Many parents tell their children to behave, or else they will only get a lump of coal in their stocking for Christmas, but one father has gone a step further to create a “surefire” way to encourage good behavior: burning wrapped Christmas presents in front of his children.
A viral video begins with a neatly wrapped red present lying beside a small wood stove, and then the narration kicks in:
“With Christmas approaching, here is a top tip for parents. Wrap up some empty boxes and pretend that they are presents. Then, each time one of those little f–ers misbehaves … Chuck one onto the fire.”
TikTok user @BennyG7070 then grabs the fake present, opens the stove door, and places it onto the fire. In the video description, BennyG7070 describes the technique as “a surefire way to ensure your little darlings are behaving proper.”
The video has received over 24 million views and sparked a firestorm of nearly 28,000 comments from viewers.
Some criticized the incendiary parenting technique.
“Now they will have trust issues,” said one user. Others claimed that BennyG7070’s tactic is “abuse” and will cause “emotional damage” and “trauma” to his children.
The TikTok creator fired back at critics in a comment, stating, “Hi Karens!”
Despite the onslaught of negative feedback, some supported the controversial parenting technique, claiming that deception is commonly used to make children behave throughout the winter season.
Commenters questioned whether the threat of receiving a lump of coal in a stocking is any different from watching a present go up in flames.
Others pointed out the misplaced modifier in BennyG7070’s narration:
“Then, each time one of those little f–ers misbehaves … Chuck one onto the fire.”
“I ran out of kids,” joked several users.
Since the heated discussion on his first video, BennyG7070 released two others offering more unconventional Christmas parenting advice, such as stomping on the empty gifts or running over them in a car while backing out of the driveway, but neither has yet to garner the kind of attention that his original video did.