Better Late Than Never: Getting A Better Curfew

by: Michael Kabel

Most American teenagers have a curfew, though some have better (read: "later") curfews than others. The curfew is an old practice that really stems from when people first started living in cities more than a hundred years ago. Some cities and states, including Georgia and Texas, even have mandatory curfews imposed by their governments; teenagers can be fined or taken to a police station if caught away from home within its hours. The typical curfew includes the hours of 11 PM to 6 AM each day.

But in most places the curfew is still flexible, largely left up to your parents or guardian. You may be thinking that your curfew is unreasonable and too conservative. In turn, your parents might think it's a fair time given your age. But there are ways to negotiate more time out and more time with your friends. And no, you don't have to lie or deceive your parents to do them.

Don't try to get the curfew extended all the time.

Imagine that someone you know thinks something is a bad idea, but they're willing to along with it once because it's important to someone. That person probably wouldn't want to go along all the time, however. In fact, they'd probably resist the idea forever.

So it is with your parents and curfew. They'll feel much more comfortable about extending your curfew on a one-time basis than they will expanding its hours all the time. You can convince them by showing the importance of the event you want to stay out for – a friend's birthday, a school dance, et cetera.

Use the exception wisely, though, and don't use it too much. If you start asking for exceptions "just this once" all the time they may think you're being immature – which is the last thing you want your parents to think about you when you're going out.

Will work for time

If you're willing, you may be able to earn extra time out with friends, too. Performing additional responsibilities around the house shows your parents you can handle additional work. It also shows them you've got the maturity to do more than just what's expected of you.

Like the "single exception" idea above, it's best not to overplay this particular card. You don't want to spend all your time doing chores, if for no other reason.

Stay in one night, go out later the next.

Offer to stay home (and even baby-sit) one weekend night in exchange for a later curfew on the other. Show your parents that you're willing to sacrifice a whole night out for just a couple of hours on another night.

If all else fails, go out earlier.

Though many young girls don't realize it, they're usually asking for later curfews just to spend more time with their friends. But instead of trying to stay out later, coordinating everyone to get together earlier accomplishes the same goal without causing negotiations and compromises.

Besides giving you more time together, going out earlier also gives you access to more things. Most businesses close after ten PM anyway, so there's much less to do past that time. Before ten, however, pretty much everything is still open.