I’ve seen a lot of posts asking about ways to keep other people in the household from reading your personal journal. I grew up with both parents and multiple siblings, but no one ever thought to read my journal. I have a guess as to why:

As a kid, I wrote A LOT. Journals, poetry, short stories, novels, newspaper articles - you name it, and I probably wrote it at some point. I always had a notebook with me, and I was always asking my parents and sisters if I could read them my creative writing. Why would they ever think to look through my journals when I wouldn’t stop trying to share them??

So here’s a different strategy that doesn’t require locks, codes, or clever hiding spots: get a few journals to match your private one. Fill it with bad poetry and boring essays, but carry it around with you like it’s your life’s work. Be really excited to let them read it. All. The. Time. If they say “well… it’s not very good,” just answer, “oh okay, I’ll go make it better!” And come back with something even more boring. They will likely lose interest in any of your personal notebooks, and you can journal to your heart’s content!

Has anyone else had a similar experience?