Teen feared her strict Persian dad would punish her for pushing a bully at school. He showed up to teach her Principal a lesson instead
Pirayeshakbari's dad pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and asked the two women to read it
"Strict parents raise sneaky children" is a common saying, but Donya Pirayeshakbari (@donyazdonya) defended her strict Persian dad, claiming he was "strict but fair." On September 21, 2026, she recalled how he reacted after she was asked to bring him to school for pushing her bully, Ellie, down the stairs. Pirayeshakbari thought he would chew her out for doing something bad, but what he said to the principal, Ellie, and her mom made her see him in a different light. The video garnered 441,500 views, 32,300 likes, and 84 comments.
@donyazdonya Part 1 of how my strict Persian dad reacted to being called to my school :)) #fyp #parents #parentsoftiktok #storytime #funny ♬ original sound - Donya
Modern-day bully
Pirayeshakbari studied at an all-girls school in Iran. She was one of the popular girls and was loved by her friends and teachers. Ellie was also popular but was known for being a "modern-day bully." It was common for popular girls to not like each other, but Ellie made it worse with her rumors. She went around the school making up stories about Pirayeshakbari, her family, and her mom.
"Ellie wanted my attention because she wanted to start a fight with me so that I would no longer be the funny girl anymore. I would become somebody just as bad as her." Pirayeshakbari initially ignored Ellie, but one time, after recess, Ellie walked behind her and whispered something nasty about her mother. Filled with wrath and anger, Pirayeshakbari pushed Ellie down the stairs. Unfortunately, the principal saw what happened and told Pirayeshakbari she had to bring her dad to school the next day; otherwise, she was not allowed to come to school. She had no clue that Ellie was the real bully.
@donyazdonya Part 2 of how my strict Persian dad reacted to being called to my school #fyp #funny #parentsoftiktok #parents #storytime ♬ original sound - Donya
Constant panic
Pirayeshakbari couldn't sleep the entire night. She was worried about her father's reaction. The following morning, she asked him to come to school, and his immediate reaction was to demand what she did wrong. She explained, "If you grew up with Persian parents, you know we don't have the type of relationship where we can say cuss words... or even repeat rude, nasty things other people are saying." She said she could not tell him, so he got up, grabbed a pen and paper, and told her to write down everything and to go to school. When her father arrived, he demanded that Ellie and her parents be present too.
'Bullying is bullying'
When Ellie's mom got to the school, the principal explained what she saw. Pirayeshakbari's dad listened intently, then pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket and asked the two women to read it. Just ten seconds after they read it, the principal defended herself. She did not know his daughter was being bullied but pointed out the difference between verbal and physical bullying.
Pirayeshakbari's dad said in a calm voice, "Bullying is bullying. You should have known that this was going on, and this was happening to one of your students for over a year so that my daughter wouldn't have to take matters into her own hands." He then turned to Ellie's mom and said, "And you should have taught your daughter better so that somebody like my daughter doesn't have to step in and do it for you."
'Note before the pushing'
Pirayeshakbari was shocked at her dad's reaction. With Ellie's performance, crying and shivering next to her mom, she thought she was definitely going to be punished. As he got up to leave, Ellie muttered that she was scared to come to school, worried about what Pirayeshakbari would do to her. He sat back down, leaned towards Ellie, and said, "If you're scared, your parents should pick you up and drop you off because bullies should be scared." When he left the room, Pirayeshakbari followed him, and he looked at her and said, "Go back to class, and remember, next time the note comes before the pushing."
Rumors are a form of bullying
Children and teens may find school life extremely hard to navigate, and bullying makes it even harder. The 2024 National Center for Education Statistics report revealed that female students (21.8%) were more likely to be bullied than male students (16.7%). Additionally, more female students were bullied by rumors (16.6%) than male students (9.7%). On another note, with the right people, they can overcome any challenges. A 2024 survey for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption found that 88% of Americans received parental support while in school, and 74% agreed that it prepared them to graduate high school.
Pirayeshakbari's father was the same for her. She concluded the video by saying, "I cannot even explain to you how happy I was, how proud I was to call him my father...He taught me the most valuable lesson."
You can follow Donya Pirayeshakbari (@donyazdonya) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.
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