I don’t think that I would be too pleased if I found out that my parents hired someone to spy on me, but if they did this is how I would feel:

Really guys, you did this to me
Now I’m self-conscience and want to flee

I look over my shoulder, check behind my back
Worried the spy will come and attack

I thought I could trust you, but obviously not
I can’t break the law without getting caught

I used to run rampant all over the town
But now I feel I’ve been chained down

I like my freedom and privacy too
I wish you felt the same way that I do

I have a shadow even when dark
A small, creepy man who looks ready to bark

I try to lose him by running real fast
But it never works, I always come in last

He hovers around like a shark that smells blood
And thinks he’s a gallant, magnificent stud

I love you both with all of my heart
But this deceitful trick just tears me apart

With practice and patience can you learn to trust
To spy on your son should not be a must


I feel that times have changed significantly since the Hamlet era. For example, it seems to me that a majority of parents and their kids would be able to say that their relationship is much stronger than the relationship between Polonius and his two children. I would hope that most present day parents trust their children and therefore feel no need to hover. On the flip side, I think that the children in either time period would not appreciate their parents sending someone to spy on them. In today’s world parents may not hire someone to follow their kids, but there are gps devices that can be used on cell phones or cars to keep track of a child’s location. We as kids like both our privacy and freedom and sometimes it is nice to get away from your parents for awhile. I also think that as teenagers, it is natural that we want more freedom since most of us will soon be moving away from our parents to live on our own. I believe most teens would be perfectly content to have their parents give them ample money and few rules. Perhaps times haven’t changed quite as much as I thought.