A Florida dad made headlines after he posted a video to Facebook calling out parents who humiliate their kids online as a form of punishment.
In the video, Wayman Gresham starts out by saying he’s going to “teach his son a lesson.” After scaring his son Isaiah by threatening to shave his head, the father then turns to the camera to school all parents watching.
“There’s no way in the world I would ever embarrass my son like that,” he says. “Good parenting starts before he even gets to the point of being out of control. Good parenting is letting your child know that you love them regardless of what they are and who they are and showing them the way by example.”
The trend of shaming kids on social media has grown considerably in recent years. The latest viral instance was last month, when a Denver mom shamed her daughter in a six-minute video for posting provocative photos on Facebook.
In Gresham’s video, he targets this extreme parenting approach, saying that good parenting doesn’t involve humiliating your child, nor does it involve violence or profanity.
Since the clip was posted, it has received over 19 million views and over 500,000 shares. Many Facebook users also commented, praising the dad for his message. “I went very quickly from not liking this parent to respecting him a lot!” one wrote. “Great video, great message.”
Another said: “Finally a parent that has sense.”
The father of four later said on Facebook that while he is against public humiliation, he is not against discipline. Again, this sparked more praise from users. “Could not agree more my brother,” one said. “I have seven children, and although they DO get disciplined, I would NEVER embarrass them in public, or make a spectacle of them.”
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