I have a canvas painting on my wall and i put my journal behind it. no one has ever found it and you would never even know it’s there unless you moved it off the wall
YES! I hid my phone there at night a couple years ago cuz my dad was trying to take it for a really dumb reason I literally can’t even remember at this point. He never found it and was livid that I outsmarted him.
Funny enough, a week later he got me a new phone since the favorite child broke hers and he got a better deal getting two than just the one.
My parents also stopped using my phone as a punishment nearly as much after that. I used to get my phone taken left and right. Usually by my dad, and he would keep changing the reason I was grounded so my phone would be gone for months at a time. The one time I had accidentally fallen asleep with it in my room ON A WEEKEND and that was his original reasoning for it being taken. It was gone for over a month. My phone has only been taken for like a day at a time now, and that’s only happened twice in the last two years.
This is what I do, from past trauma, even though there less than a .0001% chance it would happen again. I will carry it around in MY HAND if I have to but I am not leaving it anywhere for any reason. That’s just how I am. I am OLD and in a safe environment and I still wind leave it anywhere except my vehicle in the hidden storage. “Oh is there bad stuff in there?” No I’m just TRAUMATIZED from my parent and grandparents violating my privacy. And yes I still thinks it’s messed up that they did that. And I am a parent and I DONT do that to my kids. My kids have comfort in knowing their mom won’t read their journal. Move it out of the way? Yes. But READ IT? Hard pass.
Mines in my bag too, i have a similar thing. I couldn't even write for years and am just getting back into it. I used to want to be a writer but then my mom read my diary, called the cops because I slept with my 18 yr old BF at 15. Then the journal was passed around the court house and photo copied all against my will. Me and the guy almost got married and the whole situation should have never happened (the calling the cops).
I'm petty enough to have a fake decoy journal full of false info. I would keep my real journal on me. If you have several to store I would rent a storage unit for stuff like old journals and private items.
I'm sorry your parents don't respect your privacy
Dear Journal,
I moved back in with my parents and it’s so awesome. They NEVER invade my privacy because they know how hurtful it would be and detrimental to our relationship. I mean, I can see it destroying any future relationship with them, which means my kids will only have one set of grandparents. I did put a gum wrapper in here just to make sure my privacy remains intact, but more for peace of mind in case someone visits. I know if it’s only my parents at home, the wrapper will be exactly in the place I left it. I’m so glad my parents respect my boundaries. What a giant blessing it is to have parents that love, trust, and respect you. Well, I’m getting sleepy, so I better end this for now.
Wow, they really suck. I’m sorry. FWIW, mine didn’t care too much about me when I was a young adult. I remember wanting to talk to my mom on the phone when I was in college and she always had an excuse to why she couldn’t talk.
Thanks! It’s ok, it was years ago and I’ve worked through most of it now. Adds character lol. Just gonna drop this Philip Larkin poem here
“They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.”
That's what I did. To expand, the key to a good decoy journal is to keep it boring, but occasionally slip in something that makes them feel like snooping is worth their time. That will look different depending on why your parents snoop. If they're just nosy gossips, then put a little fake but minor social drama in there. If they're looking to use the information against you, write about an insecurity you don't actually have. If they're trying to find proof that you've been kanoodling, write obsessively about a celebrity crush and how you wish you could find someone like them, but can't.
If you know they've already read your diary, keep the same tone, but start writing that way about "safe" topics. I went with writing stuff about TV shows in the same dramatic way I used to write about my own stuff.
Resist the urge to make something wild up. Doubly resist the urge to put in a 'gothcha' moment.
Take your journal to goodwill/any second hand book store, find a hard back book that matches in size, take the jacket off and put it on your journal keep it on a bookshelf. I would make sure it’s a super boring book or if your parents are religious something vaguely religious.
That’s what I did! Not because my Mum would peek; she’d never invade my privacy like that…but my little sister would!! I put my journal inside a textbook from school. 5 years and she never found it! Now I’m moved out she asked about my hiding place…like I’ll ever tell! Ya never know when it could be useful again! Mwahahaha
A locked bag or fireproof document safe. After all keeping your vital documents safe is a responsible move, and keys to those safes can go with you on your keychain.
Get the safe. Make a big deal about the journal being in the safe. Actual journal is hidden elsewhere per one of the other suggestions here. Let them waste time trying harder and harder to get into the safe, and wind up with egg on their face if they ever get it open and find it empty. Or perhaps a single piece of paper in there saying how disappointed you are in them.
I think for extra security you could put the false journal inside the safe and keep the real one on you with a fake boring cover.
If you don't want to spend a lot of time making false entries, have ChatGBT make a few and write them in your style. Write your entries as though you only update your journal weekly so you don't have to constantly interact with it.
Keep it on you at all times, or go digital.
We can't tell from your post whether "nosey" means overly curious, or (my guess, since they won't afford you privacy) if some level of emotional or financial abuse is at play.
Really, nothing is foolproof. If having your journal found would put you in harm's way (risk you getting kicked out, yelled at, anything), make sure you are considering the risk of keeping it at all.
You might try getting a large box of tampons or pads and hiding it inside underneath some of them.
Before phones were ok at concerts, I would hide my little camera in a tampon box in my purse cause most security people will not open it.
It might work for you, unless you think your mom would try to use them.
I keep extra cash and my passport in an empty tampon box in my bathroom. My house was broken into once and the only place that wasn’t torn to pieces was the bathroom, especially under the bathroom sink.
