I think your right to be outraged. Stupid courts telling parents not to be parents. What next, everyone under the age of 18 is a ward of the state and lives in government controlled housing and schooling?

And this is the very definition of "liberal activist judges." They make law, not interpret it. How insane!

And this is the very definition of "liberal activist judges."

How did this become a party issue? How do you know the judges are liberal? Are there no conservative judges? I went to the website for the court and googled the names of the justices, but I couldn't find any political affliation for any of them.

They make law, not interpret it.

Actually, according the courts finding the mother was in violation of the state's "Privacy Act." Washington is one of 11 states that require "all party" consent when "listening" to a conversation.

There is no "minor" provision in the law. If the courts had ruled the other way, they'd be writing law rather than interpretting it. Your real beef is with the Privacy Act, not the judges.

Washington is one of 11 states that require "all party" consent when "listening" to a conversation.

Sounds like there is a whole lot of interpretation going on here.  I can't fathom any law intending to keep parents from listening to what their children say in their own home.  If minors require parental consent for any legal action, how could they give "consent" for listening to their conversation?  I think the court had their heads way up their asses on this one.

Another example of parental hand-tying.  We are supposed to raise our kids well and teach them to be responsible results....but we are being given more and more stipulations on what we can and cannot do, and the kids know this!  We, as parents, are being manipulated not only by our kids but by the freakin' legal and social system too!

I'm not into beating my kids or tying them up or depriving them of food or water.....but I think that I, as a law-abiding, responsible adult, should be able to raise my children as I think best. If that means eavesdropping on their phone calls or monitoring their email, then I'm going to do it, law or not.

How did this become a party issue? How do you know the judges are liberal? Are there no conservative judges? I went to the website for the court and googled the names of the justices, but I couldn't find any political affliation for any of them.

We know the judges aren't conservative because of their ruling. It's as clear as that.

Actually, according the courts finding the mother was in violation of the state's "Privacy Act." Washington is one of 11 states that require "all party" consent when "listening" to a conversation.

I hope more wacky interpretations are made like this to prevent parents from parenting. They shouldn't be allowed to enter the rooms of their children without the complete consent of the children either. After all, if I entered the room of a complete stranger without their consent, that'd be considered breaking and entering, and we know that there is no difference between one's children and a complete stranger.

Having been through hell a few years ago trying to control an uncontrollable child and encountering the same sort of problems, I am absolutely appalled at this court's ruling. We need the support of our legal system if we are going to have any hope of raising our children in a safe, secure environment. If parental control cannot be enforced by parents, we have lost our children, pure and simple. Your kid needs to know that you are the final authority. No child should be abused, but kids now use accusations of abuse all the time to undermine parental authority, in part precisely because they are not stupid and understand the significance of things like this.

Cheers,
Daiwa

With rulings the courts ruling parents are now breaking the law when they monitor what their children are doing. Of course when the child does commit a crime the parents will be held accountable for the child’s actions. We have now created a catch 22 for parents trying to raise children today. It is time to take a step back and start looking at the consequences that we will face with such “micro-parenting” being dictated from the bench - SD

Of course when the child does commit a crime the parents will be held accountable for the child’s actions.

Great point, SaintDirty. Parents can be held criminally accountable for a number of things children do without their knowledge. So which is it? Are minors responsible for their own actions, which includes adult privileges as well as consequences, or are they too young and thus parent's responsiblity?

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think this is a plan by the Enlightened Government to take control of the lives of the children from the country bumpkin parents who know nothing about parenting. (This actually sounded more serious than I hoped, so I'll add something of substance...) I don't understand why so many people want to make parenting harder than it already it is, and for what? To tell children that parents have no control over them?

I second what iamheather said.  Great point SD.  Parents can't win and the biggest losers will be the kids and the society they will create.  I am so sick of the government sticking its nose in families' business.  Look at the way society is going...they are doing a super job aren't they?!  They make stupid calls like this one in the name of protecting the kids' rights and then they hand abused babies back to their parents over and over again until they end up dead.  Seems like they drop the ball at every opportunity.

Parents should be able to raise their children as they see fit.  Of course I don't mean they should be able to abuse them but this crap of kids having the right to privacy just doesn't fly.  If I am going to be held responsible for my children, I should have the right to arm myself with as much information about them as possible and the right to discipline them.  Like Daiwa said, kids need to know where the buck stops and that needs to be at home not in a court.  If they don't like what their parents tell them, they shouldn't be lead to believe that a lawyer is going to make their parents concede.

While I do not favor this ruling, do parents really need to listen to their children's own private conversations to be good mothers and fathers?

While I do not favor this ruling, do parents really need to listen to their children's own private conversations to be good mothers and fathers?

Sometimes, yes. You obviously don't have kids TheFazz.

Knowing my own age, I should hope not! If I did, then maybe my mother would need to have done a bit more eavesdropping...

Anyway, I do not see the need for each and every child's casual conversation with a friend would need to be monitored.

Anyway, I do not see the need for each and every child's casual conversation with a friend would need to be monitored.

Noone said that was the case.  Did you read the story?  The mom suspected this kid of a crime and listened in when he called her daughter.  Makes perfect sense to me.  If some known trouble maker of any kind calls my child, I am going to listen in.  Not only was she hoping to nail the kid, but I bet she was hoping to prevent him from getting her daughter into some kind of mess with him.  I would say that is damn good parenting.

TheFazz, like it or not, parents don't have to let their kids use the phone at all in the first place.  It isn't a right.  Cable TV isn't a right.  Internet access isn't a right.  No wonder so many people have "need" and "want" so messed up these days.