Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Parent Asks The Internet To Help Them Identify The Things They Found In Son’s Room, And They Know Right Away
An angry parent scolding their son who looks downcast. A serious talk about a weird object in son's room.

Parent Asks The Internet To Help Them Identify The Things They Found In Son’s Room, And They Know Right Away

42

ADVERTISEMENT

Raising children in this day and age can be challenging. With instant access to information, kids are more likely to explore things that raise questions, even concerns, for their mother and father. 

This was a quandary a parent found themselves in after stumbling upon a “little plastic thing” in their teenage son’s bedroom. With absolutely no clue what it could be, they turned to the internet for answers. 

Fortunately, the online community they asked had no shortage of possible theories, which only prompted more prodding. 

RELATED:

    Raising kids isn’t easy, and sometimes parents need to seek help online

    africaimages / Envato (not the actual photo)

    This parent asked the internet to help identify something they’d found in their son’s room

    ADVERTISEMENT

    AmoebaSuccessful3393 / Reddit

    The bedroom becomes a child’s sanctuary once they reach adolescence

    Everyone who went through teenhood has made their bedroom a sanctuary. They’ve kept this space sacred exclusively for themselves. 

    According to psychologist Carl Pickhardt, this is one of the “surer signs” that the child has entered adolescence. 

    “The young person’s bedroom becomes increasingly emblematic of youthful determination to live more on her or his own terms,” Pickhardt wrote, noting that parental presence in the room is less welcome. 

    Of course, parents have the authority over their children, at least until adulthood. However, they must also respect privacy boundaries. 

    In the story’s case, one could argue that the author may have snooped in their son’s room and found the mysterious plastic object, which would be a breach of privacy. 

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Huy Phan / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

    That is why Pickhardt advises establishing reasonable, healthy family expectations in these situations. 

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “It’s best to clarify parental expectations about adolescent room use sooner rather than later,” he wrote. “About expectations for managing the growing power of the bedroom in your adolescent’s personal life and your family life.”

    However, every parent will likely grow concerned when they see something unfamiliar and mysterious in their child’s possession, as the author did. And they did the right thing by anonymously asking the internet first, instead of confronting the teen straight up. 

    The post drew traction, and people began debating what it could be

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    However, most readers already had a clue on what it could be

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The teen seems to be in serious trouble thanks to the internet

    Poll Question

    Total votes ·

    Thanks! Check out the results:

    Total votes ·
    Share on Facebook
    Miguel Ordoñez

    Miguel Ordoñez

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

    Read less »
    Miguel Ordoñez

    Miguel Ordoñez

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

    Danielė Šidiškytė

    Danielė Šidiškytė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

    Read less »

    Danielė Šidiškytė

    Danielė Šidiškytė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

    What do you think ?
    Arabiata Arabiata
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why don’t the parents ask their kid what that plastic thing is? If they get an honest reply, the connection between the parents and the child is good. If the child beats around the bush, there are underlying problems in the relationship.

    Balseraph
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because it's a teen. Getting a straight answer out of a rebellious teen is harder than pulling teeth. Also they need to know what it IS before they can know if the answer is honest...

    Load More Replies...
    Rick Murray
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a teen in the 80s/early 90s, it was more: Be home by the time the streetlights come on, don't do d***s, and don't get anybody pregnant unless you can stand to be with her for the rest of your life, and don't *EVER* be brought home in the back of a police car. She'd been saying that since I was old enough to walk myself home from school, so I was quite aware of the rules by the time I was a teenager.

    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can't wait to see what he leaves for them to find next. My (now recovered, but at the time( very homophobic parents used to go through my stuff and I would leave all kinds of things that I knew they would interpret as "gay" to see how long they would pretend they weren't snooping trying to catch me at something. 3.5 years. They were so upset, it was beautiful. Crying and praying etc. Stop going out of your way to find the bad things your kid is doing and just deal with it if there's a problem. It'll save your relationship.

    K Ma
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When we were kids, my younger sister(10 at the time) put a bag of green tea under her pillow for good luck. Yes, I told her to do that because I was 15 at the time and thought it was funny. Mom found it, panicked, burned some and accused me of giving sis weed. Green tea does smell funny when it's burned. Sis and I teased her about it for years.

    Load More Replies...
    Chaotic Good
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To quote Bender from Futurama, "Have you ever tried turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?" /s

    Luke || Kira (he/she)
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Invading his privacy like that will only motivate him to do worse things and hide them better, out of spite.

    trollingergirl
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    maybe she just cleaned his bedroom, because apparently the kid does not clean his own room

    Load More Replies...
    StumblingThroughLife
    Community Member
    1 week ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Maybe the mum was changing the sheets/tidying? My son was messy and left me to tidy up. But TBF, I wouldn't have thought about a bit of plastic lying around.... I agreed to let one of my sibling's sons (20s) stay in the spare room at mine for a few weeks to until he found a rental, as his parents had bought a new house & moved to another town. He was a few weeks into his new job when they moved. Whilst changing his bedding the 2nd week in, I found a few tiny plastic bags with whitish residue in, (they were under his duvet!). I spoke to him when he got back from 'work' and he became verbally aggressive, and my adult son, who came over and was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, took over and watched him as he packed his stuff. I called his mum, and she admitted he had (still has btw, 8 yrs on) a 'problem' and that he'd lost his job nearly a week before, but didn't let me know because she didn't want to deal with it. As you might guess, I chose NC, re: both of them.

