Young and old alike have discovered social media is an addicting fantasy world. For some, this digital crack cocaine dominates every waking hour!
Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and now Tiktok provide outlets for clicks and likes 24/7. What about life in the real world, people?
One father out there decided to take matters into his own hands and bring his daughter back to reality. He seized all her accounts and began posting his own little messages for the world to see. And in an odd turn of events, people liked him even more!
Why did he really exact this cruelty upon her, though? In a rare case, she wasn't overusing it. A legit question and this dad was more than happy to explain the hijacking!
Read on to laugh at this sneaky parenting takeover in all its glory...
Don't Mess With Texas
Tawnya Ford and Larry Sumpter are the heads of a happy family in Denton, Texas at the moment. With a boy and girl, there's plenty of teenage personality in this house!
Ever been to Dallas? Denton is actually a college town nearby that hosts huge music festivals and traditional Texas rodeos. There seems to be plenty to do year-round, and everyone knows what that means. More to share, like, and follow, of course!
There's no question these wholesome young faces had been snapping up a storm, but things would soon take a turn for the weird. How would 43-year old Larry even get involved to become a viral online persona in his own right?
Lil' Trickster
Predictably, 15-year-old Madelynn was up to no good behind her parents' backs. Or perhaps she was up to what every teen is up to — sneaking boys into sleepovers!
Naturally, Larry was unhappy to hear the news. As a devoted dad, he knew it was time to punish the hell out of his young teen for educational purposes.
But honestly, taking away typical privileges was getting old. What was Larry's bright idea that would eventually break the internet?
Crime and Punishment
Tawnya and Larry teamed up and told their daughter she could actually decide her own punishment. How novel! But what were the options?
The drastic choice turned out to be a whole month without a phone, or a reduced sentence with some special fineprint: Mom and dad could play with her many social media accounts.
Obviously a month of no-phone was out of the question, so Madelynn agreed to this deal with the devil. Or rather, deal with the dad! What kind of social damage could this out of touch, out-of-the-loop, uncool 43-year old man really do?
First Shots are Fired
Gearing up for the punishment, Larry posted a photo of his mischievous, boy-curious teen studying in her bedroom. The caption politely announced a new phase for her friends to follow online:
"This is Maddi. Maddi got herself grounded. She had a choice of no phone for a month or no phone for 2 weeks and we have FULL control of her social media. She chose 2 weeks. So be on the lookout for some amazing Instagram posts, snap chats and Tiktoks from her parents!!"
Pretty embarrassing stuff, but would anyone at school really notice this post? Without knowing what Larry had in store, it was hard to say if this would be teen social suicide quite yet. What happened when dad began his reign of terror on Insta?
Blonde Bombshell
Apparently, the cringe was substantial. To Maddi's great horror, she began to see her dad posting selfies on Instagram with parody captions to explain his innermost thoughts.
One afternoon, he was feeling a little earthy: "Like, can we save the mother freakin turtles already?!"
Soon, he would begin dancing in crop tops and short shorts. After just one day, she begged to change her decision! Did this punishment really fit the crime?
Butt Why?
Well, that was never going to happen. Larry moved on to butts, as social media is so often infested with these days. He knew he needed to show off his cheeks, and especially share all the things he could balance on its noticeable proportions.
He has also posted videos on her TikTok showing off his twerking skills. According to Larry's loved ones at the time: "He’s loving it. I think he's gonna make his own TikTok account when this over."
Say it ain't so, dad! Maddi couldn't bear the jiggle action and tried to negotiate a ceasefire after a series of ass attacks. Would Larry give up?
That Coon Hat Though
Soon, her accounts were flooded with images of her dad dressed in her outfits! Viewers also witnessed Larry's running tips and musical talents as he sang songs in various clips across her accounts.
Madelynn insisted: "I changed my mind, I choose the one month." Would Larry be able to give up this new outlet of personal expression, just like that?
Dad explained: "No, I’m too invested. I have too many ideas. We’re sticking with the two weeks."
