Our son is 16 years old now. He has his first summer job at local amusement park. And although he is not driving, he has several cousins and friends that are. This new reality just snuck up on me before I knew it. The other day, he did not come home from work until almost midnight. He got off of work around 9 PM and waited around for his cousin (my nephew) to get off of work so that they could ride home together. They decided to stay in the park and enjoy the rides before coming home. He did not call home to communicate his change in plans. In addition to that, I did not have the curfew conversation with him yet.
So the next day, I laid down the rules. I told him that it was unacceptable that he did communicate his the change in his plans. I also told him that he had a curfew. This sent him over the edge. “Why do I have a curfew.? None of my friends or cousins have a curfew.” I told him that I did not care about those other kids not having curfews. You are my child and you have to follow my rules. I do not think it is appropriate for teens to be hanging out in the streets at all hours of the night. I also told him that I needed to know where he was going and that I expected him to communicate his plans with me.
My sister and I always had a curfew, even when our friends did not. I can remember my sister and I booking it home from Black Mac trying to make it home before our curfew. (For those of you that don’t know… Black Mac was a Mc Donalds in Hampton, Va that was not too far from Hampton University.) All of the kids hung out at Black Mac after the parties and concerts were over.) I don’t ever remember our older brother having a curfew. But my father told me yesterday that he had one too.
BMWK Family – What do you think about curfews? Are they a thing of the past? Do you think your sons and daughters should be given the same curfews? Sometimes my sister and I were speeding home trying to make it there before our curfew. That was dangerous. Do you think our parents should have trusted us to come home at a reasonable time?