MAN FINDS OUT HIS MOM HAS BEEN READING HIS TEXT MESSAGES WITH GIRLFRIEND

PEOPLE

 

Man Finds Out Mom Has Been Reading His Text Messages with Girlfriend

By Meredith Wilshere  Published on November 30, 2025 03:00PM EST

 

While parents can sometimes be overbearing, it's another thing to dismiss boundaries altogether.

 

A 27-year-old man shared in a Reddit post that he moved back home to live with his mom to save money after changing jobs. While he enjoys spending time with his mom, he notes that “she’s got this thing where she needs to ‘know everything’ about my life.”

 

“When I was a kid, she’d read my notebooks, check my drawers, that kinda stuff. I figured by now she’d grown out of it. Nope," he wrote.

 

Last week, the man left his phone charging on the kitchen counter, and when he came back, he saw that his mom was reading his text messages and “scrolling through my messages with my girlfriend.”

 

When he confronted her, she replied, “If you don’t have secrets, what’s the problem?” However, he told her the problem was about “privacy, not secrets.”

 

“I changed my passcode and started keeping my phone on me all the time. She noticed and called me paranoid. Then she told my aunt that I’m being disrespectful and ‘acting like a stranger in my own home,’" he wrote.

 

"Every time I go out she texts stuff like ‘what are you hiding’ or ‘I miss the old you.’ I told her if she keeps this up I’ll move out sooner and stop helping with bills," he continued. "She said I’m overreacting and it’s just a mom caring about her son."

 

So, he turned to Reddit for advice on how to handle the situation.

 

People in the comments sided with the poster, agreeing that he needs to set a firm boundary, and if she can't accept that, then it's best to move out.

 

“This is super weird to do. Don't let her make you think this is normal,” one person commented.

 

“Your mom is who she is and she is not going to change. You need to set boundaries that you’re comfortable with and she’s not going to like it but that is her problem,” another person wrote. “Put a lock on your door and electronics. Ignore her comments- I have 2 sons in their mid to late twenties and I would not dream of reading their messages. It is a violation of your privacy whether or not she’s your mom."