by Just Be

Created on: March 20, 2008

Curfews are an integral part of growing up. Speaking from personal experience, having a curfew was more of a guideline than it was a timeline. Almost every choice a parent makes with regard to their child or children sets a tone that will either create or dissolve trust, patience, structure and discipline. All children need to develop these these things, which come largely from guidance, protection and being given a sense of direction. We look to our parents and elders for this.

While it can be argued that it is our very nature to defy rules and regulations and be "free," without these said rules and regulations we fall prey to the danger of living a life of chaos and disorder. The importance of discipline cannot be stressed enough. It is something that we require in almost every aspect of life, all of our lives. Those who are disciplined are more likely to do better in school, and then follow that with a career rather than a job. While children, especially teens and "tweens," are more often defiant where rules are concerned than not, they do want and need them.

All people crave structure, and most need a leader - which is why, initially, religion and politics caught on so quickly. People need something, or someone, to follow and to believe in. We, as adults, may dislike the rules and regulations that are imposed upon us, but without them our lives would be disastrous. We may not like speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights, but we know if we don't obey them we stand to pay a price. It is this knowing overall that keeps us in line and, therefore, keeps a certain order in society. Most of us who drive have, if nothing else, driven faster than the posted speed limit, but we did so knowing we could get caught and fined for doing so at any moment, so speeding is never as free of a feeling as we'd like for it to be. Curfews are this way. When I was a teenager and broke my curfew, it always put somewhat of a damper on the remainder of my evening. There was always that uneasy feeling of knowing I might get caught sneaking in the house after my time slot, which inevitably happened, and I would get reprimanded and/or would lose my rights to a night out with my friends the next time around. And I would "hate" my father for doing this to me, until I one day realized I was doing it to myself and realized I wanted and needed these rules, this structure, this discipline. I was learning to take ownership of my behavior and how it affected my life and those around me.

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