The captions continued: "Flashback Friday to my days as a mountain man". What could possibly be worse?
Popeye Pop
Next, Larry was feeling nautical and rebellious: "Just chillin' on this fine day Sunday afternoon!! Haters gonna hate!!"
Nice touch with the flamingo prop, right? Maddi didn't think so, but the crowd roared online.
People were actually following her account for these crazy daily updates, more than anything else. The best was yet to come! What terrible new stunt was dad hiding up his sleeve?
Daddy Dukes
It was time for a vidja nightmare on Instagram, and Larry had the just the treat everyone was waiting for. Short shorts, double trouble!
This had become more than a Sumpter affair, with guest stars joining in to compromise Maddi's street cred. There was singing, there was dancing, there was begging for no more, please. Was this finally the end?
Up Close and Personal
No way! It was time for some intimate portraits. Dad layed in bed and gazed at the camera to capture his real beauty. He let viewers into his momentary thoughts: "Felt cute. Might delete later." So glam Larry!
At this point, everyone at school was keeping tabs on the social media saga! It was pretty clear Larry had major fans, and he had more exclusive moments to share next.
Destruction Worker
Time for a little professional sneak peek, all posted to his daughter's hostage accounts.
Larry uploaded a picture of himself in his construction hat, and he didn't skimp on the hashtags: "May do a photo shoot later...may not idk? #parenttakeover #makebetterchoices #instagood ##followme #feelingcute."
The man had fans, and they were hooked. Whatever Larry posted, the mob gobbled up. He was starting to get regular feedback, too! What did fellow users have to say about his revenge spree?
A Real Crowd Pleaser
Maddi impersonated by Larry received praise from one viewer all the way in Europe: "I love your dad, all the way from the Netherlands!! He needs an Instagram account of his own!"
Another wrote in directly to the media madman: "Let me tell you sir, you are a genius. Love the idea." Everyone agreed, it seemed. Maybe it was now time to wind down?
Paroled at Last
To end the mayhem, loving Larry decided to post a picture of Maddi during the less complicated days, the terrible twos.
He captioned it with care: "I'm back sweeter than ever and ready to make good choices". Was the world ready to say goodbye to dad completely, though?
One of the followers replied in the negative: “Call me crazy, but your dad made cooler posts.” Ouch! But what about the rest of the nation?
Totally Newsworthy
Most Americans alive today never had the chance to be punished with social media turned against them! Naturally, national news wanted to introduce the idea to millions of families for consideration. Larry never thought things would go this far!
Are the days of standard grounding over for good? Parents might have to be more creative to keep up with the trends out there. Oh the times, they are-a-changing!
But wait — was this really a surprise to Maddi, knowing her unique history with these parents?
Parenting Pattern
Tawnya claimed that Madelynn should have known this was coming! Why did mom expect something like this in Sumpter town?
Apparently, this was nothing truly new for Larry. Dad had been trying out cringe tactics for years already, like picking Maddi up at school dressed as the district mascot — never forgetting the loud music to make sure not a single soul missed the scene. Yikes!
Tawnya explained: "We’re always down to embarrass our kids!" Sounds like a lively household, that's for sure. But everyone needs a little peace and quiet sometimes. Could Maddi's life ever get back to normal after this internationally recognized incident?
Dancing Days are Here Again
Well, she certainly tried! An avid dancer in her own right, she shared her hobbies with friends and the thousands of new followers she gained thanks to dad's dancing!
Sparkles and cowgirl hats are as Texas as can be, and Maddi seems to fit right into the squad. What about her downtime, all on her own these days?
Lesson Learned
Madelynn seems to be a moderate Instagram user, unlike her devilish dad. Pensive posts in fields of flowers seem absolutely tame compared to what the world was exposed to before!
Before the punishment was seen and heard 'round the world, the totally normal teen had only posted twice! Now with thousands of likes on her account, she has a following to use if she wants to expand her online presence. And as for Larry, he has an Insta too — peek if you dare!