Mum’s controversial response after discovering her six-year-old son’s sneaky act before Christmas: ‘The audacity’
A Melbourne mother was in tears after discovering her six-year-old son had sneakily peeked inside a wrapped present beneath the Christmas tree.
Mother-of-two Crystal-Eve was looking forward to surprising her little boy Taj with the top gift on his Christmas wishlist – a PlayStation 5.
But just weeks before December 25, the cheeky boy subtly ripped open his gift from the family, which had been sitting wrapped under the tree.
The distraught mum couldn’t hide her emotions and disappointment when she realised Taj had peeked through the tear in the enormous package to discover he was getting a gaming console – breaking an unspoken Christmas rule.
‘Taj has opened his Christmas present under the tree,’ Crystal-Eve said as she cried after realising what had happened.
Her little boy could have gotten away with it, but he decided to film a video of himself revealing he knew what he was getting for Christmas.
‘He’s gone without me looking and opened it and seen there’s a PS5 in there,’ she vented in a video shared to her TikTok account.
‘Then he has the audacity to film it. Films himself opening the present and telling everybody like he’s a YouTube star or something.
‘Do I just take it back? Does he get nothing? Do I just call it out?’
The Aussie mum made the discovery after viewing a video her son had made of him sneakily peeking inside the wrapped gift
Melbourne mother-of-two Crystal-Eve (centre) was disappointed to discover her six-year-old son Taj (right) peeked at his Christmas present, which was wrapped and under the tree
Ultimately, Crystal-Eve decided the best way to teach her son a lesson was to take the gaming device away – as seen in the conclusion of her now-viral video.
It showed Taj receiving a note from his Elf on a Shelf, which read: ‘We took your PlayStation to Santa to give to another child. Opening presents before Christmas is not allowed!! If we see you be good and earn it back, we will return your PS5.’
The video shared to her account under the handle @crystahlia quickly exploded online and has so far been viewed over 400,000 times. But responses to the mother’s punishment were sharply divided. Some felt it was harsh, while others believed removing the present was an important lesson in patience and resisting temptation.
Those opposing Crystal-Eve’s actions argued that expecting this level of self-control was too much to ask of a small child.
‘Oh come on, he’s only six. It would be cruel to take it away,’ one said.
‘That’s rough, he’s only six,’ agreed another. ‘Completely taking it away and returning it is a bit harsh. You can still have a conversation and consequences without completely crushing him.’
‘Never will I understand why parents with young kids put presents under the tree so early. He got curious. He is only six…’
One thoughtful response offered a deeper explanation: ‘The brain’s prefrontal cortex, responsible for self-regulation and decision-making, continues to develop throughout adolescence and into the early twenties. Don’t punish a literal child for being a child.’
As a consequence for peeking at the present early, the mother penned a note delivered by an Elf on the Shelf which explained that Santa had taken the PS5 away
Another added: ‘While I understand the lesson, it is hard for a child with underdeveloped impulse control to resist the temptation.’
However, many replies came out in support of the mum’s decisive response, arguing that the removal of the present sent a strong and clear message about unacceptable behaviour.
‘You didn’t do anything wrong,’ one said. ‘For generations parents have put presents under the tree and kids knew not to open them. His age isn’t an excuse.’
‘Lessons need to be taught. He did the wrong thing,’ another suggested. ‘Now it gets taken back to the store – you don’t get rewarded for bad behaviour.’
‘Take it back and don’t give it to him! He needs to learn the consequences of his actions! Make him accountable!’
‘My parents did this to me. It was a good lesson and I never did it again. I think I was seven,’ another confirmed.
‘It’s tough love and in the future, he will remember it. Wrap a box of rocks and give it to him on Christmas morning. That is the consequence of his choices.’
Crystal-Eve herself also backed her decision in the post’s replies, explaining that she felt it was important to teach her children ‘how to control temptation because I don’t want my kids growing up and having no control of themselves.’
The distraught mum shared a rant in a video filmed in near darkness. After posting it to her @crystahlia TikTok account, the video quickly went viral
‘This [mightn’t be] something you’d agree with, but I think it’s better than teaching them no control at all.’
But a number of replies sat somewhere in the middle – agreeing it was disappointing her son had peeked, but also suggesting simple ways the mother could have avoided the situation.
‘In future, keep the presents away and put them under the tree on Christmas morning!’ recommended one.
‘I never put the big presents under the tree before Christmas,’ agreed another.
Others felt returning the PlayStation was extreme, and suggested a happy medium.
‘I wouldn’t take it back but I wouldn’t give it to him for Christmas – I’d pack it away in the cupboard for next Christmas.’
‘You can tell him it’s gone to another child but if he’s good, it comes back.’
Meanwhile, a number of respondents confessed to similar behaviour in their childhood – but only got away with it because there was no evidence.
‘We all did this as kids – just didn’t film it,’ one said, laughing.
‘At his age I was poking my finger through the paper to peek,’ admitted another.
Daily Mail spoke to Crystal-Eve for an update. She confirmed her son was rewarded for his recent good behaviour by receiving the PlayStation5 as a birthday present
Daily Mail spoke to Crystal-Eve for an update on what happened next in the present dilemma – and pleasingly, there was both a happy ending and a valuable lesson learned.
Taj’s birthday happens to fall in early December – a short time after the PlayStation present-peeking incident.
Crystal-Eve explained that after observing her son making a concerted effort to behave better at home and do his chores, she decided he’d earned the PlayStation back – and gifted it to him as his birthday present.
But before handing it over, she had one more trick up her sleeve, to make sure the message really hit home about the consequences of peeking at Christmas presents early.
A follow-up video showed Crystal-Eve presenting Taj with his birthday present, alongside a note from the Christmas elves explaining that the PS5 had been returned for his birthday as a reward for recent good behaviour.
But after unwrapping the paper and revealing the box marked with the PlayStation logo, Taj opened it only to find it was stuffed full of toilet rolls. As the stunned boy tried to make sense of it, his mother finally handed him the real game console.
A relieved Taj concluded: ‘I’m shocked. I’m gonna be a good boy now. Thank you mum.’
‘I can confirm he now has his PlayStation, which he got for his birthday,’ Crystal-Eve told Daily Mail.
She added: ‘I’m proud I was able to turn a negative situation into a positive – with a bit of fun for both of us.’
Many applauded the mum for teaching her boy a lesson, with one saying: ‘He definitely understood his lesson after the toilet paper and the immediate “thank you mummy” when he got his games was really sweet. He seems like a precious soul.’
‘You ended up handling it beautifully,’ another added.
