Deep Cleaning

Together, Vivian and Maya deep cleaned Maya’s room. They uncovered even more nasty things buried under piles of clothes and under the bed, and it felt like Maya was seeing her room clearly for the first time.

Vivian felt like they were finally on the same page. Maya was even asking her questions about the best ways to clean, tidy, and organize her stuff. It felt like a breakthrough. Vivian was happy she’d played the cruel trick with the cockroaches. It had had exactly the effect she’d wanted.

Maya’s Resolve

Later that evening, they were both exhausted. Vivian ordered pizza for dinner and they shared it in front of a movie. Afterward, Maya took the plates through and started loading the dishwasher. Vivian couldn’t believe her eyes. It was almost a miracle.

Her daughter turned to her and said, “Mom, I’m sorry for the way I’ve been behaving. It wasn’t fair to you and I don’t want any more gross cockroaches coming into our home. I’m going to pull my weight and keep my room clean from now on.” The plan had worked. Her plan worked.

Sharing Her Story

Vivian knew that some of the moms she knew also struggled with getting their teens to help out around the house. Because her little ruse had been so successful, she decided she needed to share it with the world. It was worth sharing, her stubborn messy daughter has managed to get herself together after all.

She had taken videos during the cockroach release and she decided to make a TikTok video to show off her parenting win. Maya didn’t follow her on social media so there was no reason she’d ever see it. Or so she thought.

Going Viral

However, the next morning Vivian woke up to her phone buzzing like mad. She picked it up with bleary eyes, but then sat bolt upright. Her video had more than 50,000 views with more coming in. It had gone viral.

Most parents were praising her for her sly actions, but others were criticizing her parenting techniques for being too cruel. She knew you couldn’t win them all on social media and she was just happy with the views. But then she realized that this could be a problem.

Feeling Guilty

Vivian started to feel worried. Maya was going to see and she’d know exactly what she’d done. She knew she had warned her that she was going to play a trick, but she was sure Maya would never have imagined that her mom would do such a thing.

She started to feel guilty. Maybe she shouldn’t have done something so unpleasant, let alone share it with the world. What had she been thinking? But then again, it had worked so well. All she knew was that Maya was sure to see the video any minute now.

Maya’s Reaction

Vivian was right. It wasn’t long before she heard a shriek from Maya’s room and then loud footsteps. Vivian realized her daughter must have seen the TikTok. Seconds later, she burst into her mom’s room. And she knew this is not how she was supposed to find it out.

“MOM! You deliberately put those cockroaches IN MY BED?! And then you posted it on TikTok?! WHAT?! Are you out of your mind? How could you? I hate you!” she screamed. Then she burst into tears and ran out of the room, slamming the door with a bang. She was hurt and Vivian knew she messed up.