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« Last post by mouser on October 06, 2013, 10:28 AM »
I can see the grey lines for very young kids, but i have to agree with vlastimill -- a child should be able to have secrets -- to have a private diary, etc.
Wraith the cases you brought up, about things you kept to yourself because you thought they were your fault/problem. That's something completely different. That's a case best avoided by having a close open relationship with parent who tries their best to understand the struggles of the child.
That is different from saying that one is going to secretly spy on all things a child says and does. In order to grow and mature, even children need to be able to have private discussions with friends, etc. If when I was just entering my teenage years I had discovered that my parents were secretly listening to every conversation/communication i had, i would have gone ballistic.
I can't imagine the damage it would have done to my relationship with my parents. That's something you really need to consider if you are secretly monitoring your child's activities.
Again, this is different from having an 8yr old child who you arent sure is mature enough for a cell phone, and making an clear agreement with them that you are going to be checking their internet browsing history in exchange for letting them have the phone. That's not really spying, that's more like having a supervision agreement with someone who understands they are playing with a dangerous instrument and may not be ready for it.
My view is that when a child becomes old enough to object to you reading their emails and checking their browsing history, they are probably mature enough that you should let them have their privacy -- barring some serious evidence of danger.
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