Father Stopped for Drunk Driving, 8-Year-Old Child Asks, “Can I Still Be Your Son?”

Father Stopped for Drunk Driving, 8-Year-Old Child Asks, “Can I Still Be Your Son?”
A father and son out at night in China in this file photo. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)
Daniel Holl
8/23/2019
Updated:
9/4/2019

When a man was stopped for drunk driving, his son took the initiative of pointing out his wrong doing, even expressing concern that he'd no longer be able to live with his father, according to Chinese online media outlet Pear Videos.

The two were stopped in Taiyuan City in China’s Shandong Province on the evening of Aug. 18. Police body cams recorded the video of the stop, revealing the boy’s concern for his father’s behavior, according to the Aug. 22 report.

The report did not mention if the father received any punishment from the police for drunk driving.

“Can I Still Be Your Son?”

Police often set up check points in China to flag down people in an attempt to catch drunk drivers.

Footage from police body cams initially show the father and son still in the car, with the boy in the driver’s seat. “My dad drank, so he shouldn’t drive,” the boy says to the officer.

While still in the car, the man is given a breathalyzer test. He blew a 0.12, above China’s legal limit. “I had two bottles,” he told the police in the video. When asked what kind of alcohol, he said beer.

“Dad, aren’t you ashamed?” the boy says with a whimper in his voice.

“Everyone’s looking at you, are you not ashamed?” the boy says to his father, sitting in the back of the police car. “They even have you on video!”

“You’re even smiling still.”

The boy cries as he waits for his father’s answer. “Yes, I also know I’ve lost face, you know?” the father finally responds.

“I told you that you shouldn’t drive!” the boy shouts in response. “You still drove!”

“That does it!” the boy says twice, before choking out several more loud sobs. Then he asks a question that only a child would feel.

“Can I still be your son?”

The father somewhat dismissively answers that his boy will still be his son, despite the incident.

The report vaguely said the police dealt with the father, but did not even mention if he was detained.

Daniel Holl is a Sacramento, California-based reporter, specializing in China-related topics. He moved to China alone and stayed there for almost seven years, learning the language and culture. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
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