School 'punished' girl for hitting her bully in self-defense. Her dad's speech completely turned the tables

Most parents dread getting a call from their child’s school because it usually means something went wrong. That was exactly what went through Gabe’s mind when he learned that his daughter had hit another student. In an Instagram video posted on March 26, the dad, known as @gabectomy, shared that his daughter admitted to hitting a boy with a rock but insisted it was in self-defense. While many parents might have immediately panicked, his response after hearing the full story had viewers calling it “top parenting.” The clip later went viral, racking up 2.1 million views and 297,000 likes.

Self-defense

Gabe's daughter told him the reason why she had to hit the boy was that he was bullying her and her friends. They ran away from him, but he cornered and pushed her to the ground. She did the only thing she could think of and threw a rock at him. When the principal arrived, Gabe asked him to explain exactly what happened, but he said they were going to go through the security camera footage.

After watching the video, Gabe found out his daughter was not lying. After she hit the boy, she stood up and ran away, not escalating the fight. Gabe was proud of his daughter for defending herself from a bully. However, the principal told Gabe that they were going to take disciplinary action against her and make a plan for the rest of the academic year, leaving Gabe surprised.

Not backing down

Gabe was adamant that his daughter had done nothing wrong and was only defending herself from a bully. However, the principal pushed that what she did was not acceptable. Gabe agreed with the principal on that front, but argued that she would not be forced to act violently if there was parental supervision. He wanted to know why they were discussing his daughter's actions and not the bully's.

The principal assured him he would have a different talk with the bully, but for now, both students must face disciplinary action since that was how it worked at the school. Gabe fought hard for his daughter, not allowing her to get punished for defending herself. After 15 minutes of conversation, they finally agreed. She had to write an apology letter, and the boy would have to move classes.

How much violence does self-defense justify?

Child psychologist, Dr. Andrew Mendonsa, said that children have the right to defend themselves, but it does not mean through physical violence. He explained, "Children do have a right to defend themselves, but they have a right to defend themselves in the sense of escaping a situation. If someone has their hands around their neck, they have a right to break free of those holds." But there can be complications if they choose to engage.

He said it can be "seen as being an aggressor." A Gallup survey was conducted over a span of 27 years, from 1998 to 2025. In 2025, 41% of parents reported fear for their children's safety in school. However, it peaked back in 1999 when more than half of the respondents (55%) feared for their child's physical safety. Even though parents are significantly less worried about their children in school, it does not mean that students are 100% safe, as in the case of Gabe's daughter.

Several people in the comments commended Gabe for standing up for his daughter. People were also impressed by Gabe's daughter's ability to defend herself. @fernie5209 wrote, "Zero tolerance policies are total sh*t. Schools use them so they don’t have to address actual problems with bullying." @linkinlady06 commented, "Yep! This is 100% self-defense, and she sure as h*ll shouldn't be punished for defending herself. I never understood that bullsh*t in public schools. Punish the bully, not the victim!"

You can follow Gabe (@gabectomy) on Instagram for more updates.

More on Scoop Upworthy

Expert May Whitley's self-defense tutorial for women aired on TV in 1933. It’s still totally badass.

Mom praises daughter for punching her bully, then asks if was wrong — but the internet's backing her

Most people who use keys for self-defense are doing it wrong, says woman. She teaches the right way