About Teen Curfews

As your child moves into the teen years, he will naturally want more freedom. While it is important to facilitate this, boundaries and rules are still necessary to keep your teen safe and healthy. According to Know, a website dedicated to parents helping children stay drug-free, studies have shown that the later a teen stays out, the more likely he is to do drugs and engage in other risky behaviors. Setting a curfew ensures that your child makes good choices, stays focused on school, gets enough sleep and remains involved in family activities.

  1. Why Have a Curfew?

    • During the teen years, social relationships become extremely important and necessary for healthy development. However, in some cases, socializing interferes with a teen's ability to complete schoolwork, maintain healthy lifestyle habits and spend time with her family. A curfew will help your teenager to maintain a balanced life and provide structure to her daily routine. It will also aid in establishing an open dialogue about her schedule, plans and who she is spending time with.

    Choosing an Acceptable Curfew Time

    • Before talking to your teen about setting a curfew, it is important to have a clear idea of what curfew time is acceptable. This will depend on family dynamics, homework loads, extracurricular activities and the age of the child. Regardless of how old he is, every child should be home early enough to complete his homework and get a full eight hours of sleep. As a general rule, children in their early teens should be home by 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. By the middle teens, the school night curfew can be extended to 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m., with a slightly later curfew on the weekends. In the late teens, curfew should be around 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m., with the occasional midnight event on weekends.

    Setting a Curfew

    • When setting a curfew for your teen, it is important to include her in the process. Sit down with your teenager and explain why you are establishing a curfew. Ask her what she thinks a reasonable curfew would be and why. From there, negotiate a curfew that is acceptable to both of you. Some towns have laws regarding teen curfews, so set one within the legal limits.

    Enforcing a Curfew

    • When you set a curfew, it is important to clearly explain what the consequences will be if your teen comes home late. If he breaks curfew, stick to your guns and execute the consequences. However, there are times when you can relax the rules just a little bit. It is all right to give your child a 15-minute grace period so that he won't feel like he has to drive quickly to get home in time. It is also acceptable to extend curfew on special occasions.

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