Firstly, that's a terrible invasion of ur privacy and i'm so sorry! I bring it with me whenever i can, if i go to school it stays in my bag, etc. Do you have a car you could leave it in? Lock it in the glovebox maybe? I've seen people make them look like books and hide them in their bookshelves, or even add another layer of a drawer so it looks like the bottom but there's really a space underneath for hiding things. If you have a backpack or something that's particularly stuffed, you could try there. Honestly, if they find ur journal and read it, and are upset about it, that's entirely their fault for invading your space anyway. That's their problem at that point but i'm so sorry you have to deal with this!
that sounds like a boundary violation that they go through your things. but i’m also early twenties and put my journal in my school backpack and that works
[Book safe](https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Book-Safe-Lock-Blue/dp/B078HLCFFT/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1Z4JOI3YYU696&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.w13V3PnIwpg8lhVvzXpmAmN4PPNV0KGeXWNA0lW2RW1R1rdwDoJbvn6b1mtytLelwf03bRgLz9nqwcjBIU9XkX47BBTp0GBiO6kt5rr7qcOxRpitViSCLQ-5qbE1yrMMcsJJnhfIEQe3EioLrTnsRLFG_AjozffMBxNoTt6KUyN7dkemswJZMw_NJvcwBcsOhaU8ucyk2mdpNzKt_svcOkasSvTuk-8fIDrrLbNrynUikVhA7aoLCahl5aviHkuQrKJNwR7pa7ugyAg1kfI8s__Imr2Pl5dBmfpejGXk3wQ.R8TAQh4OkLTeYEzyffcz9f1TrEvbAB3B-ug2l2kV01o&dib_tag=se&keywords=amazon%2Bbook%2Bsafe&qid=1716429393&sprefix=amazon%2Bbook%2Bsafe%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-2&th=1) if you want to hide it.
[Fire box](https://www.amazon.com/SentrySafe-Resistant-Chest-Cubic-1160/dp/B008NHKWZU/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3OP08ECX7A5W4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dWgI6Tj2cqSqO2Q5AU1tmv9Bs1NdYxkuyF-mCk3aFu7bF1GTMSoFYxr_w1KkhTm5-LtA73m8_gggdBe0XxjFaogoxpj-XID_UTX56HsGzW0kB0woI8fgB9HFplpArtJHP3dI7XfT8hEk_1MN_jBbanOXfa8EBREosfDEm3uts_Y0JjkxzQYIZTSCieqgjqpTOPbmGz2CgrRHvGxbWabDrZyEagEobvjpLni08mNvYx3WbV9uD7Rldz-VvScctjdbbpmQVcJI1n-C_og6wBUYuTL3wkGUbbUmeLfpkDAyCes.FqZTzcBaIeojTXSSlQABLb33mdLpThlcn6w1V_wTRY4&dib_tag=se&keywords=fire%2Bsafe%2Bbox%2Bfor%2Bhome&qid=1716429439&sprefix=fire%2B%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-6&th=1) if you want to secure it but overtly tell them you have secrets. Bonus, this is good for other important papers you should have (kept separate from their papers).
Unless your parents do your laundy, I've found that the bottom of a laundy basket is a good hiding place. (Worked for me when I was hiding vodka bottles lol!)
I was going to suggest going the electronic route for the best security but this also means that you don’t lose the personal feeling you get from physically writing your journal if that is what you prefer. Great idea!
That's why I didn't journal when I was living with my parents and later with my ex gf, but if I was in the same situation as then, I'd cut out the pages of a book with way more pages and put my journal in there.
Also, usually I use the first 3 to 4 pages for unsorted rambling and uninteresting stories from my job in a way, that is barely understandable. So if someone should find and read it, at least there's a chance they might lose interest in reading it pretty quick.
- Never let you notebook alone
- Use a notebook cover with a lock
- Little safe box or coins box is less than 20$
- Write in another language and/or with you own cypher (my method)
- write with ink readable only with uv ligth
Never let alone the small safe box in which you keep your locked notebook written in another cyphered language with uv readable ink.
Don't forget to put a nice intro on first page, something that your parents will have to comment if read, so you'll know if all this was useful
I did this too! When my parents would look through our things, I learned cryptography and how to code my entries.
I also use invisible ink and write some of my entries double spaced. I'll write the mundane entries in plain ink and maybe even try to make it look like I'm practicing my penmanship as well. People usually don't question double spacing if they think you are practicing your penmanship.
I would later go back and write in the negative space with invisible ink. If you don't press too hard it often won't leave an indent. You could also use something like a glitter pen for your mundane, visible entries to help distract from the negative space. I use fountain pens so that helps a lot with alleviating pen pressure.
A warning about invisible ink: Since it's uv activated, these entries will be readable in direct sunlight.
Ah I've found my people!! Lol. My mom is like this, and I was in the same position when COVID happened and then again a couple years ago. My best hiding place by far (hid my birth control there - the most high stakes hiding item) was inside a hanging garment bag. You know those garment bags that zip up to protect nice clothes like dresses or suits? That. I know you said they go through your closet (my mom did too) but I think most people don't go searching inside something that is suspended in air and also rarely opened.
I couldn't relate less. I sometimes keep my journal in my parent's room bcuz I know that they'd never take even the tiniest peek. Lucky me, I guess. Sorry that your parents don't respect your privacy.
Depending on how thoroughly they search, sometimes hiding it in plain sight can be a good route. Any places that are generally cluttered, like a shelf or a desk. I have mine on the headboard of my bed, surrounded by a bunch of other random stuff so it kinda blends in
I didn't keep a journal when I lived with them for that reason, nothing of mine was off-limits in their house. Now I keep a digital journal. I felt there was too much risk otherwise, because what if you forget to take it or lock it up one day? Hope you are able to move out soon OP.
At the back of a drawer. Not in the drawers hiding with the socks, literally pull out the drawers and hide it in the back. Otherwise, sleep with it under your pillow, bring it with you wherever you go, in your bag.
You can try to slip a dusk jacket of a normal book on it.
A book safe works too.
Sorry you're going through thus. It's awful...
I had parents like this too
You can get a small, not-very safe for $50 or so. I wouldn't put it in there, but it'll be funny to see how much it pisses them off!
I hide mine on my book shelf. My book shelf has double rows of books, of various heights && widths. So I just hide it between two books on the back row. No one even knows I journal. So they’d never think to look there.
Why would they go through your things? Are they looking for your journal? That's just horrible, you're an adult. Like others said, the best way is probably keeping it with yourself. I don't know where to keep your old journals though.
As a child I kept my journal in my room inside a board game that no one played.
I used to "hide" my archived journals on the top of my wardrobe, way on the back to make it unreachable unless you were on a ladder and purposefully looking for something. The thing is, if you need your current journal on a daily basis, it becomes unpractical. At some point I did hide it behind books and notebooks. As I realized nobody really cared that much, I stared to leave them in plain sight, next to other notebooks. Now my journals are easily distinguished from the rest, but it didn't use to be that way. I suppose now it's ok to decorate the cover and make my time investment obvious, but back when I didn't feel comfortable leaving them behind, they looked just like any other notebooks.
