Poor Tori Roloff has to deal with internet trolls day in and day out. But she also has no shortage of genuine fans.
Fans and trolls alike, however, took issue after Zach Roloff's dangerous "prank" made everyone worried.
Tori Roloff shared a little glimpse of a "prank" that Zach pulled on her.
Finding a way to enjoy this wretchedly hot season, she was helping Jackson to "beat the heat" in a simple, shallow, outdoor pool.
She was helping Jackson to just get accustomed to the water ... when Zach acted on an unwise impulse.
Sneakup up behind Tori, he pushed her forward and into the pool.
There is a lot to be said about that in and of itself, but though Tori was the primary target, she was not the primary victim.
That dubious honor fell on little Jackson, who unfortunately was dunked into the water and was left crying, coughing, and sputtering as a result.
Tori was okay. Jackson, on the other hand, was in an understandable amount of distress.
The aftermath of the prank, Tori's "dads are the worst" Instagram Story reveals, was the parents reassuring Jackson.
They loved him and wanted to cheer him up, but it is more than understandable that a young child would be unhappy. Most adults would be, too.
Now, they did put their son's feelings into context, helping him to process them as good parents should.
"Are you mad?" Tori asked Jackson. "You look mad."
Unfortunately, some of the attempts to cheer him up took the form of what critics say was teasing that could have made Jackson's experience worse.
Full disclosure? I'm one of those "yelling should be illegal, throwing a snowball without consent is assault" folks.
Pushing someone into a pool is dangerous. Even if they do not sustain any injuries, jewelry can be lost. Phones can be damaged.
In this case, Tori was totally okay.
Jackson, however, was not.
He was just getting acclimated to the pool, as we noted, when Zach's ill-advised prank had him sputtering.
It is a frightening experience to suddenly get dunked into water. It is worse to realize that your parent was the culprit.
"Like not only could Tori have fallen over on Jackson and really hurt him," one critic notes on social media, "but like Jackson could have inhaled water."
"I understand pushing Tori over," another pipes up, "but Jackson is so small, no wonder he was scared."
"This is so unsafe and not cool at all,” an additional fan says on social media. “Jackson was obviously scared and Tori could have been hurt."
Whether or not Tori would be okay with being pushed into a pool is up to her, though such a shallow pool is not an ideal fall for anyone.
Jackson, however, obviously did not and could not consent to being "pranked" in such a way.
We get it. Zach grew up with two brothers and loved sports.
He was trying to be playful, and he messed up. It happens.
We hope that he learns from this.
He and Tori are good, loving parents who would never deliberately upset Jackson.
