SINGAPORE: A 17-year-old Singaporean was shocked when she discovered that her parents had secretly placed a tracker on her, hidden within the fabrics of her school bag.
Sharing her frustration on the r/SGexams forum, she revealed that this was just the latest in a long series of invasions of her privacy by her parents.
“They have never respected my privacy or even me as a person,” she wrote. She recalled how, when she was 12, her parents went as far as removing her bedroom door because she wanted to lock it at times.
She also revealed that her parents would “obsessively” check her phone every month, going through her photos, WhatsApp and Telegram messages and even tracking the videos she watches on YouTube.
On top of that, they restricted her from joining group activities, told school counsellors and teachers to keep an extra eye on her, and even made spare keys to her bedroom once she got older to maintain control over her.
Anticipating that some might justify her parents’ actions by assuming she had done something to warrant their overprotectiveness, she insisted that this was not the case.
“They’ve always been like this ever since I was young; I am not underdeveloped or needing special care; I always could have managed myself but never had the actual chance due to them hovering. I never got to develop proper social skills or normal social experiences because of them,” she said.
“What should I do? I just confronted my father about this, and he just went straight to sleep. They’re actually crazy,” she added.
“This is abnormal. Your parents are way too controlling…”
In the comments section, many expressed shock at the extreme lengths her parents had gone to. One said, “OMG! I thought my parents were too protective, but this is on another level. Just hold on until the end of JC, then you’ll be able to make a decision.”
Another commented, “Wow, this is insane. I can’t imagine what it’s like. It must be suffocating, especially when you’re already old enough.”
A third remarked, “This is abnormal. Your parents are way too controlling.”
Others, however, defended the parents, saying they were probably acting out of concern and trying to keep her safe.
“I’m sorry, I have a different take. Your parents love you and want to protect you. Sit down with them and have a frank conversation,” one person suggested.
Another pointed out, “The tracker sounds weird, but it can be life-saving.”
A third added, “To be honest, I think the door one is low-key valid because if I were a parent, I wouldn’t really be comfortable with my child locking the doors either, especially if they’re just a kid.”
In other news, a Singaporean worker shared on social media that her colleague oddly prides himself on never taking a medical leave (MC)—despite coming to work visibly ill.
“He would brag to me about not having ever taken a single sick day,” she shared. “But he would come in to work clearly sick. Once, he told me he had a fever and chills, blowing his nose non-stop, and wearing a thick jacket on a warm day.”
Read more: My colleague boasts about never taking MC and comes to work sick
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)