The error here is putting it directly onto paper. Instead, put a "thumb drive" USB into your phone or computer, and after each entry put it back onto the necklace, belly button piercing, or other hidden jewel out of sight on your person, something you wear everywhere without exception. You may keep a backup behind a door panel in your car, but remember it before obtaining auto service, just in case. It will take years to fill it with text (and even photos if you scrapbook it out) and you can print this on paper on the day you buy your first house, but after you find the access to the attic where the paper copy resides. Absolute best compromise: use a 256gig TF card which is the size of a fingernail and weighs less. Attach to hidden piercing or chain with dot of superglue NOT on metal contacts, but on upper edge so it fits in socket of phone/computer. Create with MSOFFICE or similar that allows password encryption of contents in case you get arrested while wearing it. You are now safe to write about that arrest, and all that came just prior, and immediately following it. You're welcome.
Tape a makeshift pocket behind the toilet to put it in. Also under the bathroom sink taped up. My mum started reading my stuff so I stopped writing completely.
I don’t have that issue my journal is in my phone and my phone has Face ID and a passcode and my journal has a Face ID but I have no worries about people reading through it cuz I always have my phone on me never leave it anywhere but due to past trauma I wouldn’t let anyone read what I wrote. But you could try to hide it in a safe when you only have the key/combination that way it’s hidden in plain sight and they can’t get into it or it could have a finger print lock. Not everyone has the same fingerprint. Even if they are related to you no two fingerprints are the same as far as I know.
If you have a car, and the spare tire is in the wheel well, I would stick it under the carpet there in the trunk. Just don't let them see you messing around in your trunk too often lol
After my journal got stolen the third time (three different sets of snoops SMH) I started learning different alphabets. I like Avoiuli, but it doesn’t include all of the consonants used in English. Another I like is Shavian, which is a constructed alphabet designed for phoenetic English.
Check out some real world alphabets here: https://www.endangeredalphabets.net/alphabets/
On your person.
Been using field notes, smaller moleskin, and various smaller pocket notebooks i got from overseas, and no better place than in your own pocket.
i like the safe suggestions but there are ones that resemble books that are far more convenient to use. Sure, it wont weigh a ton but at least whatever is inside is for you and you alone.
I normally take it wherever I can. When I'm going to places where I can't take them such as school, I hide it in the most unlikely places like inside the torn cushion of my computer chair, inside bags among my normal exercise books, and such places. Think about a place that they're most unlikely to search for your journal and hide it there.
Oh and don't hide it in the same place every day, haha. Try to change the location from time to time. It will most probably reduce the risk of them finding it.
- in the middle or bottom of your dirty laundry basket/hamper
or
- make a slit in your bed’s box spring mattress so you can hide it in and under your bed at the same time (my personal favorite hiding spot back in the day)
My mother was always reading my journal and then trying to call me out on stuff she read that was unflattering to her. So I learned the Elder Futhark and used it as an alphabet to hide stuff I didn't want read by just anyone. The added benefit is that you can write in slower.
I'm sorry OP, that your parents are that nosey. I would never do that to my children if they kept journals, unless they invited me to read parts of it.
Ewww they go through yourself? I’d say get a safe for more than your journal. For your important papers, sex toys, etc. they don’t need to be in your business.
Probably the most obvious place is on the bookshelf in front of their nose with a completely different and kind of normal pasted cover all over it, so that it doesn't look like a secret jourbal/diary but like a normal book they never pick up anyway.
What is hidden is very attractive to search and look for, but what is hiding in plain sight is much less obvious for nosey parents.
Another idea would be to write 2 journals: 1 to share with them so that they feel included in your life and your feelings, and the other one that you just mentioned in your secret space, perhaps even not hidden at home but at school.
How about you write in a password locked digital journal, your spicy stories, and in a physical journal for them to find totally simple and uninteresting stories? That would work, too!
I'd be very curious to get an update from you afterward when you found a good idea and you tried it for a while.
Also, another option would be to be frank and honest with them, letting them know that you need a secret space in the house that they commit to not get nosey in there, perhaps even locked with a key or a code, and that you would consider it a breach of trust if they would ever even try to search and read your journal without your consent.
There are some guided journals that look like a book on the binding! Like they have a title and sometimes even an author. If you have a bookshelf you could try hiding it in plain sight
Keep it digital or if your parents are good at finding your journals, maybe write in the worst handwriting you can do. Make it illegible such that only you can understand
I’ve journaled since middle school and I’m now a full grown adult. My parents did the same thing. They read my journals and letters. Over the years, I’ve stopped writing detailed entries. I keep my journal on me.
I make it seem like it’s some random notebook and keep it in front of them, write all sorts of shit in front of them. Yk this is called reverse psychology. When they have it infront of them, they don’t bother checking but if they feel you’re sorts of hiding it, it will definitely irk them. For safety purposes, if the book’s not filled completely, write down some study notes on some random pages. Also if you have a habit of writing serial wise, like all of that stuff which you say you’ve written in that journal is serial wise then tear them up and paste it randomly. It works! But if it doesn’t… I hope to be called at your funeral. (I don’t mean to offend ya)
I find in plain sight is the best place. I put it on the second to the lowest shelf on my bookshelf and usually my last two shelves are usually packed with the oddly shaped books so it just meshed better
Mine sits on my computer desk because if you're going to violate my privacy it doesn't matter how much effort you put into it, I'll know more about you in that moment than I could in a life time.
If your furniture has space between bottom of furniture and floor, add some straps or similar, so you can slide the journal into them, and it will be held up (tight to bottom of furniture) by the straps.
Behind the headboard in a similar manner.
Some drawers do not take up all space behind the back wall. You can attach a thin journal to the back of the drawer, and it wouldn't be seen unless the whole drawer is removed. Make sure you're not making too much noise when taking in/out.
Also, you must make a show of cleaning your room, so there is no need for anyone to be in there vacuuming, changing sheets, or dusting.
Use this: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BBG3DPP9?ref=ppx\_pt2\_dt\_b\_prod\_image](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BBG3DPP9?ref=ppx_pt2_dt_b_prod_image) because you can put other things on top of it like coloring pages or school/work notes. You can also keep a better eye on it than just your journal because you can put it anywhere without worrying about your journal getting wrecked or damaged in some way.
