From the article: Tips On Curfews for Teens
Being out at night with friends is important to a teen who is working on his identity and his social life. But, there has to be a time when he needs to come home. What is that time in your home? Is it different for school nights and weekends? Share how you handle curfews in your home. Share Your Thoughts
UNConstitutional
- I do not believe that it is the government's place to create evening curfews on teens activity, instead I think it is the parent's responsibility to set curfews as they think appropriate and fair for each of their children. Some have argued that if this is true than the government shouldn't create speed limits either; I respond, if the government owns it then they can make whatever law they want, but the government does not own teenagers and therefore have no constitutional right to set such teen curfews in place.
- —Guest josh
Home to Get Things Done
- I have a 16-year-old. During the week she is to be home by 8:30 because she's always whining she has so much to do before bed: shower, eat, homework, tv, etc. This gives her time to get things done. I won't allow her home late and up all nite to do her stuff. Weekends: 10-11 not sure yet as I just started this rule.
- —Guest fedupparent
Shes 15, she needs a curfew.
- Well, my daughters curfew is 10 pm on school nights and 11 on weekends. She sometimes misses curfew by about 10 mintues so I tell her she needs to come inside the next night at her middle school curfew, which was 9:00 pm.
- —Guest Marina
The Five Equals Ten Rule
- We've been using this rule since my son started driving and it's worked fairly well because the consequences get geometrically tougher after each infraction. The basic premise is that he has to be in by midnight (as required by driver's license). He has a five minute grace period, but after that, for every five minutes he is late, he has to come in ten minutes earlier the next night. Basically double the time he was late. So if he's a half hour late, he comes in an hour earlier the next night. If the next night. When he's supposed to be in an hour earlier, he's late, he doesn't drive the car the next day. It hasn't happened often, so it must be somewhat effective!
- —Guest Essy
Out with Friends
- My 15-year-old daughter has a group of friends that she goes out with. My husband have made a curfew we think is great for her. We made it for 10:30 on school nights and 11:00 on weekends. So she behaving and following the curfew.
- —Guest Lashawna
Curfew for 17-Year-Old
- My husband and I have established a pretty flexible curfew for our son. He's 17 and has a drivers license and his own car. Because of his age, he is not allowed to drive past midnight but during the school week, he has to be in the house by 9pm. He can stay out until 10:30pm on the weekends with friends. We are very protective of him because he is a young driver and the accident rate for teenagers is quite high. I'm sure he would love to stay out longer, but in our opinion, it's safer this way. We has parents have to have guidelines set for our children and it must start before they are teenagers. :-)
- —Sonia_O
Curfew for 14-Year-Old
- I don't actually have a curfew for my son because it seems to work better if we let his friends come here to hang out. Their parents know where they are and they're all safe. He does like to go out in the summer months but so far we've not had a problem with him as he knows to come back before dark. He doesn't really stray too far from home. We've spent a great deal of his life explaining that we care about his welfare and that if we tell him to be home at a certain time he must contact us if he's not going to make it. He's only missed curfew once and we had a conversation about the dangers outside and how we worry and he's never done it again. I think, in at least that respect of his life, we're very lucky.
- —Guest Heather
Driving Curfew
- My town makes it easy on parents. By law, driving curfew is 10 PM weeknights and 11 PM on weekends.
- —Guest Mary
Making it Flexible For Driving Teens
- School nights it's 9 or 10 depending on what we have scheduled for the next day (it would be earlier if in public school but we homeschool and have more flexible hours -- i.e. momma/teacher likes to sleep past 9am). Weekends it's 11pm to midnight. Because all three have new driver's license with a 12am restriction that's the latest they are allowed out in their own cars. For some special thing (big concert, chaperoned party, for example) I might allow later as long as they aren't driving. (Don't tell my kids, but I never had a curfew as a teen.)
- —Guest jacci
