Do you always knock before you enter?
By pandaeyes
@pandaeyes (2065)
March 12, 2010 7:09am CST
When my children were little I would often pop my head around the door just to check, if they were being suspiciously quiet.
It often led to discovering that they were up to mischief.
As they got older I would say, 'I am coming in' and then pop my head round the door.
By the time they were about 9 or 10, I would knock before opening the door.
They soon got the idea and would do the same with us. Waiting till we said come in.
I have noticed that other people often don't knock even on their quite old children's doors which surprised me.
It must make things very awkward if someone is getting dressed and the door opens.
Do you knock on your kids bedroom doors or just open and walk in?
What do they do when it is your bedroom door that is shut?
3 people like this
17 responses
@timhinyy (1653)
• United States
13 Mar 10
well i don't have children, but my sister's family stays with my parents and she has a two year old so if they have their door shut and they are all in their just out of respect for their privacy i would knock just to make sure everyone was awake, because i wouldn't want to disturb everyone just because i wanted to talk to someone or to see what they were doing or how they were.
I know if i have my door closed i would be upset if someone just barged in on me, especially if i was sleeping.
I would definitely prefer someone knocked on the door before just barging in on me and sometimes my mom would knock and sometimes if she was really mad at us kids she would not knock.
@timhinyy (1653)
• United States
13 Mar 10
me and my sis when we were really little we had these bunk beds now those were fun.
can't really remember what age we were when we separated the beds and got our own rooms, but i'm sure it was easier on mom when we were both in one place.
the thing i remember most about the bunk beds were the top one i used to jump off it a lot which was a little dangerous and one time really dangerous cause for some reason i had one of moms needles and well you can probably figure out the rest a hospital trip soon followed, but we all learn from our stupidity at least i think i did lol.
I ended up with just a scratch and it could have been a lot worse so maybe i good scare helped me behave better as i got older i think i was only around 3 at the time so i learn my lesson early lol.
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
My mum would nearly always just open the door.
I would say MUM! knock!
We always had to if it was their room.
I shared my room with my sister and of course neither of use knocked to come into our own room but it did make it less private.
1 person likes this
@indocorner (546)
• Indonesia
13 Mar 10
sure. my mom always tells me to knock before entering one's room. However, in my home, it's okay without knocking if the door is opened but not for outside/other's home. In other's home, i'm used to excusing before enter their home and/or their rooms though it's opened yet. People will feel annoyed if someone comes in without permission. that would be rude.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
We knock whether it is open or not.
When we used to go camping a lot, we went to children's camps for our homeschooling and sometimes other peoples kids would just haul back the tent flap and leap in!
we had to say please stand at the entrance and call out that you are there and wait till you are answered LOL
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
12 Mar 10
Yes I do and I always ask if I can come in. On the other hand he has learned to knock before he enters our bedroom. I don't mind if my son sees me undressing. I don't think that there is something to be ashamed of. My wife has a different opinion from me. We do respect each other's privacy and acknowledge that everybody of us needs his /her own space.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
My husband is the same, he wont care if my son sees him undress but I think my daughter would be embarrassed to see him.
I wouldn't really worry about my daughter seeing me but my son would be shocked.
@shello (964)
• United Arab Emirates
13 Mar 10
Knocking at someone's door is a good practice and it is a sign of respect to someone else privacy. I don't have kids yet but I used to do this when I need to be into a room which isn't mine. It's pretty awkward to get inside a room without asking permission. How would you feel when the door would suddenly open and someone is getting dressed? No one would surely enjoy a disturbed privacy.
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
Yes it would be very awkward to find you had opened the door onto an embarrassing scene .
Sometimes even knocking could be seen as rude if say for example it is meal time and you knock.
You must be prepared to go away and come back when the meal is over.
@monkeylong (3139)
• Guangzhou, China
13 Mar 10
As far as I am concerned, I think I usually knock just before I enter my friends' home. As we all know that we should try our best to be a very polite man, so I think every thing we need keep an eye on it. So kncking at the door before you enter may be a good manner for us. I think we should do better. No matter who you are going to visit , we just need to knock.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
Most houses here have their doors locked and one must knock or never be admitted at all.
@leciram02 (3)
• Philippines
13 Mar 10
Yes of course.that's a manner of respect even if it is your child's bedroom.we make a privacy so that they can feel they are respected with their own parents.Starting us the children can follow what did do. it's the best thing we do so that if they have do wrong things they can be ready or prepare through our signal..as a parent ill try my best to do the correct ethics..
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
Yes we are the role models for our kids and anyone's kids if they see what we do and follow the example.
@patgalca (18390)
• Orangeville, Ontario
12 Mar 10
My girls are teenagers. I would not want to walk in on them getting dressed anymore than I would want them walking in on me. It has taken a long time for my younger daughter to learn to knock. It's only natural that they follow what we, as their parents, do. If we want to be treated with respect then we must treat them with respect. I really don't care to see my girls naked. If they are in the same room making a lot of noise, I will bang on the door and walk in without waiting for a response. If the door is ajar I will still knock but walk right in without waiting for a response. If the music is loud they wouldn't hear me knock. 
