Kids grow up so fast. One minute they want you by their side, and almost the next instant, they are trying to find ways to keep you out of their rooms. While I don’t believe a parent must observe strict privacy rules, such as never entering a child’s room, I do believe we need to respect our children’s privacy. It doesn’t hurt to knock before entering a child’s bedroom, after all, he or she may be undressed. We want our kids to knock before entering our bedroom, so it makes sense to show them the same courtesy.
We also need to teach younger children to respect their older siblings privacy, and our own. Children should be taught to knock on any door that is closed, and wait for a response before entering. This includes bedroom doors, bathroom doors, and even the office.
Learning to respect each other’s privacy teaches everyone how to treat others later in life. A child who is used to barging into any room, any time, will likely have problems learning to live with a roommate. Explain privacy to your children so they understand its importance.
They will likely try it out on you and demand that you knock before entering their playroom or bedroom from now on. That’s okay, as long as they do so respectfully. Little children deserve respect for their privacy as well, and it gives us the opportunity to teach by example. By showing respect for their privacy, we give them a sense of self and show them how important privacy is to others.
They need to understand that privacy is not just about modesty, but also about time to be alone or away from other people. One person may just need time to think, or to work, or he or she may want to engage in a private conversation. Whatever the issue at hand, each member of the family needs to offer a certain amount of privacy to everyone else in the home.