In a clip that has taken social media by storm, racking up more than 3.5 million views since it went live on Instagram on July 13, Garrett is seen throwing his seven-year-old son, Calihan “Cali” Gee, off a cliff into Lake Powell. He said the goal was to help his son conquer his fear of jumping.
Across the top of the video, Garrett wrote: “Most people won’t love how we teach our kids how to cliff jump.”
That’s when Garrett picks him up and launches him into the water below. Cali lets out a scream during the fall but comes up smiling from the splash. Moments later, Garrett follows him in with a big leap of his own and throws up a thumbs-up sign.
The footage wraps up with their older kids also jumping off the ledge, turning the whole moment into another memorable family adventure from The Bucket List Family.
He made it clear what values matter most to him as a parent: “For sure 1st priority is safety. 2nd is learning that YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. 3rd is HAVE FUN.”
Garrett also mentioned that the height they picked for Cali’s jump was chosen carefully, making sure it was safe for the young boy.
To Garrett, the moment was about more than just a jump—it was a reflection of how parenting sometimes mimics nature. “Eventually a baby eagle needs to leave the nest… or be tossed out of the nest 😉 and learn HE CAN FLY!”
He ended his caption with a bit of humor and a heads-up to other parents: “But warning: teaching your kids to be brave starts to backfire when they become older and begin jumping from heights that you don’t even dare!! BE SAFE OUT THERE! YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS! HAVE FUN!”
“Love that you even show the things where there could be some backlash or judgement.” one person commented. Garrett responded by saying: “Eh, that’s basically everything on the internet these days ;).”
Another follower asked an important question: “Honest question, no judgement. Did he know he was going to be thrown?”
Still, not everyone was okay with what they saw. One viewer wrote: “The scream says it all. He’s not ready. I hate this for him.” But many others stood up for Garrett, including this person who said: “He chose to be thrown and they have built that trust all his life.”