Our daughter and son are both reaching an age where sharing every conversation with the whole family feels uncomfortable. We have a busy home and cannot create separate rooms out of thin air. Has anyone managed small practical privacy rules that siblings can understand and respect?
We agreed that a closed door means knock first, including for the younger child.
We have never made that expectation clear.
Knocking first sounds small until a younger sibling discovers they cannot just barge through every door.
I would also let each child decide when to tell family stories instead of retelling them myself.
We tend to tell funny family stories with both children sitting right there. I had not thought to ask first.
Even a simple family rule about not commenting on personal changes can protect privacy.
It would be easier to keep that rule for everyone, rather than explaining why one particular remark was embarrassing.
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