SHOULD KIDS' BEDROOMS BE PRIVATE?

 I have heard arguments for and against parents ‘invading their kids’ space’.

Yes, I agree that children should have a place that they call their own.

A child's bedroom is:

• Their sanctuary. 
• Their own special place to play, read, rest and sleep without being disturbed. 
• A place to set up tea parties for their dolls or create castles and dragons.
• A place where they keep all the stuff that is dear to them.
• A place where girls write their diaries and boys plan their next escapades. 
• A place where they can play with their friends or just daydream.

Tidiness:
I have heard many parents say the kids’ bedrooms are their own domain and if they
can live in what resembles an ‘explosion in a mattress factory’ then so be it!
I disagree. I think that children need to be taught that respect includes keeping their
rooms tidy. They need to learn to care for their own stuff and know that everything
has a place … other than the floor, the bed or the doorknob. Part of teaching children
to be tidy involves parents inspecting their bedrooms every week.

Safety:
For their own safety, you need to know what is going on in every room in your home.
For that reason your children need to understand that you will inspect their rooms
whenever you choose. Too many times we have seen on the news that kids have been
experimenting with explosives, drugs or been looking at pornography on the TVs or
computers in their bedrooms. I can’t think of one time that parents, upon being questioned
by the media, have had any idea their kids were into illegal, unsafe or unsavory practices
in their own home.

 Our responsibility:
As parents we have the responsibility, to the best of our ability, to keep our children, our
home and our immediate neighborhood safe. In order to achieve this, we must be aware
of everything that is going on under our own roof and particularly in the ‘privacy’ of our
kids’ bedrooms. We should observe our children’s behavior and monitor their friendships.

Bedrooms need to be a fun, safe and peaceful place to be. We need to teach our kids not only
to keep them tidy, but also to be prepared for the fact that we will come in and check them at
frequent intervals.

By Sally Burgess