Good morning.

I failed to touch on this yesterday, but a video of Tom Brady cliff jumping with his six-year-old daughter made the rounds on the national morning shows, a video that some people called “controversial” or “inappropriate” or whatever trendy buzz word you wanna use. People didn’t like it because they felt like it was irresponsible on behalf of the six-time Super Bowl champion, bad parenting that put his daughter in danger.

You’ve probably seen the clip, but here it is again:

Couple of thoughts, after the jump:

  1. We need to stop labeling videos and images as “controversial” just because some people on social media become offended. People become offended by something every five seconds on social media and they are not to be taken seriously. There’s gotta be a better barometer out there.
  2. Yes, it does look like Brady pulls her arm, since the girl doesn’t appear to be in sync with her dad. I think that’s the part that people are criticizing, the idea that he was sort of yanking her. But that’s okay in my book; sometimes you just gotta take the leap both literally and figuratively. Likewise, most young kids are probably wary of getting in the pool for the first time, then your parents take you in the water anyway, and after that initial shock you feel comfortable with a new situation.
  3. The cliff doesn’t look to be that high. Feels like a relatively controlled environment with other people around.
  4. Tom is outside and spending time with his child while other lazy parents just plop their kids in front of a TV screen or iPad and ignore them.
  5. More kids need to be out of the house in general. You develop an appreciation for the outdoors, for nature, and for a wider variety of recreational activities. We have the rest of our lives to sit in cubicles and stare at computers.
  6. Last, and most importantly, it’s on us to mind our own business and worry about our own kids. Telling Brady how to raise his children is more offensive than anything he did in that video.

Thank you.

Good morning.