At the 6-month mark, most babies are just getting used to being alive. They can’t yet walk or talk, but that didn’t stop Mindi and Casey Humpherys from teaching their 6-month-old son, Rich, to water ski.
The parents enrolled little Rich in infant swimming classes and built him a custom board in order for the baby to water ski for the first time on Lake Powell in Utah.
Prior to taking him out on the lake, Rich’s parents also helped him grow accustomed to the board indoors by strapping him in and pulling him around on the floor. By the time he water skied on the lake, he seemed comfortable, calm and happy.
“He’s just so full of life,” Mindi Humpherys told “Good Morning America” of her son. “He loves the water.”
The proud parents posted a video and photo of the amazing sight on social media, and it quickly went viral. “World’s youngest water skier!!” Mindi wrote in the caption.
Check it out in the Facebook post below:
Too cute!
While there’s no doubt that Rich looks adorable water skiing, some people thought it seemed dangerous. Commenters on social media said that the baby was too young to be water skiing.
For their part, the family says they took a number of precautions to keep Rich safe, including strapping him into a life vest and having him hold onto a big handle. They say the boat was going just 5 miles per hour, and that Casey remained by the baby’s side to protect him.
Some people chimed in to defend them as well, praising the couple for fostering the little guy’s love of water at such a young age.
“Get outta here,” one person commented on Instagram. “Little man’s clearly having a blast and his [dad is] right there ready to catch him IF anything were to go sideways. … Why the negativity?”
The couple was unfazed by the criticism, telling “GMA” that they actually appreciated the concern from commenters.
“I really feel like the majority of criticism comes from people caring and people just being concerned and wanting the best for our child,” Mindi said.
There may be a spirited debate in the comments, but one thing’s for sure: This little guy was born to be on the water!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
