Basic Trope: It's really cold or hot, so Alice and Bob go to adjust the thermostat. Their parents Charlie and/or Diane tell them not to touch it.
- Straight: Alice and Bob are told not to touch the thermostat for whatever reason.
- Exaggerated:
- It's incredibly hot or cold in the house—and Charlie and Diane still won't adjust the thermostat.
- Charlie and Diane literally teleport in the second they sense someone's touched the thermostat.
- Downplayed: Alice and Bob simply ask, "Is it all right if we turn the thermostat up/down a bit?"
- Justified:
- Alice and Bob are in an RV or a boat—and recklessly adjusting the climate control can drain the battery.
- Alice and Bob are dirt-poor and don't touch the thermostat to save electricity.
- Inverted: Charlie and Diane ask Alice and Bob to adjust the thermostat.
- Lampshaded: Alice and/or Bob point out that it's odd how Charlie and Diane know when someone touches the thermostat even if it gets adjusted up/down by one degree.
- Discussed: "Is it just me, or do parents immediately know when someone touches the thermostat?"
- Parodied: Charlie and Diane have a house rule where they will break one finger for every degree the thermostat is changed by.
- Played for Drama: CPS visits because one of the kids complained at school that the family can't afford heating oil.
