The Parenting Style of a Felony Child Abuser in Utah

The case behind the arrest of Utah-based YouTuber Ruby Franke continues to develop as more details emerge regarding Franke’s strict parenting style.

According to multiple videos on Franke’s YouTube channel, Franke has shown some rather harsh tendencies with her children prior to her arrest on August 30.

Let’s go over some of the examples.

Franke reportedly refused to bring her then six-year-old daughter a lunch that she had forgotten when going to school. A concerned teacher texted Franke, and instead of bringing the lunch, Franke said “I hope no one steps in and gives her food.” This was apparently meant to teach her daughter about responsibility.

This was evidently a bit of a trend as Franke was known for using food as a bargaining chip with her children if they disobeyed. Franke reportedly told her children that food was a privilege, and in one of her videos, a son of Franke asked her for breakfast, but Franke replied by saying “you don’t need food.”

Franke had her two youngest children stay home from their daily activities to wash the floorboards, and said it was meant to “really bring the pain.” She later said that the efforts backfired because it “wasn’t painful for them.”

Lastly, Franke gave her two youngest children a single gift for Christmas titled “The Gift of Truth,” which was meant to help the children reflect on their “long patterns of selfishness,” and “pretty egregious choices.”

Ruby Franke was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt on August 30 after her oldest son escaped Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins to ask for food and water from a neighbor.

As for the children, they are currently being cared for by protective services.