Set a time that works for you
With more parties, more events – not to mention seniors looking for more freedom, curfews can be big family issue.

Many cities have curfew laws, which vary by student’s age. Curfew laws are designed as a mechanism to protect teens and reduce youth crime, however some people think they are unconstitutional.

Most parents set theirs to correspond with these curfews or earlier.

• For high school students, weeknight curfews are often 11:00 p.m.
• With non-school nights curfews are usually 2:00 a.m.
• These hours vary by city, so check with your local government.

Curfew tips
Regardless of what time you establish as your student’s curfew, here are a few tips:

• Set a curfew. You can always make it later or earlier time when your senior has something special to do or you need them to be home earlier. Communicate why you’ve set a curfew and why you’ve changed it.
• Don’t get swept up into what “everyone else is allowed to do”. Talk to other parents about their student’s curfews. Parenting groups are a great resource.
• They should still tell you where they are going and call if their plans change. With today’s technology, check out the price of pagers and cell phones. It may be worth your peace of mind.
• If your student calls shortly before their curfew, to ask if they can sleep over at a friend’s, this may be a red flag. This may be worth a phone call to ease your mind.
• Establish a rule about checking in when they come home at night. Do you want them to wake you up?
• Establish consequences for missed curfews, such as:
• Grounding for the next weekend
• Earlier curfews
• Not allowed to use the car
• We will come to get you

“We made a deal with our son when he turned 16. If he did not come home late for three months, we would extend his curfew by 30 minutes. If he missed just one time, we would start the 3-month clock over again. No excuses were accepted. Each time he achieved the goal, we extended his curfew another 30 minutes.”
John in Kansas City, MO