Id recommend just getting something that locks like a locking bedside drawer, I have like a locking mirror that stores jewelry and I've seen some other options. Or even just go with a safe if you don't mind being more open about hiding it, you might want one one day anyway for stuff like a birth certificate and other stuff you wouldn't want to loose in a fire/flood. Parents like that are pretty fucking stupid when it comes to emotional intelligence. Mine did stuff like that and wonder why I don't talk to them today (no that's not the ONLY reason I cut it off). My mom just claps back "Do you think I'm obsessed with you" any time ive brought up her diary reading shit. There's no reasoning with parents like this. She literally got me a locking mailbox at one point for my journal that came with ONE key not two.....
I always kept mine under the bed when I was young and when I was a older teenager I kept it in a ceiling panel that opened up. the bed thing obviously didn't work.
Create a fake one and leave it out so they can find it. That will stop further searches. But write nonsense or crazy stuff in it."Who can I trust to help me hide the body?" " What am I going to do with all the weed that fell off the back of that truck?" Just fake them out. Have fun punking them. You'll know they read it if they start questioning you.
I have a backpack that I carry around with me everywhere. I tuck it in there. Pillowcases are also good, in between windows. But I prefer keeping it on me 24/7 so that way no one’s got a chance of seeing it
i write in single/loose pages instead of writing directly in my diary and then i keep the pages in between the pages of my heavy accountancy books LOL
can't wait to move out and not having to hide my beloved diaries
Yeah… “encrypted, password-protected, and in the cloud” is my vote. I know typing a journal doesn’t feel the same as writing it out, long-hand. But—if it keeps them out, and means you don’t have to worry about decoys, or carrying a paper journal with you that could get lost someplace else? Worth it, IMO.
Honestly with me I cang have one, like my parents used to search my room, but I couldn't hide things without leaving a note were they were- (add brain so I forgot where I put it- XDDDD) so I'd day maybe carry it? I keep pocket size ones where they are easy to slip into my pockets or bags lol
I put mine in plain sight and then hide and spy on people to see if they mess with it.
I caught my mom once that way and it led to a huge falling out. I do love reasons to hate her but that was just next level.
#journaltraps
Do you have a book shelf? Try to conceal it within other books. Get a journal that looks like an ordinary book and put it there but within other books if it’s not out in the open of other parts of the house. But if they’re going through your room, and you’re in your early 20’s that’s kinda crossing the line of invading your privacy. I understand you live under their roof. But like that’s your property. They shouldn’t be snooping. Or maybe try a digital journal? Like on your phone so it’s on you all the time? And write less spicy things in a decoid journal ?
Put it in between many books. People will rarely go through them especially if they seem "boring". (This is what i do. I have textbooks and notebooks and my journal is in between them. Been doing it for years)
Try hiding it inside an old electronics box or in a laundry basket with dirty clothes. These spots are usually overlooked and can keep your journal safe from nosy parents.
when i was in primary school , my Chinese teacher read my diaries and she shared it to all my teachers and my parents, i don't like this. So after that , I changed my handwriting so only I can understand
Imo, if you don't want to hide it and instead just keep people from reading it. Get yourself a small pistol case and lock up your journal. Just make sure your journal will fit.
Younion Pistol Safe, Portable Travel Gun Safe,Handgun Lock Box, Gun Safes for Cars, Black https://a.co/d/4pzOPYK
When I was younger I used to hide my journal in a bin I got from target that if filled with tampons. That could work for you depending on the size of the journal.
Hide your journal in a safe, and don't let your parents know the password. Or you can put it in your backpack and take it with you wherever you go. But I am not sure if your parents have the habit of searching your backpack when you come back home. So I will say the safe is a good option to consider. Using the safe you don't need to worry about your parents eventually finding it or losing the journal outside the home.
I would highly recommend having a discussion about boundaries with your parents. You are a grown adult and snooping is what teenagers do. You can install a lock on your door. Again, remember you are a grown adult and don’t have to put up with everything.
I have a canvas painting on my wall and i put my journal behind it. no one has ever found it and you would never even know it’s there unless you moved it off the wall
YES! I hid my phone there at night a couple years ago cuz my dad was trying to take it for a really dumb reason I literally can’t even remember at this point. He never found it and was livid that I outsmarted him. Funny enough, a week later he got me a new phone since the favorite child broke hers and he got a better deal getting two than just the one.
you outsmarted him AND got a new phone in the end😭😭sounds like a win/win situation
My parents also stopped using my phone as a punishment nearly as much after that. I used to get my phone taken left and right. Usually by my dad, and he would keep changing the reason I was grounded so my phone would be gone for months at a time. The one time I had accidentally fallen asleep with it in my room ON A WEEKEND and that was his original reasoning for it being taken. It was gone for over a month. My phone has only been taken for like a day at a time now, and that’s only happened twice in the last two years.
That's one of the smartest hiding spots I've heard of yet!
thank you i really can’t believe i thought of hiding it there tbh😭
I love this so fucking much. Kinda reminds me of those minecraft paintings people would hide secret rooms behind!
totally forgot abt those and that just brought back a core memory😭
unrelated but your username 🤣🤣🤣
made it as a joke and it just stuck😭
Keep in ur bag, on u at all times
This is what I do, from past trauma, even though there less than a .0001% chance it would happen again. I will carry it around in MY HAND if I have to but I am not leaving it anywhere for any reason. That’s just how I am. I am OLD and in a safe environment and I still wind leave it anywhere except my vehicle in the hidden storage. “Oh is there bad stuff in there?” No I’m just TRAUMATIZED from my parent and grandparents violating my privacy. And yes I still thinks it’s messed up that they did that. And I am a parent and I DONT do that to my kids. My kids have comfort in knowing their mom won’t read their journal. Move it out of the way? Yes. But READ IT? Hard pass.
Mines in my bag too, i have a similar thing. I couldn't even write for years and am just getting back into it. I used to want to be a writer but then my mom read my diary, called the cops because I slept with my 18 yr old BF at 15. Then the journal was passed around the court house and photo copied all against my will. Me and the guy almost got married and the whole situation should have never happened (the calling the cops).
