"And instead of apologizing, he had the temerity to say he was "training" me to knock before entering. The cold winter made me think I could freeze him into wearing clothes. I turned the thermostat way down, hoping to make him uncomfortable enough to get dressed. But he just saunters out of his room, still starkers, flips the thermostat back up, and then calmly returns, closing the door behind him."
"Forget about 'regaining control.' He's 15. It's his job to challenge your authority, and I promise you: The more you clamp down on him, the harder he'll push back. Start knocking. Wait until he says, 'Come in.' It's the respectful thing to do, and even 15-year-olds deserve respect ( everybody does). A word of warning for you: He may keep up the nudist routine for a while anyway, now that he knows how much it bothers you."
A mother reports a 15-year-old son who insists she not enter his room without permission and sometimes appears naked to provoke her. He says he is 'training' her to knock. The mother attempted to lower the thermostat to force him to dress, but he raised it and returned naked, leaving her feeling she has lost control of the house. The recommendation is to stop trying to 'regain control.' Knock and wait for explicit permission before entering. Respectful boundary-setting is advised because teenagers test limits; do not react to provocative nudity, which can be used as leverage.
Read at Slate Magazine
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