Well, if the text was from her own parents, then yes, it would be more important than they are. I am required by my parents to respond immediately to family texts/calls, therefore if my phone starts to vibrate I'm going to quickly check the screen (note: she was only CHECKING who was texting her, not actually texting) to see if it can wait or if I will have to excuse myself in order to respond.

Implying that she was texting... The FML states that the OP received a text and went to check. Nowhere did it state she was texting back. Text messaging is becoming a form of communication people use to deliver some pretty important messages. Checking her phone does not mean the OP deserved to have it rudely taken away with no realistic indication of when it would be given back.

Okay, I'll give you that. The parents overreacted. But if OP really thought that the text came in was important enough that she needed to check it right that second, then she could have handled it better by excusing herself from the table or by saying, "excuse me, but I just received a message that could be important, would you mind if I read it?" I'm sure that if the parents were at all decent people they'd have allowed for that.

However, if she was not informed of the "No phone at the table rule," how was she to know that she should request to check the phone? Not EVERYONE has the same rules about phone usage. I know plenty of families who don't mind it when people quickly check to see who has texted/called, but then want you to excuse yourself before replying/answering/calling. If you don't inform people coming into your home of your own rules, how are they supposed to know? There is not universal rule of etiquette anymore, trying to assume that there is (and that yours is said universal rule) is just being unwilling to take a quick inhale to explain your rule.

I'm glad someone finally pointed this out. I really can't see why most of the commenters here are condoning theft and calling it a lesson of "respect"...

Thank you. This is something that has always bugged me, how people can be openly disrespectful to you, yet expect you to "respect" them because the feel entitled to it. Respect is a two-way street. I mean, of course common civility requires that you give a certain level of respect to your fellow man, but if someone disrespects me, I see no reason to bend over backwards trying to be "polite," especially if this person has no authority over me. What ever happend to respecting yourself? And also, being "under your roof" doesn't give you the right to commit crimes, like taking peoples' stuff. Personally, I love it when I see people do stuff like this, and then get the cops called on them and end up in hot water... And the parents sound like they are either always power-tripping basterds or are trying to break-up OP and their son.