Just because they’re married doesn’t mean he should have access to every single private thought she has ever had. 

I can’t think of anything more invasive and cruel to do to a teenager than reading their diary. You really shouldn’t be reading anyone’s diary unless you’re trying to figure out the cause of their demise, ala Laura Palmer, or you’re reading diaries that were written to be eventually read by the public, ala Presidents. For the average Joe, your diary is the place where all of their most intimate private thoughts go: the thoughts that can be even too difficult to say out loud, so they must be written. 

There’s probably a pretty good reason that someone isn’t telling you the things that are in their diary, even if you are family or a close friend. They may need to process their raw thoughts before sharing them with anyone. We all know that the first things that come to our minds aren’t always that pretty, and there’s nothing wrong with having a first draft of your emotions. People shouldn’t be held to the things they say in their diaries, unless, of course, they are planning some crime. But having negative emotions about your parents is not a crime, and parents of teens should know that.

The teenage girl in this story is not hiding her diary from her mother. She’s hiding her diary from her husband! She is 19, and he is 20, and they’ve only been together for a year. The husband thinks he should have access to all her private thoughts, and while she’s uncomfortable with him reading her journal, she’s considering letting him do so for the sake of their marriage.