My daughter, Rosa, went to a friend’s house for a sleepover, but the evening took a troubling turn for her. My 13YO called me late at night, shaken, saying there were 2 ‘security cameras’ in her friend’s room.
She asked about them, and the friend’s dad claimed they were ‘off; but my daughter saw the indicator lights still glowing. Acting on instinct, she covered them with towels. Minutes later, the father
stormed in, ripped off the towels, and said, “Please Rosa, don’t do that again,
before leaving calmly. My daughter called me immediately
to pick her up.
Why would anyone need 2 active cameras
in the bedroom of a well-behaved 13-year-old? Naturally, I felt it was my responsibility to act-either by contacting the authorities or reporting this to someone in the community. However, I decided to first reach out to the dad
in question. The father explained that the monitor had been in the room for years. It’s in his daughter’s room for security purposes, as her room is above the garage and can be easily accessed through it. He admitted that he hadn’t considered how it might appear to others, as it had always been there. He also explained that he initially told my daughter the cameras were off, not wanting to worry her, since they are solely directed towards the outside
anyway. He was very apologetic, respectful, and neither defensive nor dismissive. I was
convinced by his words.
At this point, I feel reassured about the situation. However, my daughter is adamant that she doesn’t want to go back there and has declared that she will never
attend another sleepover again. I’m incredibly proud of her for recognizing her discomfort and choosing to leave a
situation where she didn’t feel safe. At the same time, I don’t want this misunderstanding to leave her feeling
traumatized.
How should I proceed? Sincerely,
Rosa’s Mom
