After setting some rules about gaming to help our son spend less time in front of a screen, we thought we had everything under control. Then we discovered a scarecrow sitting at his desk, and soon after, the police showed up at our door.
Parenting teenagers is tough enough without them pulling elaborate stunts. But what my son did actually led to what my husband and I wanted for him.
A blonde teenage boy playing computer games | Source: Midjourney
Here’s the deal: my 13-year-old son, Noah, became a full-fledged teenage hermit who lived for gaming. His room had become a cave (and smelled like it). Also, the glow of a gaming monitor that never seemed to go off.
If he wasn’t locked in his room yelling at virtual characters, he was glued to his chair, inhaling chips like a vacuum.
I tried to get him interested in other stuff by starting a “let’s talk about feelings” conversation. It didn’t work. My husband tried the “be the fun dad” approach with the promise of going to a baseball game if Noah managed to catch the ball with him outside. This didn’t work either.
A blonde man holding a baseball mitt smiling in the hallway of a home | Source: Midjourney
Unfortunately, our kid was morphing into a mushroom before us, and I couldn’t watch it anymore. Some parents would be pleased to have a child who didn’t make a lot of noise and took care of himself.
It was true. Noah was fairly independent for a gamer boy, and his room was always organized, even if it smelled like teenage sweat.
But he wasn’t eating well unless it was junk food, and he simply wasn’t going outside. He was also so pale that he might as well be called Count Orlok.
A blonde teenage boy playing computer games with chips on his desk | Source: Midjourney
Therefore, I came up with THE PLAN. I hesitated because I wasn’t a fan of being such a strict mom to a good kid, but my husband and I finally took the plunge.
We banned his favorite game outright. No more “League of Whatever.” Yes, it was pretty harsh, and Noah protested like never before. When that didn’t work, he stopped speaking to us. He would also shut himself in his room after slamming the door.
An angry blonde teenage boy in a hallway | Source: Midjourney
I flinched whenever he slammed his door. But our son began doing it more often, meaning he was leaving his room to actually do it.
My husband was worried, but I told him this was perfect.
Noah remained furious for the next few days and barely spoke to us, but sooner than I expected, he changed. His time spent outside his room became more frequent. Once, he even sat next to his father in complete silence and watched whatever game was on.
A blonde teen boy and man watching television | Source: Midjourney
It was another screen, but at least, he was spending time with other people. Eventually, he started going outside, saying things like, “I’m going to get some air.”
It sounded suspiciously like, “I’m reinventing myself as a social butterfly and starting over.” Maybe he hoped we’d change our minds about the ban if he was good. But we weren’t going to; our plan was working.
Whenever he left our house, his father and I exchanged knowing looks. We knew he was up to something.
“He’s trying to sneak out to play games somewhere else,” I told my husband.
He scrunched his nose. “It’s possible, but going to play games with a friend is better than staying home. Right? Let’s just keep an eye on him for now,” he replied.
A thoughtful-looking blonde man sitting at a kitchen table | Source: Midjourney
I agreed, but one evening, around two weeks after we instituted the game ban, I walked by the hallway and noticed Noah’s door slightly ajar. That was unusual.
I peeked inside.
His chair was turned toward the screen, a hooded figure sitting in it, motionless. The screen was completely blank, so I stepped closer and touched his shoulder.
It wasn’t Noah.
I blinked, then stifled a laugh. It was a scarecrow, or more accurately, it was a hoodie draped over a mop. Pillows were stuffed underneath to form a body. My little sneak had built a fake person to trick us and snuck out at night.
Scarecrow made from a hoodie sitting on a desk gaming computer | Source: Midjourney
So, this was his way of rebelling against the game ban. But instead of being angry, I was delighted!
He was acting like a real teenager, and maybe, he was socializing more!
I went to my bedroom and told my husband. He wanted to scold him, but I had another idea. “Let’s not confront him yet. Let him think he’s fooling us! This is better than therapy,” I suggested.
