China man tells daughter, 3, to fill bowl with tears as punishment for watching TV, faces backlash

While many viewers found Jiajia endearing, others were critical of the father's method of discipline.

A father in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, has sparked controversy for a peculiar punishment he imposed on his three-year-old daughter for excessive television watching. The incident, which occurred last month, has garnered significant attention on social media, with mixed reactions from the public.

The father, whose identity remains undisclosed, was preparing supper when he called his daughter, affectionately nicknamed Jiajia, to the dining table. Absorbed in a television show, Jiajia failed to respond. In a fit of anger, the father switched off the television, prompting Jiajia to burst into tears, South China Morning Post reported.

Determined to teach her a lesson, he brought a large empty bowl and told her, "You can watch TV again when your tears fill up this bowl." A viral video, filmed and shared by her mother on Douyin (China's version of TikTok), shows Jiajia holding the bowl under her face, attempting to collect her tears and squeezing her eyes shut in an effort to produce more.

After more than ten seconds, Jiajia, exhausted from holding the bowl, told her parents, "It is impossible for me to manage this task." Her father then instructed her to smile for him. The sight of the girl grinning through her tears amused her parents, according to the mother.

The video quickly gained traction on social media, receiving over 220,000 likes on Douyin. While many viewers found Jiajia endearing, others were critical of the father's method of discipline.

One online commenter remarked, "When you are old and cannot take care of yourself, your daughter will give you a bowl and tell you to fill it with your tears before you can have food." Another critic added, "Educating the kid like this will make them develop negative character traits. Kids have learned that they can solve the problem through extreme means."

Stories of harsh parenting methods often resonate in China. In 2022, a father in Hubei province made his rebellious 11-year-old daughter dig for lotus roots in the scorching sun to help her appreciate the value of academic study. Conversely, some parents adopt overly indulgent approaches. Earlier this year, a father in Shanxi province knelt before his teenage daughter in public, apologising for his inability to buy her an iPhone.