When you're a teenager, getting into heated debates or awkward situations with your parents over your privacy is pretty much par for the course. We all went through it at some point and our kids will too.
But for one teen from Alaska who took to Reddit for advice, a highly embarrassing moment with his parents seems to have spiraled into something … well, kind of disturbing.
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It all started when the boy's parents walked in on him ... masturbating.
On a list of embarrassing teenage moments, this probably reigns supreme, because this is seriously cringe-worthy.
I mean like, bury-your-head-in-the-sand, never-show-your-face-at-the-dinner-table embarrassing.
Not because there's anything inherently wrong with it. But because having your parents catch you in the act is all sorts of traumatizing — especially depending on how they react.
But in the teen's subsequent Reddit post, which has since been locked, he gets into just how upsetting his parents' response was — which made things even worse.
'Last week I was doing 'things' in my room,' the teen wrote, when his dad 'barged in without knocking and started screaming' at him.
"He and my mom then sat me down and told me I'm not allowed to touch myself," the post continued. "I was mortified and agreed and left the room once they let me."
But just days later, things went from bad to worse.
"Today we got an Amazon package," the 15-year-old continues. "I opened it and found indoor cameras. I asked my dad and he said they are putting them in my room and bathroom so they can monitor and make sure I'm not masturbating."
Um — WHAT?
Now, in case you think the dad was just cracking one really bad joke, the poster clarifies that he was definitely serious.
"I said that wasn't okay and he said that I agreed to not masturbate and this is holding me to the agreement," he continued. "He said they would check the cameras daily."
'Besides the fact that I'm 15 and think I should be allowed to touch my own body, this is embarrassing and destroys my privacy,' the teen continued.
Although he was sure to add that his folks are otherwise good parents, they do have some backward views.
"They just think sex is for marriage and I shouldn't do anything until I get married," the post concludes. "I wasn't allowed to go to sex ed classes but learned some things off the Internet."
This is an awkward one. But the good people of Reddit were quick to comment.
Most were pretty shocked by the parents' reactions and sad for the teen that he was being shamed for something that's natural. The vast majority of commenters urged the teen to speak to someone of authority he feels comfortable with for help and advice.
"Tell your school counselor or another trusted adult outside of your family," wrote one Redditor. "This is by far inappropriate of the parents as they are punishing you using their own moral/religious beliefs as their only justification, let alone the fact you are underage and being recorded as you undress or take care of business in the rest room!"
"I’m sure a call to CPS saying 'my parents installed cameras in my room and bathroom to watch me shower and change my clothes' would incite some interest from the authorities," added another.
A slew of other comments, however, had to be deleted, because of inappropriate commentary or offering legal advice.
In the end, I hope the teen does take some form of action, just to ensure his privacy isn't violated.
Because he's right: He should be allowed to touch his own body — especially in the privacy of his own room.
Here's hoping he speaks up or his parents come around soon. (And that when, and if, they do, he updates that Reddit thread, because I am dying to know how this ends!)
Ultimately, I think one Redditor put it best: "However you feel comfortable pursuing this, please realize that you are a normal kid, exhibiting normal, natural, and healthy behaviors. Don't let people with hangups allow you to ever feel shamed or different."
Amen to that.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
