My teen refused to tidy her room, so I planned the ultimate gross revenge

"You resort to what you've gotta do to teach a lesson," the mum said, but not everyone was on board with her unconventional approach. 

Teaching our children valuable lessons can often prove to be... quite a challenge. 

The goal is for them to understand the teachings in a meaningful way, and as a result, parents occasionally go to great lengths to really drive home their message.

That's exactly what one mum at her wit's end found herself doing about her teenage daughter's persistently messy room.

But her unconventional approach has the internet divided.

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"I'd say, all in all, it worked"

Somer LeeAnn from @sumertyme716 filmed herself walking through the dirty room and putting a cockroach on her daughter's bed. 

In the viral clip which now has 8.8 million views, she wrote: "When your teenage daughter won't keep her room clean, you resort to what you gotta do to teach her a lesson."

In a follow-up video, Somer explained that she and her husband went out to run errands but watched to see their daughter's reaction on their family's Ring camera. 

Image: IStock

They heard her scream multiple times and then she began frantically carrying out dirty plates and rubbish from her room.

"I'd say, all in all, it worked," the mum said, smugly. 

She adds, "I worked for a pest control company, and I know that if you don't clean up after yourself, then you're going to eventually end up with bugs.

"We work really hard for the things we provide her, and we want her to treat it with respect. She's been given many chances and she chose not to listen."

She concluded, "Do I feel bad for putting the roach in her bed? Not at all, not even a little bit."

Image: IStock

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"Seems like you've introduced a logical consequence"

People took to the comments to praise Somer's unconventional parenting. 

"Life lesson! Great job mum!" one person said. 

Another wrote: "Awesome idea - nothing wrong with what you did!"

And a third said: "Seems like you've introduced a logical consequence. Well done mum."

"I found this quite amusing. This is typical parenting when dealing with daughters. Sometimes they need to learn the hard way," another commentator agreed.

But not everyone embraced the approach. 

"You couldn't just communicate like a normal person? WTF," one person questioned. 

"You're lying to your kids instead of explaining or helping them. You're not raising an adult. Don't be surprised when you get a grown-up kid," said someone else.

Somer replied: "Yeah... bet your kids didn't believe in Santa Claus either huh? Strange I have three other productive ADULTS I raised."

Originally published as My teen refused to tidy her room, so I planned the ultimate gross revenge