Dad Makes Son Carry Water Jugs Across Backyard as Punishment Instead of Spanking

Parenting isn’t for the faint of heart, and this is especially true in the digital age. Gone are the days when spankings were a thing. Now, gentle parenting is the wave, though, not everyone has been so quick to hop on board.

Although TikTok user Derek Longstreth (aka @hamburgerjones23) considers himself a “Gen-X dad,” he took a new-aged approach to disciplining his 4-year-old son in a now-viral video on TikTok.

Instead of chastising his son with a belt, he made the kid carry seven one-gallon water jugs across their lawn.

In a video posted in July 2023, Derek gave viewers a glimpse at his parenting style. According to the TikToker, his son hit his mom and had to face the consequences. Although his first instinct was to spank his son, he tried the water jug method instead.

“We're not allowed to spank in the state of Wisconsin because there [are] some [liberals] saying there [are] better ways,” he said in the clip, which has more than a million views as of this writing.

“I know just an a-- whoopin' is what it needs but like I said, I can't do it no more. [If] you spank your kid, you will go to jail,” he went on.

As the 4-year-old struggled to make it back and forth across the yard more than a dozen times, his dad showed him a little tough love: “I love you, son. But we do not hit women in this family, sorry.”

Throughout the video, Derek shared more heartwarming affirmations with his son until he got to the finish line. That said, Derek added: “I couldn't even imagine what it'd be like if I got away with hitting my mom,” Derek said. “I can just feel the a-- whooping I would have got thinking about it.”

He asked for TikTok users to leave “constructive criticism” in the comments — preferably not from Negative Nancys. “If you have negative comments you’re probably the reason I can't spank my child,” Derek went on.

After his son was done with his punishment, Derek congratulated the 4-year-old and reminded him that he had to do it for his own good.

“You carried seven gallons of water 51 feet — 102 feet total,” he gushed.

“I don't even know if that's accurate math here, guys. It’s just a rough estimate, I'm probably way off. But look at that," Derek went on.

Since the video made its rounds on social media, many have taken to the comments to commend the dad on his method of parenting.

“I think it’s quite an age-appropriate consequence for his actions,” a commenter named @squarebobspongepantss wrote. “Also, the encouragement is what I think would actually make it register with him in a positive way as opposed to fear-based.”

Another person, @plinderhhp, shared: “I [raised] three boys, and sir you were doing absolutely the right thing you’re teaching him so much more than just not to hit his mama. Keep up the good.”