<p>Wolfpiper … if you don’t want your mother reading your work, why do you post it in a public place that she knows about? (I’m assuming that she does know … if you are saying that you have refused to divulge the web site address because you don’t want her to see it, that makes more sense). Why don’t you just write under a pseudonym that she doesn’t know about?</p>
<p>I understand the part about telling your mom not to read something because you don’t want to discuss it… I assume that is the primary reason why my high schooler doesn’t want me to read her blog – but I don’t have to talk with her about what I learn from her online postings. </p>
<p>But look at it from another perspective. What if a blogging kid is suicidal and writing about it online? Or is posting threats to someone else? Shouldn’t the parent know about those things?</p>
<p>I don’t think that parents should spy on their kids, but at least when they are still teens under-18 and living at home, I think that parents are obligated to stay aware and alert to any potential problems or issues. My legal training tells me that there are areas where there is a “reasonable expectation of privacy” and an open online diary is not one of them. I understand that teens value their privacy and particularly don’t want their parents knowing everything they do, but teens are still growing and learning, and maybe one lesson they need to learn is that what they do and say in a public place is not private.</p>