Dad Throws His 7-Year-Old Son Off Cliff to Teach Him a Lesson About Facing Fears

Garrett Gee, the social media influencer behind the popular travel vlog The Bucket List Family, is facing widespread criticism after posting a video of himself throwing his 7-year-old son, Calihan, off a cliff at Lake Powell — a clip that has racked up over 3.5 million views and stirred heated debate online.

The video, posted to Instagram on Sunday, shows Gee standing with his son atop a large rock formation, encouraging him to jump. When the boy hesitates, Gee picks him up and tosses him off the cliff into the water below. Calihan lets out a scream mid-air but emerges smiling, met with cheers from onlookers and a thumbs-up from his dad, who quickly jumped in after him.

In text over the video, Gee acknowledged, “Most people won’t love how we teach our kids how to cliff jump.” In a lengthy caption, he clarified that the act was meant to help his son face fears — not as parenting advice. “Each kid is different,” Gee wrote. “Our first priority is always safety. Second is learning that you can do hard things. Third is having fun.”

He emphasized that they chose a height where Calihan would be safe and claimed his son agreed to the throw, adding, “Eventually a baby eagle needs to leave the nest… or be tossed out.”

Reactions online were mixed. One commenter asked, “Honest question, no judgment. Did he know he was going to be thrown?” to which Gee replied, “YES. He had the choice to climb down, jump himself, or be thrown. He chose to be thrown.” Others criticized the approach, with one viewer writing, “The scream says it all. He’s not ready. I hate this for him.”

Still, many defended Gee’s actions, with comments like, “He chose to be thrown and they’ve built that trust,” and, “My father did the same — I loved it!”

This isn’t the first time the Gees have raised eyebrows for their parenting choices. Known for their thrill-seeking family adventures — including swimming with sharks and touching octopuses — the family of five has shared their globe-trotting experiences since 2015, after Garrett sold his mobile app to Snapchat for $54 million. They sold everything, launched their social channels, and began a journey across 65 countries before settling in Hawaii in 2018.

Despite the backlash, Gee stood by his decision, ending his post with a message to fellow parents: “Teaching your kids to be brave can backfire when they start doing things even you wouldn’t dare. Be safe out there. You can do hard things. Have fun!”