Is Spying Prying? Or is Gathering Intelligence on Your Kids Just Smart?

Am I the only parent who struggles with whether it's all right to do this to your teenager?

I'm talking about snooping through their stuff.

My mom would go through my things and read my diary, which felt very violating. I think because of this, my perspective is a little skewed.

I don't want my kids to feel that way, but at the same time I need to keep on top of whatever they are doing. You gotta stay one step ahead of them and nowadays with phones, iPads and computers, it's even more difficult to keep up with them.

So what do you think? Should you snoop through your kids' stuff?