Challenge Myself: Day #70 Setting Boundaries With A Curfew

Today is Day #70 of our Nar Anon Group Just For Today Challenge. I am also integrating the Live Happy into my Challenge. The Live Happy Challenge for today is about one of the boundaries that every parent should set for their teenagers. That is to set and enforce an age appropriate a curfew. for your child/children.

Growing up my parents set our curfew as 9 PM on school nights and 11 PM on weekends. This was adjusted a little bit due to teens with jobs and also for summertime.

For my own kids my parents curfew worked for us so I used my parents protocol for my own kids.

The book says,


Have a family meeting to discuss the reasons for establishing curfew. Explain to your teen that his life may depend on honoring that curfew.

Many American cities and town have legislated curfew times for teens. For example, some communities have established a 6PM weekend curfew for teens without an adult chaperone.

Other cities have partnered with parents to have law enforcement return teens to their homes if caught out and about after curfew and before 6 AM.

A curfew can allow you to rest easier knowing that your responsible teen will be home by a certain time.

My kids say that when they were growing up I was a helicopter mom. When my kids were old enough to start riding in cars with their friends I gathered all the information I could. I wanted to know where they were going? Who would be there? Parents names, the address and phone number.

If they were riding in a car with someone I took drivers license numbers, Insurance info, make and model of car, the drivers parents names and phone number, and addresses.

Oh my God my kids used to get so mad at me for doing that. Their friends called me, the Warden. My kids called me Investigator M.O.M.

These were the days before cellphones. We had a rule. I called the number provided one time. If no one answered or I felt I was getting lied to or a run around, I told these kids, "I'll just call the cops!"

Now, I once read somewhere that "If your kids are mad at you, you are doing parenting right."

I've come to realize that none of that tough parenting ever stopped my kids from trying drugs. None of that sheltering from the big, bad world ever stopped the words like heroin, drugs and addiction.

Did your parents set a curfew for you when you were growing up?

Just For Today: I am feeling grateful today!

pic from: Daily Ha Ha
From the book: Live Happy