by Tonya Nystrom

Created on: June 06, 2008

Curfews instill respect!

Absolutely! Showing teens guidelines and curfews is simply teaching them respect and responsibility. In this day, many kids are allowed to roam freely, not telling their parents where they are because they have a cell phone and can be reached 24/7.

I do not believe that cell phones are the cure all that many other parents think they are. Yes, when my daughter turned 16 she was allowed to have her first cell phone. No, that was not a typo....it was her first cell phone. She had it because I didn't want her driving somewhere, in the car she saved up for and purchased, and needing something and having no way to get a hold of me. So, yes, I felt if she was responsible enough to have a car she could have a cell phone.

This did not mean she no longer needed a curfew. The law says she has a curfew, thus, she has a curfew. I might add, my curfew is earlier than the laws curfew, unless she can give me a very good reason as to why they need to stay out any later than MY curfew. They must be doing something that cannot be finished before the given time. Nothing good comes out of staying out all night or until 2 or 3 am. Nothing is open so they will be out and about getting into trouble. The likelihood of that is good.

Teaching teens that respecting rules and curfews is the best thing they can learn at an early age since they will need to do that for the rest of their lives. In one-way or another, respect, rules, curfew of some sort, this all plays into adult life. Learning it early, just prepares them for what is to come.

I found that as I set curfews, my daughter and her boyfriend never even stayed out as late as they could. The other kids, with much later curfews, were out drinking and partying and these two kids didn't want any part of it so they just came home early and watched a movie or played a game of cards with us! I am very proud of my daughter and her boyfriend and what they have become. They are both going off to college this August and I am not the least bit concerned about the responsibility they will show as young adults or the decisions they will make as they move on with their lives at college. The restraint they showed as teens, I believe, will continue on as they grow. Yes, they will probably party in college, but I believe the rules and curfews and respect instilled in them in high school helped them become who they are today.

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