    Jo Smythe
    Community Member
    6 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    pretty sure that kid is into nerf blasters. some brands use these to secure the toy in the package...

    Karl
    Community Member
    5 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm on another forum where someone has asked about various item they've found in their teenager's bedroom. No matter how innocent it is, we all reply that it's "d**g paraphernalia" . Poor teenager... :)

    Jay Walsh
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So the real question, what is he REALLY hiding. If he's smart, he left that for her to find as a vice that is not nearly as bad as whatever he really wants to hide. Then again, this gen is dumber than we were.

    Gaerwing
    Community Member
    1 week ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    I'm so glad my mother wasn't like this. Maybe try crawling out of your kid's àrsehole and give him a bit of space? Dossing around on his bedroom floor looking for clues is weird helicopter parent behaviour, and if vaping is seriously the worst thing he's doing then he's fine.

    Rafael
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Vaping is far from harmless, she is right to be concerned.

    Load More Replies...
    Arabiata Arabiata
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why don’t the parents ask their kid what that plastic thing is? If they get an honest reply, the connection between the parents and the child is good. If the child beats around the bush, there are underlying problems in the relationship.

    Balseraph
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because it's a teen. Getting a straight answer out of a rebellious teen is harder than pulling teeth. Also they need to know what it IS before they can know if the answer is honest...

    Load More Replies...
    Rick Murray
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a teen in the 80s/early 90s, it was more: Be home by the time the streetlights come on, don't do d***s, and don't get anybody pregnant unless you can stand to be with her for the rest of your life, and don't *EVER* be brought home in the back of a police car. She'd been saying that since I was old enough to walk myself home from school, so I was quite aware of the rules by the time I was a teenager.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    FreeTheUnicorn
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can't wait to see what he leaves for them to find next. My (now recovered, but at the time( very homophobic parents used to go through my stuff and I would leave all kinds of things that I knew they would interpret as "gay" to see how long they would pretend they weren't snooping trying to catch me at something. 3.5 years. They were so upset, it was beautiful. Crying and praying etc. Stop going out of your way to find the bad things your kid is doing and just deal with it if there's a problem. It'll save your relationship.

    K Ma
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When we were kids, my younger sister(10 at the time) put a bag of green tea under her pillow for good luck. Yes, I told her to do that because I was 15 at the time and thought it was funny. Mom found it, panicked, burned some and accused me of giving sis weed. Green tea does smell funny when it's burned. Sis and I teased her about it for years.

    Load More Replies...
    Chaotic Good
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To quote Bender from Futurama, "Have you ever tried turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?" /s

    Luke || Kira (he/she)
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Invading his privacy like that will only motivate him to do worse things and hide them better, out of spite.

    trollingergirl
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    maybe she just cleaned his bedroom, because apparently the kid does not clean his own room

    Load More Replies...
    StumblingThroughLife
    Community Member
    1 week ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Maybe the mum was changing the sheets/tidying? My son was messy and left me to tidy up. But TBF, I wouldn't have thought about a bit of plastic lying around.... I agreed to let one of my sibling's sons (20s) stay in the spare room at mine for a few weeks to until he found a rental, as his parents had bought a new house & moved to another town. He was a few weeks into his new job when they moved. Whilst changing his bedding the 2nd week in, I found a few tiny plastic bags with whitish residue in, (they were under his duvet!). I spoke to him when he got back from 'work' and he became verbally aggressive, and my adult son, who came over and was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, took over and watched him as he packed his stuff. I called his mum, and she admitted he had (still has btw, 8 yrs on) a 'problem' and that he'd lost his job nearly a week before, but didn't let me know because she didn't want to deal with it. As you might guess, I chose NC, re: both of them.

    Jo Smythe
    Community Member
    6 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    pretty sure that kid is into nerf blasters. some brands use these to secure the toy in the package...

    Karl
    Community Member
    5 days ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm on another forum where someone has asked about various item they've found in their teenager's bedroom. No matter how innocent it is, we all reply that it's "d**g paraphernalia" . Poor teenager... :)

    Jay Walsh
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So the real question, what is he REALLY hiding. If he's smart, he left that for her to find as a vice that is not nearly as bad as whatever he really wants to hide. Then again, this gen is dumber than we were.

    Gaerwing
    Community Member
    1 week ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    I'm so glad my mother wasn't like this. Maybe try crawling out of your kid's àrsehole and give him a bit of space? Dossing around on his bedroom floor looking for clues is weird helicopter parent behaviour, and if vaping is seriously the worst thing he's doing then he's fine.

    Rafael
    Community Member
    1 week ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Vaping is far from harmless, she is right to be concerned.

    Load More Replies...
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT