Parents who insisted it was ‘safe’ to teach their six-month-old son to water ski are branded ‘attention seeking’ by This Morning viewers after they speak out again to defend the move
- Mindi and Casey Humpherys, Utah, uploaded a viral video of baby waterskiing
- Video sparked outrage on Instagram for their six-month-old son Rich’s safety
- Appeared on This Morning today to defend themselves insisting son was ‘safe’
- However viewers weren’t convinced branding the parents ‘attention seeking’
Parents who taught their six-month-old baby to water ski have continued to defend themselves on This Morning today.
Mindi and Casey Humpherys, from Utah, faced criticism last week after sharing video of their son Rich’s water skiing debut, with some users accusing them of ‘endangering’ their son, and branding them ‘reckless’.
Today on the ITV show, the pair insisted that their son was ‘kept safe’ during the stunt, which earned their child the unofficial record holder for the world’s youngest water skier.
However viewers weren’t convinced, with several accusing the parents of ‘risking their child’s safety’ and branding the pair ‘attention seeking’.
Parents who taught their six-month-old baby Rich (pictured) to waterski have continued to defend themselves on This Morning today
Mindi and Casey Humpherys, from Utah, (pictured with baby Rich) insisted that their son was ‘kept safe’ during the stunt, which earned their child the unofficial record holder for the world’s youngest water skier
‘It’s similar to if we had waited if he was one or two’, said Casey, ‘He had a life vest on and in this situation I was able to keep him at arm’s length – the camera angle doesn’t show that as much, he was kept very safe.’
He went on: ‘The little skis I made for him so if he had slipped out of it and I had not caught him, the skis would have kept him [strapped] in and he would have floated with his life jacket.
But viewers quickly lashed out at the parents, with one writing: ‘He was pulling himself up on the sofa at 12 weeks old I very much doubt it, that baby should be having tummy time not water skiing. I think these are attention seeking parents.
‘So you basically risked your baby’s safety, at arms length or not, to get an unverified world record?’, said another.
However viewers weren’t convinced, with several accusing the parents of ‘risking their child’s safety’ and branding the pair ‘attention seeking’
A third agreed: ‘It would of made more sense, if they were that set on doing this, to have the dad on a bigger board with him, supporting him rather than just leave him to it. Clearly wanted that viral video.’
‘All babies grab your fingers, doesn’t mean you sling them on a water ski’, commented a fourth.
In the clip, baby Rich can be seen wearing a lifejacket while standing atop a ski trainer – a wooden board with two long ski-like sections – with his feet strapped to the equipment and his little hands holding onto a safety bar in front of him.
Casey and Mindi, who are watersports enthusiasts themselves, added that they ‘knew they wanted to start him young’, when they noticed their son ‘pulling himself up on the furniture’
The youngster is being pulled along by a boat that is out of the shot, while his dad Casey rides alongside him in another vessel, cheering Rich on as he makes his way across the water.
Casey and Mindi, who are watersports enthusiasts themselves, added that they ‘knew they wanted to start him young’, when they noticed their son ‘pulling himself up on the furniture’.
‘We grew up with watersports and we were very aware of the record that had been set prior’, said Casey, ‘So when he started pulling himself up on the furniture – we both knew we wanted to start him young. ‘