Believe me, I am thrilled they are safe..

[newmousecateer]

Lola

Appreciate the input from someone who is "there" You sound like you appreciate your curfew - kind of "tough love" from your parents that suits you.

Pooh93

I am 53. I guess that is where my old fashioned thinking comes from (the dark ages)

The reason I ask, DS and DIL have signed a paper that if anything happens to both of them, they want me and DH to raise DGD (almost 7). Couldn't think of a better compliment than that!

I was thinking, if we were raising her, what curfew would we give her? (DH probably wouldn't let her out of the house LOL)

Again, thanks for the input everyone.

 

[bsnyder]

One of the greatest things that has happened since I was a teenager is that the State of Florida now has a law that 16 year olds can't be driving past 11:00! At age 17 it goes up to 1:00.

Even though I'm usually not an adovcate of governmental intervention into our private lives, I love this new law. The state sets the curfew and I don't have to be the bad guy!

That being said, if I didn't have that excuse, I think the curfew for my 16 year old should be no later than 12:00. For my older son, who is 18, and going to college in a few weeks, he did not have a curfew this summer. The latest he's stayed out is 1:45.

 

[helenabear]

I'm a younger one (25) and honestly the only time I think a 16 or 17 year old should be out that late would be on a special occasion like prom. I grew up in a city (suburb of a big city really) that had a legal curfew of midnight and it was enforced very strictly too I might add. So that was my curfew. When I turned 18, the curfew was lifted and I only stayed out until maybe 12:30 or 1:00 am. Only when I started working a night shift in college did I stay out until 2-4 am, but that was because that was my sleep schedule and more understandable (of course I'd also be working until 7 am most of the time so I'd come home at 7:30 at points from work thogh). Call my old-fashioned for my age, but I think curfews are a good thing and should be enforced as long as the kid lives at home if the parent wants to make them have one.

 

[ugadog99]

I was thinking the exact same thing. How could they be out that late/early? I was never allowed to stay out like that and my girls won't be allowed, either. I guess I'm just old-fashioned...or maybe I'm just OLD!

 

[PamOKW]

It seems like a lot of high-school kids have privileges more along the lines of what college age kids used to have. They go off in groups (no chaperone) on spring break trips, they go to clubs (suppossedly with wristbands for not drinking), set their own curfews, etc. I'm not sure how or why this all came about. I think it may partially be the way teenagers are portrayed on TV. You never see a parent around.

I heard this evening that the girls were alive but they have been raped by the captor. Pretty awful experience for them.

 

[aahmom1]

No way will my kids be allowed to stay out until 2 a.m. There is absolutely no reason for them to be out at that hour, not to mention I wouldn't want my kids on the road with all the drunks leaving the bars at 2 O'clock in the morning.

 

[Mamu]

All my children had a curfew, it did vary with age and with the time of year.

Now I'm not saying they always kept the curfew and there were times when punishments were handed out.

I have no idea why these girls were out so late, could be a late movie or some other reason, no judgement cast but I do think it was a little late for a week night.

 

[Cindy B]

I never did either, I was engaged to my DH, living at home, and still had a curfew... (and I was 19 then!)

Especially at 17 years old, thats really really late, and inappropriate.


(I guess I am old fashioned as well, but I'm 31!)

 

[believe]

The only time I stayed out late was if I worked that night. I still came straight home from work. I didn't want to answer to my Dad so it was easier to just obey the 'unspoken' rules.
Once I met DH, I was 19, that went out the window.
My DDs will have a curfew when they are older and it will NOT be 1 or 2am.

 

[browneyes]

I only stayed out that late when I was at that age if our basketball games were far away and the games went into overtime or something.

I never had a curfew.

 

[danacara]

This is a "pick your battles" type parenting decision. If you have a good kid, what difference does it make whether the curfew is 12, 1, 2? Also, do you want to stay up all night enforcing a curfew? None of the five of us ever had one. "We trust you. Act responsibly" always worked for us.

 

[TeresaNJ]

I really never imposed a curfew on my two sons who are now 21 & 22, but they usually never went anywhere except a friend's house, and usually all the kids were always at our house, but my DD is another story. She is 16 and thinks she should be able to do whatever she wants. She gives me the line that she has good judgment and is responsible. I don't think there is any good reason why teens have to be out past 12:30/1am. Most movies are over by then, and where else is there to go at that time? If she is at a friend's house and they are just watching TV or a movie then I'll agree to 1am, but she has to call me from the house and I have to know that there is a parent there. Sometimes her and her friends are here, and if they are watching a movie and it is late, they'll all sleep here, but they have to let their parents know where they are. Last night she didn't get home until 2am, so now she's grounded, as I feel she took advantage of me. I guess she wasn't counting on me waking up before she got home. She was with her two girlfriends, one of whom is 17 and drives, and they were at another friend's house. My DD doesn't see anything wrong in coming home at 2am. I told her nothing good can come of being on the road at that time when all the drunks are out, and people who are half-asleep are driving. She is definitely giving me gray hairs.

On the other hand, my father was so strict that I think I had to be home by midnight when I was engaged! He would actually sit in the recliner where he could look out the front door and wait for me to come home. He would not go to bed until I was in the house. Now I understand where he was coming from, as I really can't sleep until I know DD is home, but at the time it use to make me so mad.