A teen who told his mom he was having a "couple" of friends over after school was rumbled after she checked on a security camera installed in the house.
Mom-of-five Candice Meier, from Kearney, Nebraska, was left stunned when she saw the truth about what her eldest son, Ryan, was up to.
Thankfully, she was able to see the funny side and later even shared the footage to TikTok, with the video racking up more than 500,000 views.
When it comes to parenting teens, some form of rebellion is par for the course as kids grow up and begin to push against the boundaries of adolescence.
According to clinical psychologist Amy Bobrow, PhD, a professor in the Child Study Center at New York University School of Medicine in Manhattan, the key to successfully traversing this period while maintaining strong familial bonds is communication.
"The bottom line is communication, and not just at times of disapproval, discipline," Bobrow said to WebMD. "Make sure you communicate with your child when you're proud, when he did a good job. It's important to balance that out. Otherwise, it becomes 'why are you always nagging me, always on my back?'"
In the case of Ryan, a high-school sophomore and avid football player, it's clear he communicates effectively with his mom, but it's just that, in this instance, he was maybe a little economical with the truth.
Candice told Newsweek that, last Friday, ahead of a home varsity game he was set to play in, Ryan messaged to say "a couple of the boys were gonna come over after school before the game."
"I said that was fine," Candice said. "Then he messaged me again to say it might be 'a couple more.' So I turned on my camera to see what 'a couple more' meant."
The video shared online showcases exactly what Candice saw live. Ryan walks in first, greeting the family dogs, with a friend close behind. Then another boy enters. And another. And another after that. This continues on for several minutes with a grand total of 10 friends entering the house.
Turns out "a couple more" was something of an understatement.
"Just when I thought it was over, another one would show up. It didn't seem like it would ever stop," Candice told Newsweek. "I honestly was shocked but laughed because my son is very social so I wouldn't have put it past him."
According to the busy mom, it's something of a tradition for Ryan and his teammates to "get into the zone" before games by listening to very loud music.
Watching the live video, Candice decided to leave work early to "make sure there was some sort of supervision," but, thankfully, apart from some loud music, there was little to worry about.
"Other than the fact my floor was shaking from the music and they were loud, but they didn't leave a mess," Candice said.
More importantly, it had the desired effect. "They were pretty pumped and went on to win the football game so it must have worked," she said.
Now they are planning to repeat the ritual for the next game, so, who knows, maybe "a couple" more friends might tag along too?
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
