Knowing the difference between protecting your children and invading their lives is tricky. Should a ten-year-old be allowed to have his own e-mail account? Can a thirteen-year-olds hang out with friends you’ve never met? If you suspect your fifteen-year-old is smoking, is it okay to look through her drawers for evidence? When the stakes are so high, parents have a hard time knowing where to draw the line, and are often tempted to resort to snooping, eavesdropping, and prying into every corner to make sure their children are safe.
The authors show parents how to keep informed without stifling their child’s fledgling independence. They identify six privacy zones–bedroom, friends, romance, school, the body, and the Internet–examining why these areas are so important for young adolescents and how much freedom to give them to explore.