Mother’s prank on her son backfires when she can’t wipe away the doodles on his face

A mother was left red-faced after being forced to send her son into school with fake eyebrows and a moustache after her prank backfired.

Lynsey Lawrie, 39, from Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, had doodled freckles, a moustache, beard and eyebrows onto her sleeping son with a crayon, making it look like the work of a naughty Christmas elf.  

However, when she came to wipe the drawings off she realised that they wouldn’t come off.

Lynsey was forced to ‘sneak away’ from her son’s school gates to avoid being quizzed over the drawings on seven-year-old Steven McGhee’s face. 

Steven McGhee, seven, (pictured) from Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was forced to go into school with doodles on his face after his mother’s night-time prank backfired

Steven and his elf with his mother's late-night doodles still visible on his face. His mother was left mortified when her prank backfired and the marker pen wouldn't wash off

Steven and his elf with his mother’s late-night doodles still visible on his face. His mother was left mortified when her prank backfired and the marker pen wouldn’t wash off 

A picture taken during the night of the prank show Steven asleep with the doodles on his face, with an elf sitting on his headboard holding a crayon.

Mother-of-three Lynsey had even drawn the same markings on the elf to convince her son that the elf was responsible. 

Lynsey said: ‘We were thinking of something sitting on the sofa, and then five minutes later I crept into his room.

‘I got the crayon from his school bag and got a wee bit carried away. I was only supposed to do the moustache but then I added more and had to stop myself in the end.

‘He goes into a deep sleep, so he didn’t wake up. I drew on the elf so he was matching and then when Steven woke up he came into my room and I asked him what happened.

However, when the morning came, Lynsey was left red-faced when, after 20 minutes of scrubbing with soapy water, the drawings wouldn't budge

However, when the morning came, Lynsey was left red-faced when, after 20 minutes of scrubbing with soapy water, the drawings wouldn’t budge

Lynsey had been so proud of her prank before it went wrong that she even shared it on the family group chat

Lynsey had been so proud of her prank before it went wrong that she even shared it on the family group chat

‘He was a bit shocked, so I told him to look in the mirror and when he did, he said ‘oh no, I need to go to school like this’, then he saw the elf in his room.’

However, the care assistant’s laughs quickly stopped when she realised the drawings weren’t coming off her son’s face, even after 20 minutes of wiping with soapy water. 

With time running out, Lynsey was forced to take Steven to school with the smudged doodles still visible on his face.

She said: ‘I tried to help get it off with soapy water and baby wipes but it still left a mark. He wasn’t very happy going to school. I didn’t think about that. If I had, I probably wouldn’t have done it.

‘I had to take him to school with some of it still on. Luckily none of the parents mentioned it. I managed to just drop him off and sneak away so nobody said anything to me.’ 

Steven still blames the elf for the marks on his face, and has previously been duped into believing that the elf had eaten his advent calendar (pictured)

Steven still blames the elf for the marks on his face, and has previously been duped into believing that the elf had eaten his advent calendar (pictured)

Another prank that the elf allegedly carried out was covering the living room in rolls of toilet paper

Another prank that the elf allegedly carried out was covering the living room in rolls of toilet paper

It wasn’t until Steven had a bath later that day, on December 8, that the drawings came off and Lynsey has warned other parents to avoid playing elf on a shelf pranks on a school night. 

Despite the embarrassment Steven eventually saw the funny side of the prank but continues to believe that it was the elf to blame. 

Lynsey said that the elf has already eaten Steven’s advent calendar, cut up his pyjamas and covered the living room in toilet paper.

After drawing on Steven’s face, Lynsey shared her prank in the family group chat, saying: ‘I thought I would let Elf be naughty tonight.’ 

Daughter Emma Stewart, 16, and partner Steven McGhee, who live with Lynsey and Steven, found the prank hilarious, even when the mum couldn’t wipe her drawings off.

Lynsey snuck away from her son's school gates the morning so that she wouldn't get quizzed about the faded drawings on her son's face

Lynsey snuck away from her son’s school gates the morning so that she wouldn’t get quizzed about the faded drawings on her son’s face

Her 20-year-old daughter Megan Stewart, who lives away at university in Glasgow, even posted a screenshot of Lynsey’s prank, declaring ‘mum’s takes naughty elf too far again’.

Despite the embarrassing mishap, Lynsey is glad Steven still enjoys the elf’s mischief but has warned other parents to think their pranks through before getting carried away.

She said: ‘In future I’ll do things like this when he’s not going anywhere. Other parents should wait for the weekend if they’re going to do stuff like that.

‘[Steven] saw the funny side eventually and was telling his friends about it, and he’s still excited every morning to see what the elf’s done. It’s all been a good bit of fun.’