Who doesn't want a personal space? Who would prefer anyone to control him or her or prefer being interfered with by others? I guess no one, children inclusive. In fact, even animals sometimes exhibit the attitude of "let me be," hehehe. You will notice them screaming or barking when humans approach them; sometimes, they just need their space without disturbances. So are children, and I will say a big yes, kids need privacy; it's simply a necessity, especially at the appropriate time.
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However, I must admit that parenting is a delicate responsibility, especially in the aspect of privacy and children. One part of you as a parent wants to be sure that the kids aren't exposed to risk or doing something crazy behind your back; another part of you doesn't want to suffocate the kids but rather let them have their space. It looks like you don't know how much of the privacy is too much or too little, but then, you must keep striving to find a better balance to get things right; it's not easy.
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I watched a fellow parent's approach to her kids on this privacy topic, and it is completely different from how I have been approaching my kids on that. It's not a problem at all; of course every parent has their unique parenting style, but we are all trying to arrive at a particular spot, which is raising responsible children in our society today. Unfortunately , some of these kids, after all their parents' effort, will still grow to turn into a different thing entirely, it sucks, and that's why I personally seek God's wisdom in the majority of the steps I take in parenting and pray for mine at all times.
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To me, privacy doesn't mean I should give my kids the opportunity to do whatever they like because they need their space and because even children need privacy. Now, I have a ten-year-old child and a seven-year-old child too, whose little privacies I respect currently, but the level of privacy I allow for both of them is different. This is because I have taken my time to study them, and I discovered that giving my ten-year-old child the supposed level of privacy he needs at this time will worsen things because of his "personality." I am sorry, I won't go into detail, but just for you to understand that privacy for children differs. Just know your child, and know when you should be involved or let them breathe, but overall, they definitely need privacy.
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My kids aren't grown-ups yet, but even with something as little as knocking at their door before barging into their rooms, I respect that. They don't want me to see their nakedness, lol, but you won't be closing doors at this stage; I told them, but I give them the needed space, and I guess it should tell them that I value boundaries . At times they make little notes in their diary and cover it—just something they feel is personal.They just want to have that dependency without hearing the voices of their parents and building confidence, and of course, I can trust them on certain things while monitoring their actions without controlling them but rather getting involved when the need be.
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Again, quality communication is what I employ, and I guess it could help curb every unforeseen challenge as they continue to grow when I will no longer have to implement an open-door policy with them. At younger ages, like my kids, we are still observing the open-door policy, but anything from 15 years upwards, I guess I would stop and let them reclaim their needed space gradually so they wouldn't see that I am invading their space when in reality I am only showing care.
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Overall, the issue of privacy is really a sensitive one, but one thing I know is that I will keep respecting my kids' needed privacy as they continue to grow, but getting involved in their lives whenever the need be is not negotiable.
***Images were taken from canva***
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