Isn’t it funny the things that you’re willing to tell your parents once you get older? When we were younger, our parents were the enemy.
We worked so hard to do everything against their will and disobey them at every turn. We wanted to sneak around and live our own lives, no matter what today felt was appropriate for kids our age. These days, our parents are our friends, and we can look back fondly on those hilarious memories together. Recently, we were hanging out with my mom when I decided to reveal one of my favorites teenage secrets to her. I knew that she was always listening in on my conversations in my bedroom any way that she could. If she got caught picking up the other end of the phone line to listen to my phone call, then she would stick her ear right by the air vent and listen to the echoes through the air ducts. I knew that this was her secret spying tactic because I once heard her sneeze through the air duct when the furnace shut off unexpectedly. After that, I realized I could circumvent her sneaky actions by plugging up the air vent and blocking out my sound. I unscrewed the air vent and installed thick insulation inside. Every summer after that, my mom wondered why my room felt so excruciatingly hot. She was constantly commenting on the air quality and stagnant indoor air, but never dug deeply into the air vent to find out what was wrong. If she had, she probably would have found a new way to spy on me back then. I wonder if the new homeowners ever removed that air duct blockage?