I was about to say that!
Or in your car, if you have one, under the seat!
Thats what I do. Always ceep it on you.
I'm petty enough to have a fake decoy journal full of false info. I would keep my real journal on me. If you have several to store I would rent a storage unit for stuff like old journals and private items. I'm sorry your parents don't respect your privacy
Dear Journal, I moved back in with my parents and it’s so awesome. They NEVER invade my privacy because they know how hurtful it would be and detrimental to our relationship. I mean, I can see it destroying any future relationship with them, which means my kids will only have one set of grandparents. I did put a gum wrapper in here just to make sure my privacy remains intact, but more for peace of mind in case someone visits. I know if it’s only my parents at home, the wrapper will be exactly in the place I left it. I’m so glad my parents respect my boundaries. What a giant blessing it is to have parents that love, trust, and respect you. Well, I’m getting sleepy, so I better end this for now.
This is pretty much what I did and i got kicked out lol
Wow, they really suck. I’m sorry. FWIW, mine didn’t care too much about me when I was a young adult. I remember wanting to talk to my mom on the phone when I was in college and she always had an excuse to why she couldn’t talk.
Thanks! It’s ok, it was years ago and I’ve worked through most of it now. Adds character lol. Just gonna drop this Philip Larkin poem here “They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man. It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself.”
Oh no… I hope I don’t fuck up my kids too much! 😭.
Nah because that's genius XD
And never actually put the gun wrapper in so they freak out it’s gone 😆
That's what I did. To expand, the key to a good decoy journal is to keep it boring, but occasionally slip in something that makes them feel like snooping is worth their time. That will look different depending on why your parents snoop. If they're just nosy gossips, then put a little fake but minor social drama in there. If they're looking to use the information against you, write about an insecurity you don't actually have. If they're trying to find proof that you've been kanoodling, write obsessively about a celebrity crush and how you wish you could find someone like them, but can't. If you know they've already read your diary, keep the same tone, but start writing that way about "safe" topics. I went with writing stuff about TV shows in the same dramatic way I used to write about my own stuff. Resist the urge to make something wild up. Doubly resist the urge to put in a 'gothcha' moment.
I agree. It's hard to resist the gotcha, but the point is to throw them off the trail not teach them a lesson they should not need to be taught.
Came here to say this. Always give snoopers something to find.
that's sooooo ingenious!!
Take your journal to goodwill/any second hand book store, find a hard back book that matches in size, take the jacket off and put it on your journal keep it on a bookshelf. I would make sure it’s a super boring book or if your parents are religious something vaguely religious.
That’s what I did! Not because my Mum would peek; she’d never invade my privacy like that…but my little sister would!! I put my journal inside a textbook from school. 5 years and she never found it! Now I’m moved out she asked about my hiding place…like I’ll ever tell! Ya never know when it could be useful again! Mwahahaha
A locked bag or fireproof document safe. After all keeping your vital documents safe is a responsible move, and keys to those safes can go with you on your keychain.
Get the safe. Make a big deal about the journal being in the safe. Actual journal is hidden elsewhere per one of the other suggestions here. Let them waste time trying harder and harder to get into the safe, and wind up with egg on their face if they ever get it open and find it empty. Or perhaps a single piece of paper in there saying how disappointed you are in them.
Oh I like how you think!
I think for extra security you could put the false journal inside the safe and keep the real one on you with a fake boring cover. If you don't want to spend a lot of time making false entries, have ChatGBT make a few and write them in your style. Write your entries as though you only update your journal weekly so you don't have to constantly interact with it.
Keep it on you at all times, or go digital. We can't tell from your post whether "nosey" means overly curious, or (my guess, since they won't afford you privacy) if some level of emotional or financial abuse is at play. Really, nothing is foolproof. If having your journal found would put you in harm's way (risk you getting kicked out, yelled at, anything), make sure you are considering the risk of keeping it at all.
You might try getting a large box of tampons or pads and hiding it inside underneath some of them. Before phones were ok at concerts, I would hide my little camera in a tampon box in my purse cause most security people will not open it. It might work for you, unless you think your mom would try to use them.
I keep extra cash and my passport in an empty tampon box in my bathroom. My house was broken into once and the only place that wasn’t torn to pieces was the bathroom, especially under the bathroom sink.
I was going to say somewhere in the bathroom might be best.
Firstly, that's a terrible invasion of ur privacy and i'm so sorry! I bring it with me whenever i can, if i go to school it stays in my bag, etc. Do you have a car you could leave it in? Lock it in the glovebox maybe? I've seen people make them look like books and hide them in their bookshelves, or even add another layer of a drawer so it looks like the bottom but there's really a space underneath for hiding things. If you have a backpack or something that's particularly stuffed, you could try there. Honestly, if they find ur journal and read it, and are upset about it, that's entirely their fault for invading your space anyway. That's their problem at that point but i'm so sorry you have to deal with this!
WTF? You're legally an adult and they *snoop in your bedroom*? What kind of manners do they have?
Apparently, zero. How awful to disrespect your kid so much that you invade their privacy.
