Kids are known for leaving dirty laundry trails in the house. But this mom from Port Townsend, Washington decided to point it back at the perpetrator.

When Xep Campbell discovered her daughter Kestrel’s, 10, dirty sock on the bathroom floor, she started “a sort of sociological experiment,” leaving it where it was abandoned.

That’s not an uncommon occurrence in their house and the mom would usually just pick it up and toss it in the laundry. For some reason, in this case, she thought it would be amusing to see how long it would last if she didn’t pick it up.

A week went by. Nothing. Campbell’s daughter still hadn’t picked up the sock. Realizing this could go on for a while, the mom developed a new idea: mimicking the type of label high-end art galleries use to present their pieces with, Xep put up the information for this piece as well, listing her daughter as the artist of the “mixed media” display, later sharing the picture on Facebook.

Kestrel, however, was not to be outdone.

Image credits: Xep Campbell

Image credits: Xep Campbell

“Kestrel is a smart, gentle, kind, and friendly person,” Xep told Bored Panda, adding that she’s not that tidy

Image credits: Xep Campbell

When Kestrel discovered a note next to her forgotten sock (aha, it did work), she immediately thought her mom was behind it

Image credits: Xep Campbell

But the girl was not to be outdone

Image credits: Xep Campbell

And came up with the perfect response

Image credits: Xep Campbell

Image credits: Xep Campbell

Soon, the exhibition expanded with a mysterious monolith, just like the one that appeared in Utah

Image credits: Xep Campbell

Image credits: Xep Campbell

More pieces of art were added

Image credits: Xep Campbell

And it became quite the event

Image credits: Xep Campbell

“The display is still up. I’m afraid to touch it at this point!”

Image credits: Xep Campbell

“The animals meander and mingle around in different configurations as if they’re at an art opening now”

Image credits: Xep Campbell

“My daughter and I have a wonderful, communicative relationship,” Xep wrote, updating her post after it blew up. “We are very silly together and understand the importance of being ridiculous and absurd. I honestly did not expect this post to go viral — it was just another silly thing we did.”

Many people have told the mom to use the momentum and publish a book or find another way to take advantage of the situation. After giving it some thought, however, Campbell realized she doesn’t really want any personal gain from the sudden Internet fame. There is something she would rather people considered instead.

“I would like to say that if this moved you or made you giggle in a way that felt really good and if you want to give something back, a donation to this amazing organization called Jumping Mouse Children’s Center would mean a lot to me. They do play-based therapy that changes the lives of children who have experienced trauma. They rely partially on community donations to keep therapy accessible to children in need. Here is a link to their donation page if you are so inclined. You can even make your gift In Honor of The Forgotten Sock.”

Here’s what people said about the wholesome ‘sock war’

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