I feel a parent has the right to "snoop" especially if it is with a kid who has been in trouble.

I hope always to treat my child with respect. In most cases, that would mean respecting his privacy. However, if I had reason to believe that he was in danger, I would respect his life first and foremost. I do not believe it is my right to invade his privacy and I would only do so if I had a VERY good reason to do it and I would be honest with him about it.

I have spectorsoft on the main computer so I can see everything the kids do on the computer, and I will occasionally take a check around their rooms. When our older kids turned 18, I no longer checked their rooms before they moved out. I still keep an eye on the computer though, I have rules and even though they're adults they don't need to abuse them!

No, a parent should never "snoop", as it can just push a child away farther. If you want your child to be truthworthy, then you have to give the atleast some faith. It is necessary to be cautious, and there is no harm in asking questions, but don't cross the line, and go through their things. When you start reading their mail, searching through their rooms, and personal belongings, then your crossing the line. This will likely have them lose respect of you. love, or hate, or fear you, so long as you have your child respect, you are being a good parent.

I don't have kids (of course) but I really believe in personal privacy rights, partly because I had almost no privacy when I lived with my parent (besides on my computer, no one could ever get into my computer xD) so I really have a problem with "snoopers".

I don't have children..but no, I would never stoop to snooping --unless I thought there was a life in danger.

Depends on the kid. My son is almost 13 and I check up on him once in a while, but it's not snooping because he knows I do it. I hope that I never have to snoop when he gets older, that he trusts me enough.

My parents don't go through our stuff unless we've given them a reason not to trust us. We already know this, so they are not wrong.

i dont have kids but i've gone though everything of my b/f's when he hasnt been around...hey, ya never know. He wasnt hiding anything. But what if he was? then i would be glad i did snoop. He can go through all my stuff if he wanted to, he'd find nothing!

My kids have always known they can tell me anything. I have been very fortunate that there have never been any extreme situations I have had to deal with. My reaction would be the same though, love, understanding and help when needed.

While in my home, and legally my responsibility, you bet your ass I do. As children, they legally do OWN anything, so they have nothing to keep private, nor do they have legal rights to privacy in my home. That is something that is a privelege, not a right. My daughters did earn their right to privacy, which I honored. My son did not, and was very resentful - tough shit! My house, my rules! Don't like me poking in your stuff, you have two choices: 1)don't bring pot, beer, cigerettes, porn, whatever into my home, or, be smart enough not to get CAUGHT doing it! Pretty easy, I think.

I used to snoop on my ex because he gave me reason to. But I have learned that when you trust someone fully there is absolutely no reason to snoop around. I now respect my significant other's privacy 100% and I will do the same for my future children.

Since I am legally responsible for my child, I will go through his things if I feel there is a reason. I will always tell him that this is a possibility though. As long as his grades are good and he isn't in any sort of trouble, then I won't "snoop", and will allow him privacy. If he is having problems, grades are slipping or other tell tale signs, then he will know that we will go through his things. However, if he doesn't do his own laundry, then I will go in his room to put things away, and whatever I see, I see. I am hopeful that if we are open and honest with him, then he will be open and honest with us. I do not snoop through my husband's things and never will. I do not go into his email or mail, and don't really even like to get in his wallet, even with his permission. I think people just need to have something of their own, that they know no one else will get into.

Of course your son was resentful, dogcrazy. Why would anyone be at peace with "tough shit" of the "my house my rules" calibre? What you're saying, is an extremely uncharitable (but sadly relatively common) attitude. It's what I call the "my child is my guest syndrome". I go by a moral code by which the parent's house is also the children's house. They may not pay the bills, but that is not their fault. They are excused from that responsibility because they are getting an education and their parents, who put them there in the first place, and (conversely, I recognize that adult children living with their parents have a moral duty to contribute to the household expenses once they finish their education). IMO anyone who thinks their house is just their house and not also their children's should be ashamed of themselvesAre you saying that because children "don't legally own anything" (not 100% true), they are not entitled to privacy? What a philosophy. Would you consider your child's toys and clothes to not really be theirs but yours? What a selfish notion (and any law that would support it deserves to be printed on toilet paper). Children are as human as you are, why would they not need privacy? Things like your diary ARE private. Should you have no right to that being respected due to having the misfortune of being a child? Would you like it if, for example, your child went through your things and found your and your wife's sex toys? I think not. Why would a child feel any different? I am not saying that children have no responsibilities, they do (things like learning to behave in such a way as to respect the rights of others and getting an education) but they are human and therefore should have rights too, including the right to privacy. They need/want it for the same reasons grownups do. Parenting should be more about teaching than controlling. If your child does not follow your advice, I would consider the child responsible to him/herself for it, not the parent. You do your job by teaching your child, and if they make the wrong decisions, it's their fault, not yours. By doing things like snooping, you are breaking the bond of trust. If you respect your child's rights, he/she will have more reason to 1) respect you 2) take your advice and trust you than if you treat the child with the selfish, degrading, dictatorial "my house my rules" attitude.

just recently i let my dad borrow my cell phone while me ad my mom went out shopping and when i came home he came running outside to the car telling me to get in the house while he had a talk with my mom. i later found out that he went through my text messages a found i had messages from a guy friend that were jokes and such nothing harmful, and he found numbers of other guy friends, (i am a female by the way) and he told my mom and my mom said she already knew about it because i have showed her and share everything with her because she is my best friend. My dad on the other hand flew off the handle and came pounding in the house accusing me of have sexual encounters with this guy friend and whatever, when all that is not true. yada yada yada... in the end we got into a huge fight and my mom is on my side because she feels my dad totally went off the handle and invaded my privacy. I am 21 years old and never given my parents a reason to believe i am doing anything wrong in my life. No drugs, sex, alcohol. My mom raised me well and the old fashioned way, and i get good grades and go to college and stuff. My dad on the other hand can't even look me in the eye anymore since this confrontation. (Step-dad by the way). I totally think he crossed the line and made a big deal out of nothing. so i guess my response to this is parents only have the right to invade kid's privacy if they have a reason to believe they are doing something wrong or whatever. If they are adults i think they should not cross that line whatsoever unless it is absolutely necissary or life threatening.

I do not, and never did, snoop on my son or my partner. My mother read my diary when I was younger and ruined any relationship she and I may have had. I would never place my own child in that situation. I would never snoop on my partner because to me that is disrespectful and basically saying, I don't trust you. If I don't trust them then I should just leave.

I'm almost 22 years old and I live at home with my family and go to college. I recently caught my mother checking my emails, and I have caught her going through my room several times before also. My relationship with her is nonexistent. I am a 4.0 student, never done drugs or have ever gotten into any kind of serious trouble, and she doesn't trust me whatsoever. I have lost total respect for her and the rest of my family and now I live in solitude at home because I can no longer deal with the betrayal. The trust issues and constant oppression have caused severe psychological damage to me and I have recently been diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. Don't go through your childrens' things. There are better ways of speaking with your children, forming relationships, and being open and honest than what my parents have ever done for me.

No I respected my daughter's privacy and that is the way it should be.

im not a parent, but my mom is. she'll go into my room and look through my stuff, and she'll not knock when i'm changing. she'll expect me to let her in. then she gets mad when i tell her this. its not fair and its not right. and it is a bad thing. i dont trust my mom.