Dangerous or dad of the year? Father divides opinion by teaching his skateboarder daughter, 6, to launch herself from a 1.6ft high wall without wearing a helmet
A skateboarding dad showed his daughter, six, how to complete a scary stunt in an adorable video.
Father-of-two Darren Harper, from South East Washington D.C, rose to fame on social media thanks to his own skateboarding skills, and has been teaching his daughters, including Demi, six, how to do their own stunts.
In a video that has gone viral since Darren shared it on his Instagram account, the proud dad was seen patiently catching Demi as she repeatedly launched herself from a 1.5ft high wall to learn how to land safely.
After a few tries, the fierce six-year-old jumped from the wall and completed the trick without falling and without assistance.
The video strongly divided opinion online with some gushing over Darren's patience and their 'beautiful' father-daughter bond, while others said Demi should have been wearing a helmet, and branded it 'dangerous'. 
Dad-of-two Darren Harper, from Washington D.C, has gone viral thanks to a video where he teaches his six-year-old daughter Demi how to execute a skateboarding trick, pictured
Fierce Demi repeatedly tried the trick with the assistance of her dad, before trying it by herself, pictured
The video started with Darren waiting at the bottom of the wall for his daughter.
The six-year old slowly but confidently launched herself from the wall on her skateboard.
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When she leaped in the air, Darren stepped in to catch her mid-fall to make sure she didn't crash.
The father-daughter duo repeated the process several times, with Demi slowly correcting her stance on the board each time.
In the clip, Darren could be seen stepping in to catch Demi each time she was about to fall, pictured
The six-year-old jumped from the wall every time and showed complete trust in her father during their teaching moment
At some point, proud dad Darren told her: 'That was good, now you go and do just that.'
With this encouragement, Demi launched herself from the wall and managed to land safely on the ground without the help of her dad.
Darren was watching on from the side, ready to intervene, but let his daughter take the plunge by herself.
An enthusiastic crowd cheered when the six-year-old skated on, proud of her achievement.
After Darren caught her for a few tries, Demi, pictured, was ready to try to leap completely on her own
After the six-year-old completed her successful jump, proud father Darren gave Demi a high five
Demi showed she scratched the palm of her hand during one of her stunts, pictured, but was generally unscathed
Brave Demi showed she scratched her hand in one of her stunts, but was happy to have managed the landing on her own.
Later in the video, Demi's older sister Tink also completed a trick from the same wall and celebrated by running around, while Darren clapped and laugh.
The video went viral after it was shared by Darren on Instagram and made its way to Twitter.
Some people said Darren's interaction with his youngest daughter was 'beautiful.'
'You know how proud she must have been? Probably went to school telling everyone about what a good skateboarder she is. This is so awesome yo,' one said.
Both Darren's daughters, Demi, left and Tink, right are keen skateboarders and love to learn new tricks with their dad
Fearless Demi turned six this year and is already a keen skateboarder achieving stunts, pictured
Demi's older sister Tink, pictured, also completed a more complicated trick and jumped in joy afterwards
'I love to see more fathers helping their children conquer fear through practice! Being #Parents even when the children is not ours is to own power! I am ready to see a wave of power, a way of care,' one wrote.
'This is way too beautiful,' said another. You could really involve yourself, in a culture where some would say skateboarding is a much like a solo sport,' one said.
'This shows it really isn't like that always & it exemplifies parents/guardians supporting their kids,' they added.
'I’m still a boarder I swear. this is so heartwarming,' one said.
Darren is a famous skateboarder in Chicago, where he teaches his girls to follow into his footsteps
'No please my heart.. This will be me and my child,' another replied.
'I love to see fathers participating in their children’s lives. Going to PTA meetings, at the park, a restaurant, etc. When I see a black man doing it, It’s a whole ‘nother level for me. It’s one of my favorite things to see and I always try to let them know,' one said.
However, some people noted the little girl should have been wearing a helmet for extra safety.
'There’s something called human error, we as people are not perfect. All it takes is one slip up from dad, one mistake when trying to catch her and she could suffer a life changing injury ESPECIALLY being that young. Just wear a helmet it’s literally not hard,' one said.
'Not only helmet but elbow and knee pads as well. Saying pro-skaters are tough is like saying doctors don't get sick or teachers don't need to learn anymore,' another said.
'First off, why isn't she wearing a helmet or safety padding, because if she gets hurt not only will she have a hospital bill, the parents will most likely be questioned by ACS?' a fellow critic added.
People loved the 'heartwarming; video and praised how involved Darren was with his daughters. However, some noted the six-year-old should be wearing a helmet
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