Spying Parents

[Treeglow Flicker 12,975]

A few minutes ago my thoughts darted back to my childhood and teenage years to a rather troubled memory in regards to my mother. That particular memory was of her spying and rummaging through my room when I wasn't around or when she thought I was asleep. Something that went on well into my late teens.

It got me wondering if anyone else here has dealt with intrusive or prying parents. Parents who were deliberately going behind your back to spy and look through your things when they thought you weren't looking. Maybe even saying certain things behind your back.

If you have and don't mind sharing, how did you find out? Did you ever catch them red handed in the act? Did you ever confront them or find out their motives for doing so in the first place? How creeped out or troubled were you by it? How far did they actually go?

In regards to my mother's spying, I never challenged her over it. I caught her plenty of times in numerous ways. Either through tell-tale traps of my own design, Freudian slips on her part, or just blatantly watching her rummage through my desk drawer while she thought I was sleeping. I even awoke to discover her in my room rummaging one night in the dark. I've even had thngs go missing. Although some of them I'm not sure was her considering that there wouldn't have been any motive for her to take them.

All rather disturbing.

As for why I never challenged her over it. I've always been the sort of person who just smiles and lets people like her continue on with their deception. As for why, I've always personally found it more valuable to let them think they are getting away with it just to see how far they are willing to go. Flushing out true natures, intentions and all that stuff. It's always yielded better results at finding out what's behind it all than direct confrontation. At least for me.

Anyway.

My mother was never as subtle as she thought she was and was always prone to Freudian slips every now and then. Even into my later adult life I was learning of new deceptions up until the day she died a couple years ago. She was rather manipulative and controlling of things and a liar. I'm ashamed to say. Which is why I could never confide in her about the more sensitive aspects of my life. To think, in the irony of her rummaging through my things to find out more, she only pushed me further into secrecy. Not a clever pony. I was always a shameless goody-two-shoes, so the only motive I could ever pin down was her trying to find anything that she felt needed controlling or manipulating to her expected image of me.

So what are your creepy spying parent stories?

Edited October 7, 2020 by Treeglow Flicker

[SharpWit 2,472]

I found out my mother was reading my text messages at one point. She confronted me about telling a friend that she had thought to abort her pregnancy (ME) at one point because of how difficult it was. I wasn't upset by her thought process in the slightest, just more thrown through a loop about the fact that I might not have ever been born under slightly under different circumstances. Outside of that, I've done well to maintain my privacy and she's mostly done well to respect it.

[Evil Pink One 12,942]

Better to have a nosy parent than a no where parent.

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

My mother can be rather nosy, but as I've gotten older she's become more laid-back and less nosy about particular things lol. She hasn't ever taken it quite that far though, besides the few times she threatened to go through my text messages when I was a couple years younger. She actually went back and read through text conversations with my ex boyfriend I was dating at the time and since then she has respected my privacy more (I don't think she liked what she read *wheezes*).

[zerox 1,050]

Never had any problem like that. It's true that I have a very different relationship with my mom than most of you. Like that my father didn't enjoy talking with me or my mom so for long as I can remember myself and my mom developed a very close relationship and we started talking about stuff that normally adult partners would have between them selfes. I remember having lots of conversations with her about different things as I said before my father didn't like talking. If I or my mom said something to my father the answer you got most of the time was I'm watching sports on tv, listening to music, I'm not interested... So all in all myself and my mom have a relationship were we both say whatever is on our minds and can talk openly about anything. I always said everything that was on my mind to my mom and vice versa. She never spied on me because I already told her everything that I was doing or what was on my mind.

Edited October 8, 2020 by zerox

[Cirrus. 1,088]

I never really had a problem with my parents rifling through my stuff. Occasionally when I was younger if my Dad was in a grumpy mood he would "clean" my room by throwing everything he thought was out of place into a big box in the center of the room. He usually gave some kind of warning beforehand though.

A problem I always had and still do have is with my mom. If you tell her anything, it's like you are telling everyone she knows. She would be one to probably try to see text messages if I were in a relationship or get them at Verizon. I'm on their phone plan and have been paying my portion to them since I've been out of high school.

If I was in a relationship I would definately get my own plan for that reason. She loves that kind of gossip shit and I bet she would do that.

 

[TBD 17,228]

My parents never go through my things, unless my mom is trying to organize my room (which is a bit of a mess btw). However, my mom would sometime keep asking me what I'm doing on my computer and phone and that does bugs the hell out of me. I'm almost 30 so she could at least don't treat me like I'm irresponsible five yrs old. 

