Do you think it's okay for a parent to read their childs diary, emails or anything?

Question

Do you think a child would be resentful of that, and never see their parents the same way, or never really trust them again?

Answer 1

My parents did that to me when I was younger. I think it's okay to a degree - in order to do their job as well as it can be done, parents sometimes need to know things that you wouldn't want to tell them.

However, I do believe it's vital for a kid to have at least -ONE- bastion of privacy which parents promise to stay out of and actually keep that promise. It need not be all that big, but a child needs a degree of privacy just the same as any adult.

As for what form that privacy should take, it can be anything - a special journal, or perhaps a keepsake box or storage chest with a lock on it. Any number of things would suffice.

Answer 2

This is a hard one. My mom went thru mine, but I gave her reason to. It made me mad, but I was doin bad stuff. As a mom now, I would hate to do it but I would if I suspected something was up. I hope they never give me reason to think I need to do it but know I would if they did. NO I don't still hate my mom. You get over that as you grow up.

Answer 3

N000000000000000000000000000000000000000...

Answer 4

I don't read my kids things, but I would under one circumstance.  Yes, I do think they'd resent it.  Trust would have been broken and that's hard to rebuild.

I question why a parent would want to do so.  There is only one reason, and this is justifiable in American law, which is to determine if a person is likely to harm themselves or others.  If "YES", involve authorities immediately.  If "NO", step aside.

Nothing else rises to the level of need for a parent to get involved in an individual's private matters.  

Of course, everything between kids and parents colors their relationship, but few things change it forever.  If the issue is about whether the child is living a life inconsistent with the values of the parent, ask that same old question.."is he/she threatening to harm self or others?"  If not, wait...talk...find less invasive means of interacting.

Answer 5

I think it depends on why the parent is reading the child's diary in the first place. They often do it because they are worried about their child for some reason or other. This only usually happens when the child doesn't talk to their parent, so the parent doesn't know what's going on in their life.

I also think that the child will come to understand that their parent was only trying to do what was best for them. Yes the child is fully entitled to feeling upset and resentful of the breach of privacy, but maybe if the child sat down and talked to the parent and reassured them that everything is fine and that they would talk to them if there was a problem, there wouldn't be a need to read the child's personal things.

Answer 6

its wrong cuz it would be the same as us kids going through our parents mail

my dads done it and i hate him

Answer 7

I think thats completely innapropriate and the only reason why I would approve of it is if the parent suspected the child being engaged in some kind of really dangerous lifestyle (e.g. prostitution or gangs). Otherwise the parent should learn to communicate with the child better if they want their child to be more open with them. If I found out my mom was reading my personal stuff I'd never trust her again and I'd be furious and never tell her anything.

Answer 8

NO i don't think it is cool at all my dad did that and i didn't talk to him for a while it is none of their business they just need to STAY OUT

Answer 9

In general, parents should try to respect their children's privacy. However, if I thought that my child might have a major problem, and he/she wouldn't talk about it, you can bet I would do anything I could to find out what it was so I could help them. Sorry, but the safety of my child comes before anything else.

Answer 10

If its just a random, 'what's up in my kid's life?' type thing, it'd definitely cause some resentment. My parents only had one situation where they ever had to snoop into anything like that.. But I was into a lot of things I had no reason to be into, I was young, and I needed someone to know what was up or everything would have gotten worse.

They had a reason to worry though, they knew I was into something stupid, just didn't know what so they didn't know how to fix it. It wasn't just a random search. She'd never done it before and hasn't since. But she hasn't had a reason to.. I guess it just depends if you've got anything to hide. =)

Answer 11

thats wrong!!!

i wouldnt trust them anymore

i would still love them and all but would be sooo mad

Answer 12

no. one of my parents went into my email.

after i changed my password, they installed something that recorded everything i type, which i detected and deleted.

even this was over a year ago, i feel like i am unable to trust them ever again.

it caused my relationship with them to become strained, and i avoided spending any time with them for months.

i also have problems trusting my friends and other people because of that.

i hope that answers your question.

Answer 13

I would not do that to one of my kids, unless I thought they were in some kind of danger

Answer 14

NO! its wrong

Answer 15

My mom read my journals on more than one occasion. I will never trust her with anything. Ever. I love her, but I'll never share anything personal with her just because she doesn't respect my privacy.