How to raise resilient kids0:50
Setbacks are an inevitable part of growing up, but there are ways to ensure your child will have the strength to bounce back. Here are some top resilience building techniques for your kids.
A fed-up dad has upset his daughter by making her walk 8km to school in Ohio in freezing weather to stop her from bullying.
Matt Cox, has been accused of “stupidity” after posting a video of his shamed ten-year-old marching alongside a road to “teach her a lesson”, The Sun reports.
His video, titled ‘Life Lessons’, was filmed while he drove behind her on Monday. It’s since gone viral and been shared more than 300,000 times since he posted it on Facebook.
In the clip, he can be heard explaining: “This lovely lady is my ten-year-old daughter who has for the second time this school year been kicked off the school bus, due to bullying another student.
“Let me make this extremely clear, bullying is unacceptable, especially in my household.
“Friday, when my daughter brought home her paperwork for her bus suspension, she said ‘Daddy, you’re going to have to take me to school next week’.
“As you see, this morning she is learning otherwise.
“A lot of children today feel that the things their parents do for them is a right and not a privilege, such as parents taking their children to school in the morning, or even bus rides to school in the morning.
“All of that is a privilege, and should be treated as such, so today my beautiful daughter is going to walk five miles (8km) to school, in 2C weather.
“A lot of you parents aren’t going to agree with this, but that is alright. Because I’m doing what I feel is right to teach my daughter a lesson and stop her from bullying.
“So children, if you’re watching this, please understand that bullying is unacceptable everywhere and will not be tolerated. Thanks everyone, have a great day.”
Some have applauded his firm anti-bullying stance, while others have told him off for making his daughter walk to school in the freezing cold.
One social media user wasn’t impressed, posting on Facebook: “5 mile walk is way too harsh … maybe find out why she is acting out with this other child.”
One said: “My dad woulda been beating my ass as I walked to school!!”
Another was concerned about the freezing temperatures, saying he thought Cox was “stupid” for letting her walk outside in 2C weather while it was “very cold and she can get very sick and end up in hospital”.
But others commented: “Kudos to you! Such a great example to parents all around.”
Another said: “That’s right tough love.”
One user posted: “Well done you. I hope your daughter learns from this.”
Cox told News5Cleveland he was stunned to see his video had hit a nerve and gone viral.
He said: “I was in complete shock that so many people responded when I originally posted it.
“By the time I woke up the next day I had hundreds of messages in my inbox and saw there were quite a few views.”
The dad explained he chatted with his kids about the many comments, and shared people’s poignant stories about the impact of bullying on them in their younger years.
As a result, his ten-year-old daughter, who had been upset during her walk to school, “seemed to show a great deal of empathy towards some of the sad stories that I read them,” he said.
Cox added: “We as parents need to stop the bullying on the home front because bullying only breeds bullying.”