Parents are Throwing Away a Minor's Mail

[Reese]

My question involves civil rights in the State of: New Hampshire

Hello! I'm Reese and I'm 16 years old. My parents are okay with reading my mail, something I am not comfortable with in the first place. However, the action that caused me to log into this website was the fact that my mother just mentioned that she has just throw out mail I have received without even telling me. Is she really allowed to do that? Recently, many colleges have been sending me letters and brochures in the mail. She (being my mother) has since gotten aggravated by the accumulation of it. So she decided if she deems it unimportant, she will just throw it out without even notifying me. Is that legal? Should it really be? I feel like some of my rights are violated.

Thank you!

[Mr. Knowitall]

Accumulation? If you are choosing to let your mail stack up in a pile in your parents' home, rather than being responsible and treating it like something other than garbage, it's only a matter of time before it's going to end up in the trash or recycling. When your mail comes, take it, sort it, discard what you don't want, and put the rest in an appropriate place in your bedroom.

You are free to try to report your mother to the police, although I'm not expecting that they will have much interest in investigating the loss of your bulk mail.

[Reese]

It wasn't "stacking up." Every day that I received it I would open it, read it through, and throw out what I needed to. Any part that I deemed important is in a desk organizer.

I was not planning on reporting it, I want to know for myself and my own benefit. But thank you for the attitude.

[Mr. Knowitall]

You were the one who told us that there was an accumulation.

Once you open your mail and leave it in a pile somewhere, it's delivered and received, and the rest is a matter of house rules.

[Reese]

I guess you didn't understand me. She's throwing it out without me knowing it ever even existed. I do not see it. It is never opened. It is just thrown out. It is never received to the intended recipient, me.

[Mr. Knowitall]

No, the problem is that you are changing your story, or perhaps it's that you're doing a lousy job telling your story.

If you're going back to the original story - that we're not talking about the mail that you have opened, read, and placed with the other mail that represents the accumulation that irritates your mother - read the first answer again.

[PandorasBox]

Reese has posted here before, very intelligent young lady. Long story short - parents want to dictate what college program she takes.

Is she able to get a PO Box? She is 16 or 17 (sorry, hon, can't remember). Or Reese - do you have a friend whose parents would let you use their address to receive mail? Reese Doe c/o Jane Smith....Or any chance you can hit the mailbox before your parents and just grab your mail?

[Reese]

(To MrKnowItAll) You seriously have an attitude and it does not help you articulate your point any better. Listen closely, my mother gets the mail before I get home from school. She goes through it. If she sees something from a college, she will throw it out, unopened, without me even being aware of it existing. Understand now?


(To PandorasBox)I'm not sure, but I may look into that! Thank you!

[Dogmatique]

(To MrKnowItAll) You seriously have an attitude and it does not help you articulate your point any better. Listen closely, my mother gets the mail before I get home from school. She goes through it. If she sees something from a college, she will throw it out, unopened, without me even being aware of it existing. Understand now?

Mr KIA's first response was dead on.

(To PandorasBox)I'm not sure, but I may look into that! Thank you!

Frankly, I don't care how intelligent you are or how crappy your parents are - you are under their rule until you hit the magic age.

I know - oh trust me, I KNOW - how frustrating it is. But you will not be able to get a PO Box in your own name (the min. age is 18).

[cbg]

You seriously have an attitude and it does not help you articulate your point any better.

Same goes for you, sweetheart.