A FATHER’S strict parenting has aroused wide controversy after a video circulated online showing his 4-year-old son running in snow in his underwear.

    The boy, Duoduo, was running wearing only a pair of pants and trainers in temperatures of minus 13 degrees Celsius in New York, where the family from Nanjing spent their Spring Festival holiday.

    The 44-year-old entrepreneur trained his son to run in the freezing weather for five minutes and do push-ups.

    He uploaded the training footage online and dubbed it the “eagle dad” parenting approach, Yangtze Evening News reported Monday.

    Young eagles learn to fly when their mothers expel and drop them from their nests on cliffs. They learn to survive through cruel tests, and the fierce parenting method is also suitable for kids, the father surnamed He said.

    His unusual parenting philosophy has incited discussion on the Internet, with some agreeing with the eagle way while others worried about the health of the boy.

    “Why didn’t you join your son in running in your underwear?” a comment read.

    He has arranged eight hours of daily exercise for Duoduo, including swimming, mountain climbing, cycling and martial arts. He claimed his strict upbringing created a miracle, with the boy’s IQ reaching a genius-level 218, enabling him to advance to primary school, the father claimed. (SD-Agencies)