Diminished Capacity

1. Involve your teens in setting their nighttime boundaries. Reach an agreement together as to a curfew time that is age-appropriate for each teen. Compromise if necessary. You don't always have to be the "winner."

2. Communicate clearly what the agreed upon times are, through written and verbal reinforcements. This means, post it on the refrigerator and reinforce with a verbal reminder, such as: "Look forward to seeing you around eleven tonight." And be careful how hard and fast you make that curfew. Allow for a small buffer, perhaps fifteen minutes, so that your child does not drive faster in order to be home by curfew and avoid punishment.

3. Execute the consequences of broken rules. When she is late, give her the freedom and opportunity to comment and explain. Maybe there were unplanned events, like a flat tire, or a surprise party.Try to find a solution to the problem together. If a teen still breaks the curfew rule, let the agreed-upon consequences fall into place. Since you and your teen have already discussed these consequences and set them up together (e.g. take away car keys, remove home privileges, like TV use, etc.) you are not forced into the position of playing the "bad guy" or creating a punishment on the spot.

4. If your teen has missed curfew because drinking or drugs were involved, then the consequences are more serious. Simply enact these more serious consequences that you and your teen set up together.

5. Put a sign out front of your house which says "Our teen has broken curfew and has to stay home. No cell phone No car No Internet No TV Only book reading and playing Hungry Hungry Hippos until further notice Visiting hours are limited to 6:00 PM and 6:15 PM"

If you see any teen hanging out after 11:00pm on a school night, stop, talk to them respectfully, and send them home.

Village boards answer wrote:

5. Put a sign out front of your house which says "Our teen has broken curfew and has to stay home. No cell phone No car No Internet No TV Only book reading and playing Hungry Hungry Hippos until further notice Visiting hours are limited to 6:00 PM and 6:15 PM"

LMAO !! I LOVE IT! omg, OMG.....Kudos to you. LOL Hungry Hungry Hippos...LOL

Parent wrote:

If you see any teen hanging out after 11:00pm on a school night, stop, talk to them respectfully, and send them home.

Talk to them respectfully? HA !! What planet are you from! They'll probably be in the road....to start....then flip you off, and then maybe throw something at your car. Then, of course, you will be obliged to run the little bastards over. That'll keep 'em on the sidewalk where they NEVER walk.:)