McKenna is nearly 10. She was supposed to have the larger of the two kids’ bedrooms with the bigger closet. But plans changed and the boys now share the bigger room. McKenna has the smallest room in the house with the tiniest closet. For a fashionista, this is problematic.

The boys also like to wander into her room to see what’s what. She’s getting more and more angry about this. She announced tonight that we ALL need to stay out of her room and she wants a lock for her door.

When we first renovated our house and were choosing the hardware, we made the conscious decision to put doorknobs without locks in the kids’ bedrooms. I have distinct memories of my brothers locking each other into rooms as kids. We had to search for the “pin” to pop the lock on a regular basis. This is the exact scenario I wanted to avoid. My brother, who served as our contractor, agreed.

See anecdote about said brother locking his twin in a bedroom. 

He said that maybe we could consider putting locks in the doors when they were teenagers. I said that was probably when we would be removing the doors altogether.

I jest. 

Imagine my surprise when Aaron and I got this text from McKenna after a particularly feisty row with the boys.

Just her wordless demand for a lock on her door. I get it. She wants privacy. But also she’s ten. I’m not worried she’s doing anything concerning. But who on earth is going to do her laundry and clear all the cups from her room if the door is kept locked? Because I can tell you based on experience, it is not going to be her. That is a job reserved for only Aaron and me.

I was considering her request when I saw this on my bed. She can be a bit dramatic, don’t you think?

I am writing for the 18th annual Slice of Life challenge presented by Two Writing Teachers.