Image via Twitter/Kaelyn Demmon

This mom has a genius way to check in on her teen

Mothers worry about our kids – that’s just what we do. It’s not that we don’t trust them (ok, sometimes we don’t trust them) but some kids, especially teens, have been known to occasionally lie. That’s just what they do. Luckily these days, it’s easier than ever to get a hold of our kids to check up on them, but that doesn’t always mean they are being truthful with their whereabouts or extracurricular activities.

Enter mom Heather Steinkopf. Steinkopf has an 18-year-old daughter, Kaelyn Demmon, who she occasionally checks up on in an ingenious way. When she needs “proof of life” she makes her daughter take a picture of herself posing in a certain position, which can make for quite the entertaining exchange.

I think it's safe to say my mom doesn't trust me pic.twitter.com/67fUqUBUpI — Kaelyn (@kaelyned) July 29, 2017

Demmon was hanging out with her best friend, Stevie Holbrook, also 18, on a recent Friday night when she got the request from her mom. Holbrook told BuzzFeed News that the pair were “having a movie night at my house before I left for college.” Demmon’s mom, however, was not so sure the two were just having an innocent night at home, so she requested proof.

“Where are you?” Steinkopf text Demmon. “Before you lie, where is your car?” When her daughter explained both she and her car were really at Stevie’s, mom requested a very specific selfie. “Send a selfie of the two of you both giving me the thumbs up.” When the girls obliged, Steinkopf wasn’t happy with the lighting situation. “With the light on,” she sent back. Then, “I think you photo cropped Stevie in to the picture, get on her back and take another picture.”

The mom game on this one is strong. Listen, there is a reason mother’s intuition is legendary. While it’s not 100 percent accurate every single time, there is a reason behind every single thing we do for our kids. And even when there isn’t, our kids are going to do what we ask anyway BECAUSE WE SAID SO.

Steinkopf told BuzzFeed News that she doesn’t request selfies often, but asks her daughter to pose in a specific position, “knowing that Demmon has pics with friends at the ready on her camera roll.” Because teens are sneaky and it’s our job to crush their spirit make sure they are safe at all times. The teen admitted her mom’s selfie strategy has gotten her into trouble in the past because she’s lied. “There’ve been times when I’ve said I’m at Stevie’s when I’m at a bonfire or something,” she said.

When Demmon posted the exchange on Twitter, people couldn’t get enough and jumped in with stories of their own mothers:

I feel you girl..... pic.twitter.com/jbPs4nuBkj — Jill Apeño (@BuzzkillJilll) August 1, 2017

Ha. I tried that with my daughter. Here is what she just sent me pic.twitter.com/N5gwHjHtpb — Marysays (@maryiz) August 2, 2017

Just for the record, I'm 30, married & own my own home. I STILL get this stuff from my mom. #TrueStory — Kimmy (@rockon1021) August 2, 2017

She loves you and protects you. She doesn't need to trust you. — Carla Mendez (@blurb40390132) August 2, 2017

Your mom is awesome. — Tom Pfeifer (@adaisyifyoudo) August 2, 2017

IF THIS AINT MY MOTHER https://t.co/7xKNpzHOWf — D (@dailynp_) July 31, 2017

In the end, Steinkopf believed her daughter after she sent the first photo but kept asking for more pictures of the duo for her own entertainment. “I knew she was where she said she was,” Steinkopf told Buzzfeed News. “But it was more fun to keep her doing different things.”

Well played, mama.