Dad's Punishment for Bullying Goes Viral

Ohio father made 10-year-old walk to school in cold weather, and filmed it
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 6, 2018 2:05 PM CST
Dad's Bullying Punishment Goes Viral
   (Getty/H_Barth)

When Matt Cox's daughter got suspended from riding the school bus for bullying—for the second time this school year—the Ohio father decided to take drastic action. Instead of driving her to school as she expected him to, Cox made her walk the five miles in 36-degree weather in Swanton, News 5 Cleveland reports. (He broke up the miles over her three-day suspension, 13 ABC explains.) In a video filmed while he followed slowly behind her in his car, Cox says, "So children, if you're watching this, please understand that bullying is unacceptable." Cox posted the video to Facebook—where it has been shared more than 350,000 times since Monday. Cox says that while the 10-year-old was upset when she started the walk, he talked to her during it, and by the end she had calmed down.

"UPDATE: lesson learned!" he later wrote in the video caption. "Still has all her extremities intact is happy and healthy and seems to have a new outlook on bullying as well as a new appreciation for some of the simple things in life she used to take for granted." He tells News 5 he was "shocked" when the video went viral. He had initially only shared it with friends and family, but made the post public after a friend asked to share it. He later read all three of his children some of the comments on the video that related stories of bullying and the impact it can have. Though many are on board with Cox's disciplinary strategy, not all are, reports the BBC, which rounds up some of the comments on Cox's video. "Humiliate her by putting her on Facebook being punished. Irony," wrote one person. (More bullying stories.)

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