A viral video of a baby in the US water skiing has sparked a mixed response on social media. You can watch the video here:
Parents Casey and Mindi Humpherys decided to take their six-month-old baby Rich water skiing on Lake Powell in Utah, in order to make their son the unofficial world record holder for youngest person to water ski.
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The video was subsequently shared on Instagram where it went viral, with Casey captioning the footage: "Take one look at this kid and tell me he isn't having the time of his life! Such a little stud!"
The post has been liked more than 56,000 times, with many people clearly very impressed by the little guy's achievement.
One person commented: "Oh I love it and he does too that's so great, what a champ, good job daddy."
Another said: "GO RICH!!! Live and love your best life. Haters will hate. You are clearly happy and loved. Be blessed."
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A third added: "Never too young to start building confidence. He's loving it good job."
However, at the other end of the spectrum, some people thought the endeavour was endangering Rich.
One person said: "I hope endangering your child is worth it for the clout! His poor little joints aren't even fully developed yet, that's why he's not walking yet. If he can't walk, do you really think this kind of stress is good for his body? Also look up dry drowning. You are terrible parents."
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Another said: "This is what happens when people need attention and bring their newborn into it."
A third said: "That poor kid's knees are going to buckle."
Explaining why they decided to take Rich out water skiing, Casey told LADbible: "My wife and I are both very active in the water sports world, because of that we knew Rich would start at a very young age. At three months he started standing and shortly afterwards began pulling himself up on furniture. That was when we saw his potential to do something very unique.
"We felt that helping him achieve this would give him something special in his life to build on. We practiced inside quite a bit a few days before. He smiled and laughed the whole time - that made the decision to take him on the water very easy.
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"He has never fallen off of it, he has incredible grip strength! He made several passes, we have a lot of video footage of him enjoying himself while learning something new."
As for those who felt this was not an appropriate activity for a baby of this age, Casey said it would be wrong to compare Rich to the average six-month-old.
He said: "We appreciate the concern that some people have shown. Not everyone has an understanding of water sports and also the safety measures that were taken.
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"On top of that they don't know Rich. He is incredibly advanced for his age. I have spent quite a bit of time around other six-month-old children and Rich is nothing like them.
"His abilities amazed his doctor and staff every time he has check-ups. He is in the 90th percentile for height and 10th percentile for weight as well. This makes it very easy for him to support his own weight and maintain balance."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/richcaseyhumpherys