Parental Rights

Parents always seem to think they have the right to "spy", or check up on their kids. That is usually what drives their kids to dislike it so much. It should really be up to the child how involved their parents are in their lives. It's generally thought that if the parents provide a loving, caring, safe environment for their children, those children will trust their parents enough to let them into their lives on their own accord. But oftentimes parents feel that even if they don't provide that loving, safe environment, they still have the right to snoop around their kids lives. It is definitely something that should be earned not taken. Teenagers, like most people, don't approve or support unearned privileges which often causes them to rebel against their parents attempts, or to fight them on every step along the way.

Age is also a good factor in whether or not a parent should be able to check up on their kids lives. Every parent should and I think does have the right to check up on a young child. That is all part of being a good parent and ensuring that you child is safe. But as that child grows up and starts to grow into it's own person, a parent needs to learn when to let that child's character blossom for itself. Guide it when it is going astray, but don't inhibit it based on your own values and beliefs, because those are something every human should discover for themselves. If a parent understands that, supporting a child without trying to control it, then there is a significant chance that the child will let the parent into their lives, and even use them as a helpful tool for self development.