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Privacy and Parenting
Where Do You Draw the Line? By P. Christine Smith
"Kids live up to what your belief in them is," says Vicki Nevins, a clinical psychologist in San Diego, Calif. "Treat them with trust, respect and communication from an early age, then adolescence will be easier. Privacy and parenting is a complicated issue. Trust between a teen and a parent is really, really important. Try to maintain that trust whenever possible, except when the teen might be a danger to himself or to someone else."
Keep an eye out for warning signs, Nevin says, such as falling school grades, sudden changes in friends, sudden weight loss and isolation, as indications that the teen is experiencing problems or may be mixed up with drugs or other dangerous behaviors. "However, even with the presence of warning signs, privacy is important to honor," she says.
Snooping is ineffective in problem solving with teens, but the use of proper parenting skills should make snooping unnecessary. Communication, mutual trust and respect, established early in childhood, will make parenting a teen go much more smoothly