Dear Abby: My boyfriend and I are in our 20s and have been dating for 5 years. We’re renovating a home that we will live in once it’s completed. We have never lived together before.

During the renovation, I have come to the house to find that he has opened packages that were addressed to me. The first time, I didn’t say anything because I thought he might have thought it was his. After the second and third times, I mentioned – nicely – that they weren’t his to open. He claims he “knew” they were things for the house, which is why he opened them.

I was raised that people’s mail and packages were theirs to open, and I would never think of opening anything sent to him. This is an issue for me, but he brushes it off. He feels entitled to open my packages since it is his home, too. How can I make it clear that I expect him to respect my personal mail when he thinks this is no big deal?