AITA for making my son clean up after his sister in the bathroom?

Shirley Stafford Hours
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Imagine a quiet evening shattered by a teenage girl’s horrified cries from the bathroom, all thanks to a prank gone horribly wrong. A 12-year-old boy, inspired by the wild world of TikTok, decided Saran Wrap over the toilet was peak comedy—until it left his sister humiliated and the bathroom a mess. This mom stepped in, doling out a punishment that felt like justice to her but sparked a family feud.

Caught between a sobbing daughter, a sulky son, and a disapproving husband, this Reddit tale dives into the messy side of parenting. Was making her son clean up his sister’s pee a stroke of tough-love genius or a step too far? With pranks, consequences, and family loyalties at play, this story serves up a relatable slice of household chaos that’s sure to get you talking.

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‘AITA for making my son clean up after his sister in the bathroom?’

I'm 40s F and have 2 children, 'Dax' M12, and 'Mia' F14. (Not real names for privacy.). My kids don't get along super well, Dax thinks 'pranks'are really funny, I guess like every 12 year old boy, and he annoys Mia with them a lot. It's something my husband and I have been working on as it's the source of many fights between them.

Dax gets a lot of prank ideas from YouTube and TikTok and will often recreate what he sees. Most of them are harmless (something like a fake spider in her food etc.), but this time I think he went too far. Dax thought it would be funny to put Saran Wrap over the toilet before my daughter went to the bathroom.

He says he got the idea from online? Idk if this is a thing but it's a terrible prank. Basically he put plastic wrap under the toilet seat so if someone sits on it, well pretty much it makes a mess instead of going in the bowl. Yeah I know, ew. So he does this right before Mia goes in the bathroom to pee.

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When she gets in there she sits on the seat like normal, pees, and since there's plastic wrap over the hole, her pee collects on it and gets everywhere, all around the ground on the toilet and on her. She comes to me crying. She's embarrassed because she's a teenage girl and this is... disgusting.

I told Mia to shower and not worry about the mess. Here's where I might be TA... I go to my Son and yell at him for what he did. I tell him that's not an appropriate prank and he's old enough to know that's not okay. And then I made him clean in up. He started crying saying it's unfair I make him clean his sisters pee.

'It's gross and he's going to be sick.' He says 'it's from her body so she should clean it.' But it was all his fault and literally his mess to deal with, I don't know why I should humiliate my daughter further or why I should have to clean it. And biggest thing, he needs to learn.

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I told him the mess was his fault and he should think about the repercussions of his actions next time, because this is what his prank caused. And then I stood in the doorway and watched as I made him clean all of the urine off the floor and toilet.

I think it was an appropriate punishment considering it's really just the natural consequence of what he did, and it doubles as a general lesson in how to clean a toilet which he has to learn at some point anyway. Well my husband disagrees. This all happened while he was at work, and after he got home Dax complained to him.

He told me I was overly harsh on our son and 'put him in danger' by exposing him to germs. But I gave him the same gloves I use when I have to wash the toilet and it's not like he was unsupervised. But my husband is mad at me and told me I want 'too far' and that's 'bad parenting.' Of course my son is mad at me too. But my daughter is on my side.. AITA? Am I a bad Mom?

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This toilet prank fiasco underscores the challenge of teaching kids accountability without crossing into cruelty. As parenting expert Dr. Laura Markham notes, “Discipline works best when it’s a logical consequence tied to the misbehavior” . The mom’s choice to make her son clean the mess aligns with this, directly linking his prank to its fallout. It’s a lesson in cause and effect, delivered with rubber gloves.

The son’s distress is real—cleaning urine is gross, especially at 12. But the daughter’s humiliation, as a 14-year-old girl, carries deeper emotional weight. The husband’s “germ danger” argument feels overblown; the CDC confirms household cleaning with gloves poses minimal risk .

Markham advises parents to stay united and focus on empathy-driven consequences. The mom could reinforce the lesson by discussing respect with her son or limiting his TikTok access, where prank culture thrives.

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Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

Reddit didn’t hold back on this one, serving up a mix of cheers and jeers with classic online flair. Here’s the scoop on what the community had to say, sprinkled with a dash of humor!

Accomplished_Two1611 − You were right. There wouldn't have been pee on the floor if he hadn't played his stupid prank. Your husband should back you up. He isn't doing Dax any good. I am tempted to advocate for his internet access to be restricted, he has shown he isn't using it responsibly. Btw, what did your husband think was suitable punishment? NTA.

Doggers1968 − NTA. Your kid is learning what it means to reap the consequences of his actions.

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the_owl_syndicate − NTA But I have a feeling your husband and his reaction are why your son is still pulling stupid pranks. Does husband always undermine you like that?

Weekend_Breakfast − He told me I was overly harsh on our son and 'put him in danger' by exposing him to germs. So your daughter should have been exposed to germs instead and had to clean up a mess she in no way had a hand in making?

What is that? NTA. Cleaning the toilet isn't torture or harsh punishment. It's a household chore someone has to do. He just made it dirtier for himself by pranking his sister. Maybe he'll knock it off finally and poor Mia will get some peace.

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perfectpomelo3 − NTA. I can see who has let your son get away with b**lshit pranks in the past. Does your husband think you would have been “in danger” and “exposed to germs” if you had been the one to clean the toilet? Or is it only his precious son who is that delicate that he can’t clean?

gracenweaver − NTA. This is actually excellent parenting. Your son may rethink his actions in the future if he knows that he may be the one to suffer the consequences. You can also ask hubby if he wanted you to leave the mess for HIM to clean when he got home from work??

FrancisFratelli − NTA. Janitors clean up other people's pee and worse all the time. Give him some gloves and tell him not to be a whiny brat.. Also, ban him from YouTube and TikTok.

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similar_name4489 − NTA your husband is a massive A for calling you a bad parent.. Considering people can drink pee because it’s mostly sterile, the precious boy is safe. Is your husband responsible for cleaning the toilet at all or is it just you? If it’s you, you might want to put him on toilet cleaning duty from now on, since he has shown an attitude about it and his attitude may be sexist rather than germ conscious that he protests.

ibe404error − Your husband sounds like he babies your son way to much. 'Expose him to germs and put him in danger'? You all live together, there is fecal matter and all of your germs everywhere no matter how hard you clean.. You did the right thing. You do something stupid, you pay the consequence.. 100% NTA. Good on you for being a actual parent and punishing your child correctly.

FritosRule − NTA. Kid caused a mess, kid cleans up the mess. Husband is an i**ot. Daughters pee won’t threaten your sons life *eyeroll*. Did he never change diapers when your kids were small? Additional YTA for not regulating the garbage your kid is watching on TikTok. Delete and block that garbage from his devices.

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These Redditors laid it all out, but are they parenting gurus or just keyboard critics?

This bathroom blunder shows parenting is no clean job—sometimes it’s about rolling up your sleeves and teaching hard lessons. The mom’s call to make her son clean up feels like a fair consequence, but her husband’s pushback highlights the tricky balance of discipline. Will this prankster think twice before his next TikTok-inspired stunt? If you were in her shoes, how would you handle the fallout? Drop your thoughts below and let’s keep the parenting convo flowing!

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