Curfews are constantly broken. It seems as though they are implemented only to be broken. Is it realistic for an adolescent to meet every curfew? In reality you are either early or late, neither of which is ideal. Being late calls for reprimanding, while being early usually means that you will miss an important part in an event.

Recently, before I left to go to an event, I told my mother that I would be home around 9 PM.  She set this time as my curfew, making it clear that I was to get home no later, although I told her that the event may run late. After the event came to a close, I got in my car, and it was 10 PM. Checking my phone, I became aware of several concerned text messages asking about my whereabouts. When I got home, I was reprimanded on the grounds that my curfew had been broken. 

A well behaved responsible teenager, such as myself, should not be given a curfew. A well-behaved teen is defined as someone who has never broken any rules or put themselves in compromising positions that would lead another to question their morality. I can see how teens that misbehave regularly can be subjected to a curfew. These children have brought a curfew upon themselves and must face the consequences of their actions. To keep the best interests of these children in mind, their parents must take measures to insure their safety, especially if they have already demonstrated a lack of responsibility.

Setting a curfew can many times lead to accidents and put children in uncomfortable and stressful situations. When you need to get home in order to meet a curfew, but also need to be present at an important meeting or event, one of the only options that you have in order to make it back home on time while also participating until the end of the meeting is to speed. In 2012 speeding was a factor in 30% of car crashes in the United States, and speeding related fatalities totaled 10,219. As these facts show, speeding is dangerous for anyone, especially for high schoolers who have less experience on the road than adults due to their adolescence. Curfews also expose students to unnecessary stress. Students already experience tons of stress due to school, social situations, and extracurricular activities. They don’t need anymore. Many times a friend or acquaintance needs a ride home. If you offer them a ride, it is likely that you will be late getting home. The alternative is leaving the other student stranded, which makes you feel bad and is more inconvenient for them and their parent(s).

If after reading all the points listed addressing the impracticality of curfews for well-behaved teens, adults still have the opinion that they are necessary for an adolescent to abide by, then I recommend changing the way adults look at reprimanding children if a curfew is broken.  Reprimanding teens should not be something that is scary for them. It should be something that provides insight on why a curfew was implemented in the first place and how it is of value to the teen’s safety. It should be a casual conversation instead of a big sit down event where the whole family is present. A reprimanding should not be invasive and should not point accusing fingers. Rather, a reprimanding should involve a discussion. This discussion should determine why the adolescent was late and if this situation was crucial or if it could have been avoided, and can be avoided in the future in order to meet a set curfew. This conversation should involve both points of views and should give equal speaking time to both parties.

Curfews in South Burlington Vermont (SBVT) are also many times later than average adolescent curfews because SBVT is a relatively safe place to live in. This is why I think that curfews in SBVT should be completely eradicated all together. They are unnecessary in the environment that we live in. People that live in cities, on the other hand, are exposed to a different type of environment. This change in environment can be very dramatic. Many places such as large cities are not safe and in these circumstances I can especially see how guardians would want adolescents home before a certain time.

After having a discussion with my mother about this subject I was able to better understand her perspective. She worries, and when I am not home at a pre-planned hour, she imagines the worst. She also worries about the lack of adult supervision disposable to adolescents in the late hours of the night, which may result in dangerous or compromising situations. My father expressed similar concerns, stating that adolescents are more prone to peer pressure and as a result make hasty, and many times bad, decisions. He also stated that teenagers need a minimum amount of sleep, and without curfews they might not be able to perform to the best of their abilities the next day. Although I can understand these concerns, I cannot agree with them. I think that if adolescents communicated with their guardian(s) before, during, and after an event, then concerns relating to safety and responsibility could effectively be addressed without resorting to curfews. I think that the majority of teens know their body well enough to assess for themselves the amount of sleep they need to be successful and plan their outings accordingly. Most events which may require a curfew are also usually held on weekends, so teens would be able to accumulate a greater number of sleep hours, rendering them productive the next day.

In conclusion the implementation of curfews for adolescence is unnecessary for a multitude of reasons. Curfews offer consequences such as car accidents, speeding tickets, and stress for teens that are already under an immense amount of pressure. Without curfews teens of age could offer rides to their peers and obtain a better sense of responsibility for not only themselves, but others as well. It is my prerogative that as a society we should rethink curfews and if their pros outweigh their cons.