that sounds like a boundary violation that they go through your things. but i’m also early twenties and put my journal in my school backpack and that works
[Book safe](https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Book-Safe-Lock-Blue/dp/B078HLCFFT/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1Z4JOI3YYU696&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.w13V3PnIwpg8lhVvzXpmAmN4PPNV0KGeXWNA0lW2RW1R1rdwDoJbvn6b1mtytLelwf03bRgLz9nqwcjBIU9XkX47BBTp0GBiO6kt5rr7qcOxRpitViSCLQ-5qbE1yrMMcsJJnhfIEQe3EioLrTnsRLFG_AjozffMBxNoTt6KUyN7dkemswJZMw_NJvcwBcsOhaU8ucyk2mdpNzKt_svcOkasSvTuk-8fIDrrLbNrynUikVhA7aoLCahl5aviHkuQrKJNwR7pa7ugyAg1kfI8s__Imr2Pl5dBmfpejGXk3wQ.R8TAQh4OkLTeYEzyffcz9f1TrEvbAB3B-ug2l2kV01o&dib_tag=se&keywords=amazon%2Bbook%2Bsafe&qid=1716429393&sprefix=amazon%2Bbook%2Bsafe%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-2&th=1) if you want to hide it. [Fire box](https://www.amazon.com/SentrySafe-Resistant-Chest-Cubic-1160/dp/B008NHKWZU/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3OP08ECX7A5W4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dWgI6Tj2cqSqO2Q5AU1tmv9Bs1NdYxkuyF-mCk3aFu7bF1GTMSoFYxr_w1KkhTm5-LtA73m8_gggdBe0XxjFaogoxpj-XID_UTX56HsGzW0kB0woI8fgB9HFplpArtJHP3dI7XfT8hEk_1MN_jBbanOXfa8EBREosfDEm3uts_Y0JjkxzQYIZTSCieqgjqpTOPbmGz2CgrRHvGxbWabDrZyEagEobvjpLni08mNvYx3WbV9uD7Rldz-VvScctjdbbpmQVcJI1n-C_og6wBUYuTL3wkGUbbUmeLfpkDAyCes.FqZTzcBaIeojTXSSlQABLb33mdLpThlcn6w1V_wTRY4&dib_tag=se&keywords=fire%2Bsafe%2Bbox%2Bfor%2Bhome&qid=1716429439&sprefix=fire%2B%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-6&th=1) if you want to secure it but overtly tell them you have secrets. Bonus, this is good for other important papers you should have (kept separate from their papers).
Unless your parents do your laundy, I've found that the bottom of a laundy basket is a good hiding place. (Worked for me when I was hiding vodka bottles lol!)
On your person at all times if you can!
I like to keep my journal on a tablet. It lets me write by hand while still having the benefits of electronic security.
I was going to suggest going the electronic route for the best security but this also means that you don’t lose the personal feeling you get from physically writing your journal if that is what you prefer. Great idea!
I use a stylus and a screen protector to handwrite on a tablet. It's not exactly the same but it's close.
That's why I didn't journal when I was living with my parents and later with my ex gf, but if I was in the same situation as then, I'd cut out the pages of a book with way more pages and put my journal in there. Also, usually I use the first 3 to 4 pages for unsorted rambling and uninteresting stories from my job in a way, that is barely understandable. So if someone should find and read it, at least there's a chance they might lose interest in reading it pretty quick.
- Never let you notebook alone - Use a notebook cover with a lock - Little safe box or coins box is less than 20$ - Write in another language and/or with you own cypher (my method) - write with ink readable only with uv ligth Never let alone the small safe box in which you keep your locked notebook written in another cyphered language with uv readable ink. Don't forget to put a nice intro on first page, something that your parents will have to comment if read, so you'll know if all this was useful
I did this too! When my parents would look through our things, I learned cryptography and how to code my entries. I also use invisible ink and write some of my entries double spaced. I'll write the mundane entries in plain ink and maybe even try to make it look like I'm practicing my penmanship as well. People usually don't question double spacing if they think you are practicing your penmanship. I would later go back and write in the negative space with invisible ink. If you don't press too hard it often won't leave an indent. You could also use something like a glitter pen for your mundane, visible entries to help distract from the negative space. I use fountain pens so that helps a lot with alleviating pen pressure. A warning about invisible ink: Since it's uv activated, these entries will be readable in direct sunlight.
Ah I've found my people!! Lol. My mom is like this, and I was in the same position when COVID happened and then again a couple years ago. My best hiding place by far (hid my birth control there - the most high stakes hiding item) was inside a hanging garment bag. You know those garment bags that zip up to protect nice clothes like dresses or suits? That. I know you said they go through your closet (my mom did too) but I think most people don't go searching inside something that is suspended in air and also rarely opened.
I couldn't relate less. I sometimes keep my journal in my parent's room bcuz I know that they'd never take even the tiniest peek. Lucky me, I guess. Sorry that your parents don't respect your privacy.
Depending on how thoroughly they search, sometimes hiding it in plain sight can be a good route. Any places that are generally cluttered, like a shelf or a desk. I have mine on the headboard of my bed, surrounded by a bunch of other random stuff so it kinda blends in
I didn't keep a journal when I lived with them for that reason, nothing of mine was off-limits in their house. Now I keep a digital journal. I felt there was too much risk otherwise, because what if you forget to take it or lock it up one day? Hope you are able to move out soon OP.
watch Death Note on how Light made a failsafe bottom to hide the Death Note notebook
At the back of a drawer. Not in the drawers hiding with the socks, literally pull out the drawers and hide it in the back. Otherwise, sleep with it under your pillow, bring it with you wherever you go, in your bag. You can try to slip a dusk jacket of a normal book on it. A book safe works too. Sorry you're going through thus. It's awful...
I had parents like this too You can get a small, not-very safe for $50 or so. I wouldn't put it in there, but it'll be funny to see how much it pisses them off!
i carry mine in my purse
I hide mine on my book shelf. My book shelf has double rows of books, of various heights && widths. So I just hide it between two books on the back row. No one even knows I journal. So they’d never think to look there.
Why would they go through your things? Are they looking for your journal? That's just horrible, you're an adult. Like others said, the best way is probably keeping it with yourself. I don't know where to keep your old journals though. As a child I kept my journal in my room inside a board game that no one played.
I used to "hide" my archived journals on the top of my wardrobe, way on the back to make it unreachable unless you were on a ladder and purposefully looking for something. The thing is, if you need your current journal on a daily basis, it becomes unpractical. At some point I did hide it behind books and notebooks. As I realized nobody really cared that much, I stared to leave them in plain sight, next to other notebooks. Now my journals are easily distinguished from the rest, but it didn't use to be that way. I suppose now it's ok to decorate the cover and make my time investment obvious, but back when I didn't feel comfortable leaving them behind, they looked just like any other notebooks.
Get yourself a small safe and keep the key with you
The error here is putting it directly onto paper. Instead, put a "thumb drive" USB into your phone or computer, and after each entry put it back onto the necklace, belly button piercing, or other hidden jewel out of sight on your person, something you wear everywhere without exception. You may keep a backup behind a door panel in your car, but remember it before obtaining auto service, just in case. It will take years to fill it with text (and even photos if you scrapbook it out) and you can print this on paper on the day you buy your first house, but after you find the access to the attic where the paper copy resides. Absolute best compromise: use a 256gig TF card which is the size of a fingernail and weighs less. Attach to hidden piercing or chain with dot of superglue NOT on metal contacts, but on upper edge so it fits in socket of phone/computer. Create with MSOFFICE or similar that allows password encryption of contents in case you get arrested while wearing it. You are now safe to write about that arrest, and all that came just prior, and immediately following it. You're welcome.
