A father in Spokane, Washington, has gone viral after posting a TikTok video showing him disciplining his 13-year-old son, who he said had been bullying other children. The man punished his teenager by forcing him to participate in a boxing session, during which he repeatedly punched the boy as he cried. The video has gained over 16 million views and more than 3 million likes. Many viewers praised the father for holding his son accountable, although a few others argued that his actions were abusive.
The father said that he had always taught his son, Talon, to stand up to bullies and treat girls with respect. However, when he discovered that the teenager had been bullying two other students, he decided to give him a taste of what it felt like to be on the receiving end.
In the video, the father had his son put on boxing gloves and protective headgear before taking him outside to spar in their backyard. The man also wore boxing gloves as he stood facing the teenager.
Talon looked frightened and began whimpering before the session even started. His father confronted him about his behavior toward other children. “You think you’re big and bad, right?” he asked.
Talon quickly denied it. “Oh suddenly you don’t think you’re big and bad when you have somebody bigger and badder standing in front of you huh,” his father taunted him.
The man then instructed his son to throw the first punch, but the boy hesitated and continued crying. His father warned that he would throw the first punch if Talon refused to strike.
‘I Don’t Want to Be a Bully’
Eventually, Talon began throwing light punches toward his father’s face. But when he wouldn’t hit any harder, his father responded with a punch that caused the boy to lose his balance and retreat while clutching his head.
“Come on, you’re so tough. You like to bully kids and girls, hit me,” the father told him.
Talon continued throwing relatively weak punches. At one point, he tearfully said, “I don’t want to be a bully.”
The father struck him in the face again, causing the boy to cry out and retreat. He then asked his son, “Does it feel good when somebody bigger than you bullies you?”
Talon answered no. When his father asked whether he would bully anyone again, he gave the same response.
According to the father, Talon had bullied two classmates: a boy who was smaller than him and a girl whom he allegedly told to take her own life. The man warned his son that he would face even more serious consequences if he repeated the behavior.
The boxing session seemed to end after that.
Viewers React to Washington Dad’s Punishment
Many people in the comments praised the father for confronting his son about his behavior rather than ignoring it.
“This is parenting! hold your kids accountable,” one person commented. Another praised the man, writing, “You are a good father. This will be a formative moment for his development into manhood.”
“I respect you so much… Bullies need to be put in their places and called out. Good job dad, keep a close eye on him,” a third remarked. “This is incredibly important dude. These are the moments that unchecked can turn boys into abusive men,” another added.
The video also resonated with people who said they had experienced bullying themselves. “As a girl who was horribly bullied by boys at [sic] the point of getting death threats weekly. This is beautiful,” one commenter said. Another wrote, “As someone who was bullied at a young age, this healed a part of me.”
However, not everyone agreed with the father’s approach. A few people argued that physically hurting his son was not an appropriate way to teach him that bullying was wrong.
“This is not a good way to deal with your son,” read a comment. Another argued, “That’s not gentle parenting love that’s just abuse.”
Father Says Son Has Written Apology Letters
The father later shared an update explaining that the boxing session was not the only consequence Talon faced.
He said he made the teen write apology letters to the two students he had bullied. He added that he planned to include his phone number with the letters so the children’s parents could contact him directly if his son mistreated them again.
