Mum branded an 'a**hole' for refusing to put a lock on her sixteen-year-old daughter's bedroom door

A MUM has sparked a fierce parenting debate online after refusing to put a lock on her 16-year-old daughter's bedroom door.

Posting on Reddit's "Am I The A*****" forum, the concerned woman explained how her teenager says she simply wants to keep her brother out of her bedroom – but worries she'd use it to lock others out too.

She wrote: "My daughter has recently turned 16 and, for a couple of months now, has been constantly asking for a lock to be put on her door.

"She says it's to keep her brother out – who barges into her room every now and then to bother her – but I'm not sure if the benefit is worth having the lock in place.

Like many parents, the mum worried: "I don't like the secrecy of her locking herself in her room and I'm worried she's trying to hide something from me or that she'll take the opportunity to lock me out."

Acknowledging that she might be part of the problem, the woman added: "I admit that I've forgotten to knock sometimes but other than that I see no reason as to why she'd need a lock."

The mum concluded: "The way I see it, it's my house and I am simply unwilling to have any locks put in anywhere. She's young and doesn't really know what she's asking for."

However, the woman's dilemma has sparked a fierce parenting debate among other users – with many saying that the teenager is entitled to her privacy and personal space.

Labelling her an "a**hole", one replied: "Kids need privacy. Keep a spare key in case of emergency – don't use it for grabbing clothes for a wash.

"If you are not gonna let her have secrets in her own room, she is gonna have them outside where your control is 0.0%."

Similarly, another recommended giving the teenager "some privacy now" to save the mother "years of resentment".

They wrote: "She's 16, not 6. She knows what she is asking for. Maybe you should also start teaching and demonstrating basic respect before your son turns out disrespectful to others like you."

Similarly, a third replied: "She's 16 and needs to learn how to keep a private space. She does not need her brother coming in and bothering her at this age.

"Get a cheap lock that's easily picked- get a few spare keys made. Punish her brother if he forces his way in."

While others recommended enforcing a strict "knock before entering" policy, another sympathised with the mum but encouraged her to buy her daughter a lock.

"It sounds as though you're having a very hard time accepting your daughter is growing up and starting to have parts of her life separate from yours. And that is difficult; I'm a parent and I also struggle with it. But, I repeat.. this stage is necessary."

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