Have You Discussed Your Curfew for Prom Night Yet?

Curfew is a huge area of dispute between teens and their parents on prom night. Some parents allow their kids to stay out all night, others refuse to budge on the usual curfew, and others try to avoid the conversation altogether. Curfew is, however, a topic that should be discussed early in the prom planning process.

By discussing the prom night curfew early in the process, your teen can communicate expectations to their date and their friend, and give their parent feedback on what they think might be a fair time to return home. It also allows more time for mature discussion instead of intense arguments.

There are some good reasons parents want their kids home on time prom night. Prom night increases many teen dangers such as drunk driving, date rape, and fighting. If unexpected dangers are not an issue, bad judgment calls regarding sex and alcohol are also made on prom night. While the prom is relatively safe, after parties may be in any number of places that are rarely under the control of a responsible adult. By giving your teen a curfew on prom night, you can lessen the amount of time your teen spends at after parties. For younger students going the senior prom on dates with older seniors, a curfew is more than appropriate and should probably be set in stone.

There are some good reasons parents may want to be lenient on prom night. By the time your teen gets to their senior prom night, you should have already built up a level of trust between you and your teen. They will very likely be about a mature and responsible as they are going to get. This might be the time to trust in your teen and let them enjoy a once in a lifetime event. Even if you do not feel comfortable letting your teen stay out all night on prom night, you may want to extend the curfew by one or two hours, or have them check in by phone regularly.