An influencer dad has posted a video on social media showing him throwing his seven-year-old son off a cliff.
Garrett Gee, the dad behind the viral travel sensation The Bucket List Family, is no stranger to pushing the limits.
In a video that’s racked up over 3.5 million views since it was posted to Instagram on July 13, the father of three showed himself tossing his seven-year-old son, Calihan “Cali” Gee, off a cliff at Lake Powell to help him overcome a fear of jumping.
“Most people won't love how we teach our kids how to cliff jump,” Garrett wrote across the top of the now-viral video.
In the footage, Garrett is seen perched on a rocky ledge with Cali. The young boy hesitates at first, grabbing his dad’s hand instead of leaping.
That’s when Garrett lifts him into the air and tosses him into the water below. Cali screams on the way down but surfaces smiling - just in time for his dad to jump in after him and flash a thumbs up.
The clip ends with the couple’s older kids also taking the plunge, rounding out what has become a signature Bucket List Family moment.
“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,” Garrett clarified in the caption. “Each kid is quite different so the way we parent, discipline, and teach HOW TO CLIFF JUMP is quite different.”
He outlined his parenting priorities clearly: “For sure 1st priority is safety. 2nd is learning that YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. 3rd is HAVE FUN.”
Garrett said they intentionally chose a safe height for Cali’s jump.
“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 explained.
To Garrett, it was a parenting moment that echoed nature. “Eventually a baby eagle needs to leave the nest... or be tossed out of the nest ;) and learn HE CAN FLY!”
He wrapped up his post with a cheeky 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!”
Not surprisingly, the move sparked a wave of mixed reactions in the comments.
“Love that you even show the things where there could be some backlash or judgement,” one person wrote, to which Garrett replied: “Eh, that’s basically everything on the internet these days ;).”
Another asked directly: “Honest question, no judgement. Did he know he was going to be thrown?”
“YES. He had the choice to climb down, jump himself, or have me throw him. He chose to be thrown,” Garrett replied. “But regardless it was still scary for him. 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 ;)”
Still, not everyone was convinced. “The scream says it all. He's not ready. I hate this for him,” one viewer commented. Others jumped to his defense: “He chose to be thrown and they have built that trust all his life.”