AITA for Locking the Bedroom Door While My Husband Works?

She locks the bedroom door when she’s home alone — for peace of mind, not secrecy.
But one night, he came home early, found the door locked, and now thinks something shady is going on.
Was she being cautious — or hiding something?

She works days. He works nights. That’s the setup.

A woman recently posted to Reddit’s AITA community to ask if she was wrong for locking their bedroom door while her husband is at work.

“I work first shift. He works second shift. Most nights, I’m home alone. He usually gets back around 2 a.m.”

Since she often hears weird noises while she’s alone — usually just her cats or a noisy appliance — she started locking the bedroom door for a simple reason: so she can sleep in peace.

“I lock it so if I hear a sound, I know it’s probably the cats or the fridge. If I don’t hear anything breaking through the door, I feel safe.”

And when bedtime rolls around, she unlocks it so he can come in later.

Pretty straightforward, right?

But one night, the schedule changed.

One night, her husband came home hours earlier than usual. Work was slow, so they sent him home early. But because the TV and air conditioner were running, she didn’t hear him come in.

He went to their bedroom — and found the door locked.

“It took me a few seconds to pause the TV, get the cat off me, and go unlock it.”

That’s when things got tense.

“He asked why the door was locked and what I was hiding.”

She explained it was nothing secret — just a precaution when she’s home alone and he’s not expected back yet.

But he didn’t buy it.

“He thinks I locked him out on purpose. That I was doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.”

Now, she’s wondering if she crossed a line by putting her own safety first.

What Reddit Thinks

Reddit came in strong with a verdict: Absolutely NTA.

Top comment:

“You’re a woman sleeping alone at night. Locking the door is basic safety, not a sign you’re cheating.”

Another added:

“If your husband doesn’t understand why a locked door at night is comforting, maybe he should spend a night in your shoes.”

People were especially bothered by the husband’s reaction — turning a few seconds of delay into a trust issue.

“It’s one thing to be confused. It’s another to accuse your wife of ‘hiding something’ because she didn’t spring out of bed like a butler.”

A few users did suggest this might be a case of bad communication, not necessarily malice:

“If he didn’t know you were locking the door regularly, it might’ve felt like a surprise. But that’s not your fault — that’s a conversation you two should’ve had.”

Still, the overwhelming response was that her behavior was completely reasonable — and his reaction wasn’t.

So… AITA for locking the door?

She didn’t change the locks.
She didn’t ignore him knocking.
She just locked the door while home alone, like millions of people do every night — especially women.

If your partner sees a locked door and immediately thinks “you’re hiding something,” maybe the problem isn’t the door.
Maybe it’s the trust behind it.