A dad who found out that his daughter is a school bully has taken the story on social media to share what his child did and asked, 'How to deal with a bully when it is your daughter?' But as the video continues, it has taken a dramatic turn when the dad shared how they taught her a lesson, which is by taking her to the police station.
Now, the viral video that has since amassed almost 40 million views and 5.5 million likes has sparked a debate online, with some parents also sharing advice and their own experiences.
Dad Found Out His Daughter is a Bully
A driver education instructor and father from Detroit who goes by the handle Mr Road Ready (mr_roadready) on TikTok has found out that his daughter was a bully and decided to share the story on the platform.
@mr_roadready Parenting is much more challenging than teaching people to drive! #fatherhood #kenzie #suspended #bully #parenting
♬ original sound - Mr. Road Ready
At the beginning of the clip, his daughter, Kenzie, can be seen crying and telling him, 'I didn't do anything' and even asking her dad what she did as she got suspended for two days. The dad then shared a clip of him talking to the school staff about her daughter's behaviour.
The staff described his daughter's behaviour as the same as that in the movie Mean Girls, 'Walking around, bullying people, calling them out, their names, talking about their parents, talking about their clothes, their smell, just to get anything to provoke these kids,' the staff said. The bullying has led to a physical altercation between his daughter and her classmate.
The dad has had enough and admitted that he had to take responsibility and accountability for his daughter's behaviour, saying, 'I gotta take responsibility for her actions here as well. So I just have to give her a reminder. That she represents more than just herself. When she's coming to school and the things that she's doing and how she's treating others. It's bigger than that. So I'm – I'll have a conversation with her,' he said.
A Tough Lesson at the Police Station
Despite speaking with his daughter, Mr Road Ready decided to take further action.
'After that conversation, I packed her little yellow butt up and took her over there with my mama. My mama always got that little special sauce, right? She knows how to be mean to the kids,' he said, adding that he can be 'a little' soft towards his daughter.
The next clip shows him and his mother taking her daughter to the police station: 'Would you believe my mama took my baby down here to the police station? She was scared to go in there. She used to take us down there when we was kids. They take us in there, show us around, scare us a little bit.'
He added that his daughter looked at her, questioning the situation, but he stood his ground and admitted that he was 'clearly I ain't doing enough.'
An officer later spoke to the child, offering a lesson: 'So when people do bad things, they do get consequences, baby.' The family also emphasised that the aim was not to make children fear the police.
Video Sparked Debate and Advice
While some parents are debating the way he handled the situation, some even questioned him for posting the video, while some parents have flooded the comments with advice and their own experience.
One parent said, 'First, don't post about your daughter online to humiliate her, even if she did something bad.'
This sentiment was echoed by another viewer, saying, 'Can we normalize NOT posting deeply personal parental/family moments on social media where it'll live forever? It being done supposedly in the name of providing the world with a "teachable moment" is such bs.'
'I'm goin to say something that might rub others wrong, but I honestly don't believe it's always the parents. I think it's who she's hanging out with like other people have commented. Kudos to Dad for teaching her that this isn't okay,' another comment read.
One parent shared: 'I am a teacher and a parent of 3 girls. When my daughter thought she was going to be spicy at school I made her write an apology letter to EVERY student in class. I'm talking rough draft, edit, revise, publish. Then I made her get upfront of her peers and read EVERY SINGLE ONE. She wanted to humiliate other people, she learned about being humble that day.'
A family caseworker also shared that the parents should 'start with consistent consequences at home, but also focus on teaching her what to do instead (like respectful communication, coping skills, etc). Kids don't just 'stop' behaviors, they need to learn new ones!'
Since posting the video, the father has expressed gratitude for the advice and experiences shared by viewers.
