Our Clever Teen’s Scarecrow Prank Had Us Fooled — Until We Discovered the Truth

Our Teenage Son Made a Scarecrow to Trick Us Into Thinking He Was Home While Sneaking Out

We believed we had everything under control after establishing some guidelines regarding gaming to help our son spend less time in front of a screen. The police arrived at our door shortly after we found a scarecrow seated at his desk.

It’s difficult enough to raise teenagers without them putting on elaborate antics. However, my husband and I were able to get what we wanted for my son because of what he did.

The truth is that my 13-year-old son, Noah, turned into a complete hermit who was obsessed with video games. It smelled like a cave, and his room had turned like one. Not to mention the incessant glow of a gaming monitor.

He was glued to his chair, breathing chips like a vacuum, unless he was locked in his room screaming at virtual characters.

I started a “let’s talk about feelings” conversation in an attempt to pique his interest in other things. It was unsuccessful. By offering to take Noah to a baseball game if he caught the ball with him outside, my husband attempted the “be the fun dad” strategy. This also didn’t work.

Regretfully, I was no longer able to observe our child as it transformed into a mushroom before us. A child who took care of himself and didn’t make a lot of noise would please some parents.

It was accurate. Noah was very autonomous 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 getting outside. He was also so pallid that he may as well be named Count Orlok.

I therefore devised THE PLAN. I hesitated since I wasn’t a fan of being such a severe 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 really rough, 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.

I flinched whenever he slammed his door. But our son began doing it more often, indicating he was leaving his room to really do it.

My husband was apprehensive, but I told him this was wonderful.

Noah remained enraged for the next few days and scarcely spoke to us, but sooner than I thought, he transformed. He started spending more time outside his room. He even sat quietly next to his father at one point, watching whatever game was on.

At least he was interacting with others, even though it was just another screen. After a while, he began to go outside and spoke in phrases like “I’m going to get some air.”

It sounded suspiciously similar to “I’m starting over and reinventing myself as a social butterfly.” Perhaps he hoped that if he was good, we would reconsider the ban. But our plan was working, so we weren’t going to.

His father and I would exchange knowing glances whenever he left our home. We were aware that he had a plan.

Telling my husband, “He’s trying to sneak out to play games somewhere else,”

His nose wrinkled. “It’s feasible, but it’s preferable to staying home and playing games with a friend. Correct? For the time being, let’s just watch him,” he said.

I accepted, but one night, about two weeks after we implemented the game restriction, I happened to pass the hallway and saw Noah’s door open a little. It was not like that.

I took a look inside.

A hooded figure sat in his chair, still, with its back to the television. I moved in closer and touched his shoulder because the screen was entirely blank.

Noah wasn’t the one.

I blinked, then choked back a chuckle. It was actually a hoodie thrown over a mop, or perhaps a scarecrow. To create a body, pillows were crammed below. In order to deceive us and sneak out at night, my little sneak had constructed a fictitious persona.

Thus, he rebelled against the game prohibition in this way. But I was thrilled rather than upset!

Perhaps he was interacting with others more because he was behaving like a true teenager!

I told my hubby while I was in my bedroom. He intended to chastise him, but I thought of something else. “We shouldn’t go up to him just yet. Let him believe he is deceiving us! “This is preferable to therapy,” I proposed.

Despite his reluctance, I could see he was anxious.

Noah consistently left the scarecrow up when he sneaked out on multiple consecutive evenings. When he got back, he would have plenty of time to get some rest before I woke him up for school.

But before long, I began to worry about the people he might be seeing and the locations he might be traveling. The following time he “went for air” at night, we made the decision to follow him.

In order to keep him from seeing our automobile, we took care to drive slowly and far away. Five minutes from our house, he arrived in a nearby park.

I scowled in confusion because this was not what I had anticipated. I assumed he would continue playing games at a friend’s house.

Rather, my son took a sketchpad, sat on the closest bench that was lit by a lamppost, and started drawing.

I gave my husband a shove. “Since when does Noah draw?”

He shrugged, but he whispered, “And who’s that girl?” and gestured back to our son.

I turned to see a pretty adolescent girl sitting next to Noah with her own sketchpad, smiling as she walked over. They both laughed when she showed him a page.

They appeared to be in love! I may have been overstating things, but this was better than I could have ever dreamed!

We knew the park was safe because it was quiet and deserted at night. Fresh air and time spent with a friend, away from a screen, was exactly what we wanted for him.

We watched them from the safety of our car while the engine was off.

“Should we talk to him?” I said in a whisper, but they couldn’t possibly hear me.

“No,” my spouse smiled in response. “Let him have his moment.”

We waited until Noah and the girl packed up their things and walked away together. I assumed they were heading to her home.

Once they were gone, we started the car and drove home.

I was still buzzing with excitement.

“Our son is… normal!” I exclaimed.

“Let’s not jinx it,” my spouse chuckled.

But our joy was short-lived.

When we arrived back, two police policemen were waiting on our doorstep. One was a stern-looking man in his 30s, while the other appeared younger and friendlier.

“Good evening. Are you the occupants here?” the older cop questioned.

“Yes,” I responded as I stepped up to them. “Is something wrong?”

“We received a call from a concerned neighbor. By the information we have, your son has been sitting unmoving at his desk for hours. We came to check and make sure everything was alright.”

My husband and I exchanged wide-eyed looks, hardly controlling our laughter.

“Oh! “Oh no,” I said, still attempting to maintain my composure. “Please enter. We can provide an explanation.

Once inside, I pointed to the scarecrow and guided the officers to Noah’s room. “That’s who you’ve been watching,” I responded.

The cops gaped in shock at the statistic.

Before long, the younger one started laughing. “He made a scarecrow to sneak out?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said with a smile. “It’s… a long story.”

At that moment, Noah entered through the front door. The sight of the policemen made him freeze.

With a pale face, he inquired, “What’s going on?”

The officers looked at him. “We’re here because someone thought you’d been sitting in your room for hours without moving.”

Noah’s cheeks flushed. He mumbled, “It’s a scarecrow,”

“We noticed,” remarked the senior officer sourly. “Quite creative. Next time, though, leave a note saying ‘Gone Fishing’ or something.”

We all laughed as the older officer cracked a smile, and my son’s face got redder.

After the policemen left, my husband and I sat Noah down.

“We knew you were sneaking out all along,” I said. “We followed you to the park.”

Noah’s mouth fell open. “You what?”

“We saw you drawing,” my spouse added. “And the girl. She appears pleasant.”

Noah grumbled. “You guys are the worst.” He leaned back in his chair, but a second later, a faint smile flashed on his lips. “I do like drawing,” he said. “And… it feels good to be outside.”

My husband and I grinned at each other.

“That’s all we wanted,” I said. “Balance. Games aren’t the only thing in life.

Noah gave a nod.

My husband went on, “All right, so everything is in the open now, but you can’t sneak out anymore.” “You must inform us of your destination and companions. It’s crucial for your security.

We were all set once our youngster nodded once more.

We soon got to know Emily, his companion. She even joined him to play “League of Whatever” (yep, the game was unbanned).

However, they also sketched outside on the back porch.

It’s been a long time. Noah still plays video games, of course, but he balances it out. He even became a member of the school’s art club. Since then, Emily has been his official first girlfriend, and we haven’t seen the scarecrow.