Tired of your mother discovering and reading your diary? You, just like any other teenager and like most people in general, need privacy. This method should keep your family members away from your room, and if they enter, they will unknowingly trigger mechanisms that will only become apparent later on.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Be Respectful
Step 1. Try the gentle approach first
Politely ask that your spaces are respected, just as you respect those of others. Do this without begging, whining, or playing the victim. If you say it in a way that is purposeful, relevant and respectful of others, it will feel like something dignified and will sound appropriately serious.
Be polite. Don't use insults or threats. Sometimes people just aren't aware of how much they annoy you when they invade your space, and asking them to stop coming in might be enough
Step 2. Make it clear to your family that you don't want them to come to your room
Don't give them any reason to come to the room. This means quickly returning the things you have borrowed and not hiding their stuff from them in your room. It also means not messing around, keeping the room clean, and not letting food and dishes rot around the room, as this will prompt someone to check what is going on.
- Do your chores. Make the bed, collect your clothes, then wash and iron them, clean the room, etc. Otherwise, the cleaner will have a reason to enter your room.
- If family members keep coming in, ask them if your simple instructions were too complicated for them.
- If you have the only console in the house, don't monopolize it by keeping it in your bedroom. Put it in a place where you can share it in the living room or basement, plus set a schedule for use. If you don't, the sanctity of your room will be violated, all the time.
Method 2 of 4: Create Barriers
Step 1. Make it difficult to enter your room
A lock is a simple solution, so if you don't already have one, get it. It should have a complex locking mechanism, not like the simple ones used for the bathroom. You don't want someone to remove the key or force it to enter.
- Also make sure that the door hinges and the handle screws are facing inwards.
- If you can't get a lock, put a few cents between the door and its frame, no one will be able to open it until the cents are removed.
Step 2. Place a threat warning in your room
Make sure it's in plain sight. Say something like, "If I find someone in my room, I'll take something valuable from yours."
Method 3 of 4: Setting Traps
Step 1. Set something up so that it will be obvious if anyone has entered
Maybe put a chair against the door or some duct tape. When you return, slowly open the door to see if any of your traps have sprung.
Step 2. Design a trap
If your door opens inward, leave the door ajar and place a bucket of water on top. Anyone who enters would get wet. Syrup and feathers also work well as a mixture to fill the bucket with; you just need to prepare to have to clean up the mess.
Of course, this isn't a great idea if your parents are likely to come in to work at it, since that could get you in a lot of trouble. Imagine your father bringing you that load of freshly laundered stuff he just ironed for you, and getting it covered in syrup and feathers in return… He won't be very happy
Step 3. Make a trap with duct tape
It does not matter if it is canvas or transparent tape. When you know you're going to be away for a day or two, tape everything over. This includes your drawers, valuables, and things that open and close. Make sure it's not very visible; if it is very visible, arrange the tape to form an odd angle so you know if anyone has touched, opened or moved something. They really are very unlikely to notice the exact way you fixed the tape.
Duct tape can also be made visible on purpose - a statement that you want no one to touch your stuff while you're out. In this case, leave some Post-its around asking not to touch your stuff and to leave your room alone
Method 4 of 4: Return the Favor
Step 1. If someone walks into your room and turns it upside down, you do the same with his room to show him what you mean by "doing business"
If he takes something from your room, you take something of value from his.
Advice
- Take the key with you everywhere.
- Avoid giving people reasons to enter your room, such as leaving dirty clothes or a cell phone.
- If that fails, sit in front of your family and explain to everyone that you give them the privacy they seek, so you expect them to give the same to you.
