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Rules exist
for a reason, they help establish expectations. Some rules are in place to help
keep us safe. In our house, a curfew is in place for my teen boys. In a recent
situation the tables were turned on our curfew expectation.
It was a
warm Friday evening as I sat at a picnic table in the park waiting for the
concert to begin. The summer breeze was refreshing and even though I was
working, this was one of the fun aspects of my job.
This was a
Friday night that my teen boys each had their own plans. One was at work, while
the other was on a date. Toward the end of the concert, my fifteen-year-old
texted me from the movie theater and said, “Text me when you get home.”
Of course I
asked, “Why?”
“So that I
know you are safe,” he replied.
I felt warm
fuzzies, awww, he’s concerned about his
Mama. Then came the next text, “And don’t have friends over. Just so you
know, your curfew is 9:00pm.”
My son must
have thought our situation was like the Disney movie Freaky Friday where the parent and child switched places. I humored
him and sent a text about 9:30pm letting him know I was home.
The ironic
thing is that my son has trouble making it home by curfew, but he wants to
demand that I follow the rules. I should have asked what my punishment would
be. Maybe he would have sent me to my room and taken away my phone.
Confined to
my room, I would have been bored with nothing to do (NOT). I would have been
left to read a good book or actually work on a writing project. Next time I’ll
have to break curfew on purpose…just to have a few minutes to myself.
Rules exist
for a reason. What has been your experience with a curfew?