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
My daughter is a slow coach.
We will knock on her door and she has to climb down from the loft bed and walk across and open the door and peep out LOL
It seems like ages til she gets there but it is a tiny room.
We still do wait though.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
12 Mar 10
I always did the same as you! Small children don't need privacy in the amounts that older children do and their safety often depends on intervention without warning.
I always gave my children the privacy they deserved at the ages they needed it. Now that they are adults, they tell me I don't need to knock!
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
That's nice.
I think i still would knock though even if my kids said not to.
All our bedroom doors have a little latch inside now in case people wish to have more privacy but they are easily pushed open if you shove hard enough so no worries about being caught in a fire or anything. The latches are almost never used ,I think mostly people use them if thy are wrapping Christmas presents.
@mentalward (14690)
• United States
12 Mar 10
You sound very much like I was when my kids were growing. As for them knocking, they always did when my door was closed but it was almost always open because, for the majority of their young lives, I was alone. I only closed it when I was dressing.
When they were teens, I'd threaten them with taking their doors off the hinges if they didn't clean their rooms. It worked every time! LOL They had to have their privacy and there was no way they'd want their doors to disappear. When I said "clean," they'd clean! 
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
12 Mar 10
Good wheeze but alas too late for me to use now.
My hubbies mum would just walk right in and so would his dad.
It was quite alarming if you were staying at their house.
I don't think either of them had ever really thought that their children had grown up.
@binagupta (627)
• India
13 Mar 10
When i was small i should not knock the door, but when i grew each and every lesson was taught to me by my parents, and teachers and now when ever i enter any ones room first of all i knock the door and enter the room this shows the manners of a person.
1 person likes this
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
I think most people are taught that as they get older.
Not everyone though.
You are right ,it is just good manners.
Not having manners really lets a person down even if they don't realise it.
@pandaeyes (2065)
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12 Mar 10
It's much easier to remember if you think about what might be going on ,on the other side LOL.
My brother once barged into my bedroom while I was dressing .
I was about 11 and he caught me in my underwear and backed out again very fast.
He always knocked after that.
@love_to_read (72)
• Philippines
13 Mar 10
I always make a point to knock first. Maybe its how my old folks raised me. when i was little, this is one of the values that a good kid should possess.. I dont know, why nowadays, this little value of knocking is slowly dying.. when in fact if you instill this thing does not harm any, in opposite, somehow shows how respectful you are with other people
@pandaeyes (2065)
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13 Mar 10
I agree with you.
When a person shows respect for others, it makes them seem much more equal in your eyes and there is more feeling of wanting to cooperate.
I think if my son burst in and demanded something, he would already be half way to a negative answer but if he knocked, the ground would be open for negotiating.
@louisefrank (356)
•
12 Mar 10
We always knock on each other's bedroom doors in our house if they're closed. Usually, though, all the doors are open and my kids are in and out of each other's rooms. It's a matter of respect for privacy. I don't think it's necessary when they are primary school age but even then, if I knew they wanted to be alone I would knock gently before going in.
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
13 Mar 10
Yeah sometimes even quite little children just need some space don't they.
I think that the respect for privacy is so important and it leads to respect for other aspects of a persons life too .
I mean their need to peace and their right to have belongings of their own.
@pandaeyes (2065)
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13 Mar 10
Yes it is a bit embarrassing to be told off for forgetting.
Luckily that doesn't really happen at home but I do have to think now because while my son is at university, I use his room for the computer(it gets a better wifi signal).
@jhartana (1084)
• Australia
27 Dec 10
My parents always taught me to always knock the door first before entering. It is very essential and it's polite to knock the door first before entering, especially when entering bathroom, toilet, parents room or even kids room. My parents don't want me to see something awkward. Soon when I have kids I will make sure to teach them to knock the door.
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
12 Mar 10
When I was little I was taught that you should always knock before you enter a room. I passed this on to my own son and stressed to him that I would always knock before entering his room. It cuts both ways, of course, I prefer it when people knock before they come into my room too
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
12 Mar 10
At school in the infants, our headmistress used to demonstrate this sort of thing.
She would stand at an empty classroom door and knock and wait and then say in a little voice 'come in' and then open it and go in.
Then she would have us all do it while she called 'come in' at the right time .LOL She must have been a very patient lady.
@raje2811 (6)
• India
14 Apr 11
It is a good habit to Knock the door and get into anyone bedroom, be it the children or the parents. But this practice is very rarely followed in the Indian families.The reason may be many ie childrens sleeping with there parents from childhood,lack of sufficient space in the house, love of parent for child than partner, child fearing to sleep alone.
