The Balance Of Privacy

At the earliest stages, an "open-doors" policy makes sense. Toddlers and very young children are still learning boundaries, trust, and self-control. At this stage, privacy is less of a need and more of a luxury. Parents must guide, monitor, and ensure their safety above all. But the story doesn’t end there, because with every passing year, children begin to crave not only freedom but also trust..

Take, for instance, I remembered when I was little. I was twelve when i first asked my mother if i could close my bedroom door while doing my homework. My mother, used to barging in to check if i was staying on task, hesitated. “Why do you need to close the door, Desire?” she asked suspiciously. I shrugged and muttered, “I just want to concentrate.”
My mother allowed it but hovered nearby, often knocking or calling my name every ten minutes. At first, I was annoyed, but later I realized my mother wasn’t trying to invade my privacy she was trying to adjust to the idea that her little girl was no longer so little. Slowly, my mom began to respect my space: she knocked before entering, trusted her to finish my homework, and later even let me have my diary without reading it.

The result? I grew up knowing two important lessons: that privacy is not secrecy, and that trust is earned gradually.
This small story teaches a larger truth privacy for kids is not a sudden handover but a gradual process. Parents must learn to loosen the rope in phases, depending on the maturity, responsibility, and trustworthiness of the child.