Since my partner's career break, our 12 year old's school diary gets read every single evening

maple_balcony_814527 Jun 2026

My partner is taking this year off work and has taken over the after-school hours, which has been good for everyone. Part of that, though, is reading our son's school diary every evening, page by page, and asking about every remark. He's in class 7 and has asked me, quietly, if I can make it stop. He says nobody else's parents read it daily. My partner's view is that this is the year to be involved, while there's time to be. I can see both sides. Once a week seems reasonable to me, but I don't want to undercut my partner. How often do you look at the diary at this age?

3 comments

fern_bookmark_992227 Jun 2026
Speaking as a primary teacher rather than a parent: by class 7 most of what goes in the diary is homework and the odd notice. When a teacher needs a parent's attention, they usually write a note asking for a signature, or call. A weekly look would catch anything that matters. It may be the daily questions about every remark he's reacting to, more than the reading itself.
moss_sketch_943527 Jun 2026
5 yr old here. she reads her diary out to us without being asked, every single line. guess that changes 😅
teal_kettle_167628 Jun 2026
We went through this when my partner had a slow year at work and suddenly had time. Our daughter started 'forgetting' the diary in her locker 🙂 What helped was one fixed evening a week when they go through it together, and she brings up anything important herself. Ba thought we were being far too relaxed, but it held.