This is just going to make it way harder for her to get any useful information out of her kids. Obviously not going to write sensitive info in a journal they know she reads. The thing about invading peoples privacy is that it's way more effective if they're unaware it's happening.

"You know why not? Because kids lie. All the time."

Of course they fucking do if they have to to survive in a household like this. They don't necessarily if they are trusted, accepted, and allowed to make mistakes. She's raising kids that are going to have the paranoid unhealthy coping mechanisms to survive in her household, which will be very very counterproductive in the outside world.

As a former kid with decentish parents, nah, kids don't lie, unless they have to

My argument against this is that it teaches kids to accept blind authoritarianism and a police state where the 4th amendment means nothing. Childhood is practice for the sort of adult you're going to become. Oppressed children are set up to be oppressed adults.

All that aside, if you can't do right without thinking anyone is watching or that anyone will know... you're fucked up.

Would agree with this trust matter. If check on everything kids do, they know and will be less confident and self-reliant when encountering situations whitout anybodies guidance – and more likely to shut themselves off when you might really want to know what's going on.

As she states herself, kids are good at manging relationships, subconcious or not. As far as I know, concious lying starts around 18 months or something, around the same time humans grasp their identity.

I once read an article about a family with 4 or 5 kids and their mechanisms on coping with their mothers' early death. One of them would get to read the mothers' diaries, burning them afterwards – without the siblings or the father learning about it themselves. In my opinion, this is what makes a mature relationhip between family members.

Also, not clever to make claims on how to raise teenagers before you actually have teen kids.

Yup, this lady is pretty fucking horrifying and looking to create a basement dwelling serial killer.

Enjoy posting on the estranged parent forums a decade from now, I guess.

Cody lived in a van and he was cool.

All well and good for a truly reasonable parent. But in truth, most people aren't that reasonable but still consider themselves paragons of reason. I'm thinking of all the dogmatically religious households and the children trying to survive to adulthood who happen to be gay or want to engage with the world in a non flat earth and creationist manner.

Also, what's the next step up from helicopter parent? Steamroller parent?

Close. I used to work at a college, and the Dean of Students warned us that the appropriate metaphor was 'snowplow parent.' Because "they're going to push through whatever stands in their way, and the piles of stuff they leave behind will make things harder for everyone else."

I would like to say parents have a duty to raise sane, stable, well-adjusted adults, and a reasonable amount of intrusive behavior is necessary to get the job done. But frankly, kids turn into sane, stable, well-adjusted adults in spite of the way they're raised.

while the kid is under 18, it is not unheard of for the parent to be held accountable in court for the child's actions. So some degree of 'invest in the future', and some 'Cover your own ass.'

Not a prime example of a good childhood, but I had no privacy - it was made clear my usage of doors was entirely at the grace of the Homeowner...and if I wanted such rights, I should become a Homeowner myself. So maybe add a dash of 'move out as soon as you can.'

When your parents come to visit make them sleep in separate rooms.

They've visited me 3 times in 15 years, so I assume my house rules were clearly offensive in some way.

Maybe they just don't like you.

"betraying our precious snowflake's trust"

I'm done reading.

Well, her site is called People I Want to Punch in the Throat and her name is right there at the top. I can only assume it's the start of the list.

My parents had very little interest in what I did and look how good I turned out.