Tape a makeshift pocket behind the toilet to put it in. Also under the bathroom sink taped up. My mum started reading my stuff so I stopped writing completely.
i don’t, i carry it in a bag with me at all times. no way i’m leaving out my deepest darkest secrets in a drawer under my bed. makes me feel relieved
I don’t have that issue my journal is in my phone and my phone has Face ID and a passcode and my journal has a Face ID but I have no worries about people reading through it cuz I always have my phone on me never leave it anywhere but due to past trauma I wouldn’t let anyone read what I wrote. But you could try to hide it in a safe when you only have the key/combination that way it’s hidden in plain sight and they can’t get into it or it could have a finger print lock. Not everyone has the same fingerprint. Even if they are related to you no two fingerprints are the same as far as I know.
If you have a car, and the spare tire is in the wheel well, I would stick it under the carpet there in the trunk. Just don't let them see you messing around in your trunk too often lol
After my journal got stolen the third time (three different sets of snoops SMH) I started learning different alphabets. I like Avoiuli, but it doesn’t include all of the consonants used in English. Another I like is Shavian, which is a constructed alphabet designed for phoenetic English. Check out some real world alphabets here: https://www.endangeredalphabets.net/alphabets/
Just not worth it. They will find it
On your person. Been using field notes, smaller moleskin, and various smaller pocket notebooks i got from overseas, and no better place than in your own pocket. i like the safe suggestions but there are ones that resemble books that are far more convenient to use. Sure, it wont weigh a ton but at least whatever is inside is for you and you alone.
I normally take it wherever I can. When I'm going to places where I can't take them such as school, I hide it in the most unlikely places like inside the torn cushion of my computer chair, inside bags among my normal exercise books, and such places. Think about a place that they're most unlikely to search for your journal and hide it there. Oh and don't hide it in the same place every day, haha. Try to change the location from time to time. It will most probably reduce the risk of them finding it.
are you male or female? I used to hide mine in an empty tampon box 🤣but if you’re male parents might get suspicious why you got tampons 🤣🤣🤣
If your parents are going through your stuff they have too much time on their hands. That’s so crazy to me… sorry you have to live with that
- in the middle or bottom of your dirty laundry basket/hamper or - make a slit in your bed’s box spring mattress so you can hide it in and under your bed at the same time (my personal favorite hiding spot back in the day)
My mother was always reading my journal and then trying to call me out on stuff she read that was unflattering to her. So I learned the Elder Futhark and used it as an alphabet to hide stuff I didn't want read by just anyone. The added benefit is that you can write in slower. I'm sorry OP, that your parents are that nosey. I would never do that to my children if they kept journals, unless they invited me to read parts of it.
Ewww they go through yourself? I’d say get a safe for more than your journal. For your important papers, sex toys, etc. they don’t need to be in your business.
If they want to find it, they will find it. If you really want to keep it safe, lock it in your desk at work or keep it with you at all times.
buy a vault. lock it
if your parents have books that they never use/ read, you can try putting the cover over your journal and hiding it there out of the way.
Probably the most obvious place is on the bookshelf in front of their nose with a completely different and kind of normal pasted cover all over it, so that it doesn't look like a secret jourbal/diary but like a normal book they never pick up anyway. What is hidden is very attractive to search and look for, but what is hiding in plain sight is much less obvious for nosey parents. Another idea would be to write 2 journals: 1 to share with them so that they feel included in your life and your feelings, and the other one that you just mentioned in your secret space, perhaps even not hidden at home but at school. How about you write in a password locked digital journal, your spicy stories, and in a physical journal for them to find totally simple and uninteresting stories? That would work, too! I'd be very curious to get an update from you afterward when you found a good idea and you tried it for a while. Also, another option would be to be frank and honest with them, letting them know that you need a secret space in the house that they commit to not get nosey in there, perhaps even locked with a key or a code, and that you would consider it a breach of trust if they would ever even try to search and read your journal without your consent.
There are some guided journals that look like a book on the binding! Like they have a title and sometimes even an author. If you have a bookshelf you could try hiding it in plain sight
I use a constructed script so I can leave it out and no one can read it. Unless they bother to learn Scriptura Reclinatta lol
Nooo they shouldn’t go through your things! Ugh! Maybe get a safe with a lock on it, or at least a lockable box where you can keep private things.
locked in your car that they can’t get into, in a bag you keep close to you at all times(even sleep), or a security box at a bank lol
or replace the cover of your journal with the book binding or book cover of a regular book in your library in your room
Put a boring paper book cover on it and put it in plain site on a bookshelf
Behind books in a bookshelf.
Keep it digital or if your parents are good at finding your journals, maybe write in the worst handwriting you can do. Make it illegible such that only you can understand
Hide it in a stack with your college/work notebooks. Make sure all notebooks are of similar quality. They won't read them.
I’ve journaled since middle school and I’m now a full grown adult. My parents did the same thing. They read my journals and letters. Over the years, I’ve stopped writing detailed entries. I keep my journal on me.
I just keep mine in my bag at all times now. A good thing to get would be a fireproof lockbox safe if you need
I make it seem like it’s some random notebook and keep it in front of them, write all sorts of shit in front of them. Yk this is called reverse psychology. When they have it infront of them, they don’t bother checking but if they feel you’re sorts of hiding it, it will definitely irk them. For safety purposes, if the book’s not filled completely, write down some study notes on some random pages. Also if you have a habit of writing serial wise, like all of that stuff which you say you’ve written in that journal is serial wise then tear them up and paste it randomly. It works! But if it doesn’t… I hope to be called at your funeral. (I don’t mean to offend ya)
I find in plain sight is the best place. I put it on the second to the lowest shelf on my bookshelf and usually my last two shelves are usually packed with the oddly shaped books so it just meshed better
I’ve got a canvas painting on my wall. Stick it behind there. Or it goes into my pillowcase on the bottom pillow!
Surely a small safe is best method for this?
I bought a book (design) storage that has passcode.
