Tom Brady Is Raising Viv, Not the Media [OPINION]

The news media is hyperventilating over a video New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady posted to social media showing him and daughter Viv cliff jumping in Costa Rica.

The same media that thinks it's okay for you to withhold your six-year-old's gender assignment or to take the kids to Drag Queen Story Time for a reading of What Color Is Your Underwear thinks Brady is a barbarian for teaching his six-year-old how to jump from a small cliff into the water.

Part of growing up is learning how to get outside and have fun. Brady is an avid cliff jumper and wants to share his passion with his daughter. What is wrong with that? He didn't throw her off a cliff. He obviously coached her and held her hand tightly to the end. She was not screaming, pulling back or resisting in any way. She was clearly a willing participant.

In a day and age where we overprotect kids and shelter them from life to the point that they need "cry rooms" by the time they get to college, it is refreshing to see a parent sharing an adventure with his child. Yeah, there is risk involved, but life is full of risks.

When we were kids, we rode bikes all day long–without helmets and knee pads. We rode our Radio Flyer wagons down steep hills and sometimes rolled over while turning into the driveway. We fell from trees. We broke limbs and bruised knees and got right up and went back out there. My dad took us tobogganing on the Whaling City Golf Course hill where we dodged trees all the way down.

Our parents opened the doors and let us loose. Getting bumped and scraped made us stronger, wiser and better prepared for the world. If the "experts" and media folk think Tom Brady is a bad parent for taking his kid cliff diving, then they shouldn't do it with their own kids.

One thing is for sure, Viv will never need a "cry room" on campus.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.