[Narcissus 352]

My parents mind their own business because I have a very clear way of expressing how much I value my privacy. My dad was never really nosey and kept out of my personal stuff, and my mom was never really interested anyway.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Narcissus

[Quackkyy The Pegasus 222]

My dad never invades my privacy, and my mom pretty much never does, except that she reads my browsing history very rarely. I use incognito sometimes, but I don’t think I really need to.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

A couple of times my parents have restricted phone usage cause they thought I was acting suspicious (in truth, I would just be on Equestria Daily or something similar) but that was when I was a lot younger.

Sometimes they look at my drawings if they are sitting out and the FNAF ones concern them even though they know full well that I like FNAF cause of the story and characters and I don’t like it cause I wanna become like Purple Guy or anything sick like that.

Now they may ask questions now and then but I don’t get bothered too much, especially since I spend a lot of time just doing schoolwork or gaming on my devices anyways.

Edited October 10, 2020 by ExplosionMare
Formatting

[Codelyy 1,281]

My mum was never a nosy person but my Dad and Step Mum seemed to always want to know what I was doing 24/7. Got to the point where I had to make a completely new Facebook account cause they'd spy on my original one

[DubWolf 16,570]

Never had that experience or they're that good  .

[Ittoni 536]

I can't remember to be honest.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Ittoni

[Stardust 640]

I don't remember such things no I did try to keep my stuff secret as possible my parents arent computer savy so i doubt they go thru my stuff. My dad did try to pick up and look at my stuff while im there tho. Or look at letters and that some i dun mind tbh

[Olly 1,008]

When I was 13 and exploring my sexuality my mom went through my private messages online, gave me a lecture, and took away my computer access. Very hurtful and embarrassing for me. I can forgive I suppose, but not forget. Kids need some level of privacy when they're finding out who they are

Edited October 10, 2020 by Olly

[Splashee 28,537]

Parents usually spy if they care for you (as a child), or if they are jealous of your fame. See it as something good. You don't want the opposite, parents that don't give a **** about you, and you could just have been a tissue in some dumpster

[Venomous 18,813]

When I was a teenager, my mother was very nosey. If she saw me texting, she’d ask who I was talking to and why. If I was on the phone, she’d ask the same but also wanted to know if she knew that person. If she didn’t know them, she’d ask where I met them, their age, etc. She looked through my call/internet records regularly and would randomly barge into my bedroom and ask what I was doing as if she thought I was hiding something. When in a relationship, she would only allow us to hang out in the living room (no holding hands or hugging either). This pissed me off beyond words. She was on my ass about everything and didn’t respect much of my privacy. She started backing off when I hit my 20s.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,737]

Eh I can't say they are while they have done something that I can't say on here. I've not really had the whole rummaging in my stuff sounds traumatizing actually either way my parents spying isn't more then simply looking on social media who I'm adding asking about girls typical stuff parents like asking you haha.

[SparklingSwirls 21,261]

I don’t think they were ever very intrusive although my mom would want to know what I was doing online/who I was talking with (back when I was 13 or so, so I guess it was okay). Other than that they just let me be.

[Splashee 28,537]

Wow, some of you had overprotective parents. I think you all turned out great 

Parents and children wars, that was my childhood. My parents being jealous when we were having fun, making us have to do boring things instead, just because our parents didn't get to have fun during their childhood. And the same goes for us children having to be jealous at our parents for being allowed to do grown up things, staying up late, drinking and smoking, etc 

[Vefka 1,499]

Thank god my parents are not overprotective and actually closer to the "kids should make mistakes to learn" side. Otherwise I'd be in huge trouble of they found out everything about me

[Xe__or 4,376]

I think parents should be at least weary of what their kids are seeing on the internet. Stories about pedophiles passing as someone of the same age, luring children into sending pictures (or even meeting them) is a much bigger issue than what we can believe.

As for what happen in every day life, yeah, kids should make their mistakes and learn from them.

[DixonTheAdversary 1,631]

I've never had a problem with my Parents spying on me. They pretty much allowed me to my own privacy. If they did spy, I guess they were crafty because I never caught them.

[Dreambiscuit 8,021]

My parents never spied on me and I never cared to hide anything anyway. I pretty much shared their interests and points of view in most stuff so there was no need to seek any insider info. Anything personal, if there was any, was understood as common sense and no one intruded.  

[Splashee 28,537]

I have spied on parents before