DEAR ABBY: When I read the letter from "Snoopy Mom," who boasted about how she read her children's diaries, eavesdropped on their telephone calls and searched their belongings, I felt truly sorry for her.
My children, now 27 and 24, never gave me a reason to doubt them. Their belongings, in my opinion, were theirs -– and not for my perusing. Both were very active from early childhood throughout college. Neither ever abused their curfews.
My son was a three-time college All-American -- the first in the history of his college. My daughter was president of her college class. Both graduated, and today enjoy successful careers.
I told them early on that they could enjoy life as long as they did it responsibly. The minute they demonstrated to me that they were not capable of that, their lives would have changed dramatically. I'm glad I never had to make that change! -– PROUD MOM IN OHIO
DEAR PROUD MOM: As I pointed out to "Snoopy Mom," if parents have a legitimate reason to question their child's honesty, it's only common sense to check. However, if teens have proven by their actions that they can be trusted, nosiness is not a legitimate reason to conduct a search.
Predictably, I received bushels of heartfelt letters from teens who were outraged by "Snoopy Mom's" letter. Tomorrow, we'll hear what they had to say.