How to Send a Letter Without Your Parents Knowing

Placing in a Home Mailbox Discretely

Know when your mail carrier comes. Find out at what time your mail carrier comes; they usually come at a certain time range, so watch for a few days and keep track of the time. If your mail carrier comes when you are at school, try it on a Saturday. On Saturdays your mail carrier may come at a different time from when they do on weekdays.

Place the letter in at the right time. Around 5-10 minutes before the mail carrier comes, place the letter in the mailbox while your parents will not notice you. Place the flag up. If you need an excuse, say "I am going to check the mail".

Using Alternative Mail Collection

Go to a post office. There, you can also purchase stamps and envelopes if you don't have any in hand. The letter mailbox is usually located near the PO boxes or next to the mail kiosk.

Use a public mailbox. In the US, they are blue, have a dome on top and have a USPS logo on the side. You will find them near/at major streets and office buildings. Only place in a mailbox for a system you've paid the postage for. Don't use a commercial delivery mailbox if you don't have the right mailing label. If you've used regular stamps, use a box for your matching national mailing system.

Use a street mailbox. If you live near a subdivision or an apartment complex where the mailbox areas are not locked and use street mail boxes instead of individual house mailboxes, place the letter in the "Outgoing Mail" slot. The outgoing mail slot is usually located on the right side above the package mailbox #2 (Usually identified as "2P"). You do not have to live in that subdivision to use the outgoing mailbox, as all the mail goes to the US post office system.

Ask a friend. Give the letter to a trusted friend and ask them to place it in their mailbox.

Receiving the Reply

Send to a trusted friend. If your friend has no issues with mailing and receiving letters, write the "From" address as your friend's address. Be sure you have permission from your friend first.

Consider a PO box. PO boxes can be a bit expensive, and you may not be able to rent/access one if you're underage. However, if you receive a lot of mail and don't want the mail to go to your home address, think about a PO box.

Be the person who checks the mail. If your parents check the mail, get in the habit of checking your mailbox before your parents do, so you can take a look through the letters. Maybe you get a reply that you don't want your parents to find out about. Checking the mail can also become a chore!

Leave the "From" address blank if you don't want a reply. The from address is not only used for postal service identification, but it is usually used for reply. Note that if the letter cannot be delivered for any reason, it will be discarded since it has no identification.