Kelly Ripa Says That Tweens “May Crave Privacy” But “Don’t Necessarily Deserve” It: “That Is That Prickly Age”
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos got the chance to share their two cents on parenting and privacy.
On Live with Kelly and Mark on Thursday, Ripa brought up an “interesting article on when you should start knocking on your kids’ doors.”
Consuelos deadpanned, “If it’s not your house.”
“I’ll knock on my kids’ doors when it’s not their house,” he continued after Ripa asked for some clarification.
“Oh, you mean you’re just going to walk in?” she asked.
“‘Hey, I’m coming in,’” Consuelos added. “I guess that’s a knock. Who’s telling us when we should knock?”
Ripa cited her source as an article from Parents magazine, prompting Consuelos to tease, “Well, what do they know?”
Ripa read that you don’t need to knock for babies and toddlers ages 1-3, though this rule of thumb may change once they age up to be 4 to 10-year-olds.
“‘While they may not request privacy the same way other children do, you can start knocking before entering the room, especially if they’re playing, reading, or having private time,’” she continued. “I’m very suspicious of 4 to 10-year-olds needing private time. Especially if they have friends over… You know the kids I am talking about. There are kids that came over to our house that I was like, ‘This door stays open.’ Certain kids don’t deserve private time.”
As for 11 and 12-year-old tweens, Ripa read that they “start craving much more privacy, and you as parents should try and give it to them.” However, Ripa insisted that at that age, “they may crave privacy, but they don’t necessarily deserve it or have earned the right to have privacy.”
“That’s my personal opinion,” she added. “That is that porcupine age. That is that prickly age where it’s like, ‘I’m coming in.’ You may make an announcement, ‘Here I come. I’m entering the room.’”
After Consuelos and Ripa noted that they “obviously” ask if they are “decent” before barging in, the latter read that parents should try to respect teenagers’ privacy “as much as possible.”
“But still, probably remove the lock from the door,” she quipped. “Because that’s the most lock-y age.”
The two agreed that “when it got really, really quiet” was when they felt it was necessary to step in.
“When it gets too quiet, that’s bad,” Consuelos concluded.
Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.
