school in 36-degree weather after she got suspended from the bus for bullying another student. https://t.co/TYVSeMel4X pic.twitter.com/Qtj9oxQvjv
— ABC News (@ABC) December 6, 2018
More from ABC News:
Matt Cox, a native of Swanton, Ohio, is dividing opinions across the country after he decided to punish his 10-year-old daughter for bullying by making her walk the 5 miles to school in near-freezing temperatures.
“This is my small way of trying to stop it in my household,” Cox told Toledo ABC affiliate WTVG.
Cox said he knew the decision would be divisive, but he wanted to teach his daughter, Kirsten, a lesson. Cox posted the video to social media on Monday and it has garnered 14 million views and tens of thousands of comments. Many of the comments are positive, but others said he was “overdoing it.”
In the video he addresses those who might disagree, saying, “I know a lot of you parents are not going to agree with this and that’s all right. I am doing what I think is right to teach my daughter a lesson to stop her from bullying.”
OK, but since when does teaching lessons about bullying entail very public humiliation of your child on social media?
So he's bullying his child?
— Felix 'Navidad (@TheFelixKay) December 6, 2018
This is outrageous – you don’t bully your child to teach them a lesson on bullying. https://t.co/sRWMrsxFw1
— Brad Woodhouse (@woodhouseb) December 6, 2018
I wonder where she learned bullying
— John Wellington Ennis (@johnennis) December 6, 2018
Yeah it's 28 degrees in Ohio today, this isn't cute at all. Perhaps she gets her bullying instincts from home.
— sportsyelling (@sportsyelling) December 6, 2018
No need to share it with the world.
— sensiblecenter (@spectrametric) December 6, 2018
Humiliating your daughter for Facebook likes seems like bullying to me https://t.co/7pnDTt7N9t
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 6, 2018
But Cox was telling the truth when he said he’s gotten plenty of support for his strategy. Here’s a sample:
As a father of four boys I think this message is 100% accurate and couldn’t agree more!
— Joey Garland (@Gar_Vols15) December 6, 2018
Bravo sir! ?????? she’s going to learn today.
— wayne (@wayne65130862) December 6, 2018
You go dad. At least he isn’t the kind of parent that I have seen at school that says oh my child would not do that when told their child is bad. I walked at least that many miles to school everyday. We didn’t have school buses. That’s why older people are tough.
— vdonahue #livelovelaugh (@Donahue2Donahue) December 6, 2018
Absolute RESPECT to this father….totally agree and would do the same thing with my child
— Chris Green ?? (@ChrisMarc87) December 6, 2018
This not shaming! Teaching her a life lesson, there are significance consequences to bullying
— ItTrulyIsTheWorstOfTimes (@MrsPancakes2011) December 6, 2018
I'm glad he did to teach his daughter that bullying is wrong see how she likes walking the five miles
— Michael molesky (@mole830) December 6, 2018
I agree with this fathers punishment. Some people want it both ways. They want to be outraged when a bully hurts another kid but they also want to be outraged when a parent does something about their bully. Come on folks.He’s safely working to deter the behavior we don’t like. ?
— Kate Cooper (@Kate9675) December 6, 2018
But could he not have addressed the issue more privately?
Good on him for making her walk…
Might have done well not posting it online though
— Joel E. Hughes (@Joel_E_Hughes) December 6, 2018
I agree with the walk, but why post it online for thousands, maybe millions of people to shame her???
— Emily Beato (@EmilyDBeato) December 6, 2018
Bullying should not be tolerated, and there should be consequences for those actions. But, can we stop publicly embarrassing our children? It has a significant impact on their mental health. The discipline can be done without videoing and posting for all to see.
— Ally (@aforsh) December 6, 2018
By all means punish your child but not as a means for going viral
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 6, 2018
What do you think?
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