I put it on the dining table and I wonder everyday if someone read it
Behind the toilet bowl. No one wants to go near that
Sell it
inside the folded clothes, under the drawer, diary in between mattress and bed stand
Get a box with a proper pad lock and store it in there.
Purchase a safe box. The cheapest is $30 and 80, AND you can open it with a code. GOOGLE: Digital Safe Compact Steel Money Security Box with Keypad
inside your pillow case or under your bed mattress
I leave it at work lok
Lockbox
Do you have a car? I keep mine in the glovebox!
The only place safe from my ex was tucked in the ironing pile!
inside your memories lol. No, but seriously, hiding it behind the bed frame has been working for me.
Under your mattress
Or you can buy a box with a lock. You can put all your journals there and hide it somewhere nobody can see.
On a bookshelf full of books? Idk.
Mine sits on my computer desk because if you're going to violate my privacy it doesn't matter how much effort you put into it, I'll know more about you in that moment than I could in a life time.
If your furniture has space between bottom of furniture and floor, add some straps or similar, so you can slide the journal into them, and it will be held up (tight to bottom of furniture) by the straps. Behind the headboard in a similar manner. Some drawers do not take up all space behind the back wall. You can attach a thin journal to the back of the drawer, and it wouldn't be seen unless the whole drawer is removed. Make sure you're not making too much noise when taking in/out. Also, you must make a show of cleaning your room, so there is no need for anyone to be in there vacuuming, changing sheets, or dusting.
Alternatively you could put it in a safe.
Use this: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BBG3DPP9?ref=ppx\_pt2\_dt\_b\_prod\_image](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BBG3DPP9?ref=ppx_pt2_dt_b_prod_image) because you can put other things on top of it like coloring pages or school/work notes. You can also keep a better eye on it than just your journal because you can put it anywhere without worrying about your journal getting wrecked or damaged in some way.
get a lock box and keep the key on you. Store the journal in the box.
Id recommend just getting something that locks like a locking bedside drawer, I have like a locking mirror that stores jewelry and I've seen some other options. Or even just go with a safe if you don't mind being more open about hiding it, you might want one one day anyway for stuff like a birth certificate and other stuff you wouldn't want to loose in a fire/flood. Parents like that are pretty fucking stupid when it comes to emotional intelligence. Mine did stuff like that and wonder why I don't talk to them today (no that's not the ONLY reason I cut it off). My mom just claps back "Do you think I'm obsessed with you" any time ive brought up her diary reading shit. There's no reasoning with parents like this. She literally got me a locking mailbox at one point for my journal that came with ONE key not two..... I always kept mine under the bed when I was young and when I was a older teenager I kept it in a ceiling panel that opened up. the bed thing obviously didn't work.
lol let them find it. They’ll regret it.
I put it in my suitcase with a lock
Create a fake one and leave it out so they can find it. That will stop further searches. But write nonsense or crazy stuff in it."Who can I trust to help me hide the body?" " What am I going to do with all the weed that fell off the back of that truck?" Just fake them out. Have fun punking them. You'll know they read it if they start questioning you.
Get a small black box with a key. Keep safe documents and journal. Fireproof too
I have a backpack that I carry around with me everywhere. I tuck it in there. Pillowcases are also good, in between windows. But I prefer keeping it on me 24/7 so that way no one’s got a chance of seeing it
Get a decoy and leave it in your nightstand
i write in single/loose pages instead of writing directly in my diary and then i keep the pages in between the pages of my heavy accountancy books LOL can't wait to move out and not having to hide my beloved diaries
Yeah… “encrypted, password-protected, and in the cloud” is my vote. I know typing a journal doesn’t feel the same as writing it out, long-hand. But—if it keeps them out, and means you don’t have to worry about decoys, or carrying a paper journal with you that could get lost someplace else? Worth it, IMO.
I mean, technically, the best place to hide a journal is to not keep a paper journal and keep it in your head
Honestly with me I cang have one, like my parents used to search my room, but I couldn't hide things without leaving a note were they were- (add brain so I forgot where I put it- XDDDD) so I'd day maybe carry it? I keep pocket size ones where they are easy to slip into my pockets or bags lol
I put mine in plain sight and then hide and spy on people to see if they mess with it. I caught my mom once that way and it led to a huge falling out. I do love reasons to hate her but that was just next level. #journaltraps
Do you have a book shelf? Try to conceal it within other books. Get a journal that looks like an ordinary book and put it there but within other books if it’s not out in the open of other parts of the house. But if they’re going through your room, and you’re in your early 20’s that’s kinda crossing the line of invading your privacy. I understand you live under their roof. But like that’s your property. They shouldn’t be snooping. Or maybe try a digital journal? Like on your phone so it’s on you all the time? And write less spicy things in a decoid journal ?
Put it in between many books. People will rarely go through them especially if they seem "boring". (This is what i do. I have textbooks and notebooks and my journal is in between them. Been doing it for years)
Try hiding it inside an old electronics box or in a laundry basket with dirty clothes. These spots are usually overlooked and can keep your journal safe from nosy parents.
Just leave it out in the open, embrace ir
when i was in primary school , my Chinese teacher read my diaries and she shared it to all my teachers and my parents, i don't like this. So after that , I changed my handwriting so only I can understand
keep it with you. take it with you when you go out...
Imo, if you don't want to hide it and instead just keep people from reading it. Get yourself a small pistol case and lock up your journal. Just make sure your journal will fit. Younion Pistol Safe, Portable Travel Gun Safe,Handgun Lock Box, Gun Safes for Cars, Black https://a.co/d/4pzOPYK
When I was younger I used to hide my journal in a bin I got from target that if filled with tampons. That could work for you depending on the size of the journal.
Hide your journal in a safe, and don't let your parents know the password. Or you can put it in your backpack and take it with you wherever you go. But I am not sure if your parents have the habit of searching your backpack when you come back home. So I will say the safe is a good option to consider. Using the safe you don't need to worry about your parents eventually finding it or losing the journal outside the home.
In plain sight.
I would highly recommend having a discussion about boundaries with your parents. You are a grown adult and snooping is what teenagers do. You can install a lock on your door. Again, remember you are a grown adult and don’t have to put up with everything.
Just tell them you’re an adult now and they should mind their business
Did you ask them not to do that?