Poll: Parents Talk Curfew for Kids

Fabuladico July 12, 2012 at 11:25 pm

I see grade school kids running around the streets even after midnight. I always wonder....don't their parents care what happens to them?

C July 13, 2012 at 12:12 am

Letting young children run around unsupervised late at night is dangerous for the children. I'd consider that neglect. Police already have the ability to deal with those situations. The curfews that I don't like are the ones for older kids. In that case, the curfew is in effect to protect the public from the kids, not the kids from the public. I think that's unncecessary and wrong. If the kids are doing something illegal, cite them for that. But it should be illegal for them just to be out. What's wrong with a 16 year old kid being out at night? If they're behaving themselves, I've got nothing against that at all.

slb July 13, 2012 at 12:12 am

Curfew is curfew. Get your kids home where they belong at night. 1 AM seriously? As my parents told me "no good can become of that". If the kids want to be with their friends late at night or early morning just have them spend the night at your home. They shouldn't be on the road. Start caring and parenting.

C July 13, 2012 at 12:22 am

Who says because a kid is out at 1 AM, their parents don't care about them and aren't parenting. You know when a 17 year-old high school senior graduates, within a few months they're an 18 year-old college freshman. I think it's much wiser to allow them as much freedom as you feel they can handle while they're under some supervision. Kids need to transition to being responsible for themselves. Anyway, I resent you saying that people who let their kids be out at night don't care about their children and aren't parenting.

Fabuladico July 13, 2012 at 01:04 am

Chris, you can resent the statement that people who let their kids be out at night don't care about their children and aren't parenting until the cows (or the kids) come home, but it doesn't make it any less true. What legitimate activity can a kid do at 1AM that he/she couldn't do at 10PM? You can't be that naive.

Tina DeMars July 13, 2012 at 01:13 am

My curfew was 1 AM starting at age 16. I didn't do anything illegal, and didn't get into any trouble. Today I am a responsible adult with 2 responsible adult children. A 17 yr old high school senior with an 11 pm curfew, seriously? How are kids suppose to learn responsibility if they are treated like babies? My older teens were treated like adults and behaved like adults.

Fabuladico July 13, 2012 at 06:28 am

This is the law in Hennepin county:
Under 12, be home by 9 PM on weekdays, 10 PM on weekends. 12 - 14, 10 PM weekdays, 11PM weekends. 15 -17, It's 11 PM on weekdays, Midnight weekends. I'm not making this up folks. It's not up to individual preference, it's the law.

C July 13, 2012 at 01:10 pm

What illegitimate activity can a kid do at 1AM that he/she couldn't do at 10PM? Or 3PM? YOU can't be that naive.
My wife and I set "be home by" times with our daughter based on the situation and what we thought was appropriate. These decisions were never made out of a lack of concern or a lack of parenting. It's pretty offensive to tell a parent that he doesn't care about his kids simply because the parent doesn't think curfew laws are necessary.

C July 13, 2012 at 01:13 pm

The point is that it shouldn't be the law.

ABSG July 13, 2012 at 01:22 pm

I agree with Chris and Tina - I also had a curfew by 1am growing up (set by my parents - not the county/police etc...). I think 16 is the appropriate age to allow this. Would I want my kids out past 1am - depends - but as long as they are not getting into trouble what is it hurting? Some of you just need to go to bed and stop being so paranoid! Kids are generally night-owls, that is why they are out. Having the police doing cattle round-ups is absurd and a total waste of my tax payer dollars. The police should be focused on more serious issues that the police deal with. No wonder the trust level and the perception (arrogance) of police is minimal when they are writing tickets for non-criminal activity - "for being out" ... I don't care if it's a law or not. The police has the discretion to ticket or not to ticket and they need to use common sense!

Dawn Murphy July 13, 2012 at 02:17 pm

Think about the year it was when we was out that late?

C July 13, 2012 at 02:58 pm

It's less dangerous to be out late at night now than it was in the 70's or 50's. The biggest danger for high school kids is car accidents. Our cars and roads are much safer now. There are far fewer drunks on the road now than back then. It doesn't seem like there are any more crimes against kids (abductions, beatings, rapes, etc.) that are out late at night now than in past decades. Most of that sort of thing happens in the homes of people they know. Even the "less desirable" parts of cities seem safer now than in the 70's. Does the Twin Cities even have a "do not enter" neighborhood anymore?

SLB July 13, 2012 at 04:35 pm

The law is to protect the kids. The bad stuff will typically happen after dark. That's when most rapes, assaults, drunks are on the road, drug dealers etc. If you seriously think there are less rapes etc maybe you should check out the Plym movie theatre parking lot. 1 rape is 1 to many. The law is also stated so that as the kids get older they get the priviledge to stay out later. See the trend? BTW - just in case you didn't get the how to be a parent book before you became one it is your responsibility to be awake when your kids get home. If you're not you are missing out on some of the best conversations about their friends and what they did or saw on that particular night. I also agree that there are special occasions when the kids should be allowed to stay out later. Typically a cop isn't giving a teen a citation if they aren't doing something wrong. It's not harassment if they are stopped and asked where they are going, where they've been and where are they headed. It's letting kids know that they are being watched and cared about. Bars close at 1 so why would a parent want their kids out on the roads with the drunks? Although it is true that some kids can handle the responsibility of being out til 1 AM when they are 16 that is not the majority of children. Like any law it is put into place to control and help the majority.

Fabuladico July 13, 2012 at 07:15 pm

Yes, I can recall how safe it was when I was a teen. I was out after curfew and was kidnapped by a pedophile who drove me into a wooded area thirty miles from my home and threatened to kill me unless I cooperated. I didn't cooperate, but I did escape. It took the cooperation of four different city police departments to get me home that night, safe but hardly sound. Don't think that the same thing couldn't happen now days. It can and does, and sometimes the kids aren't as lucky as I was.

Fabuladico July 13, 2012 at 07:16 pm

I totally agree. See my comment above.

SLB July 14, 2012 at 03:02 am

Fabuladico - sorry to hear that!! But glad you got out and home again. Many children and adults are not that fortunate.

C July 14, 2012 at 12:21 pm

If one rape is too many, kids should never be let out of the house or allowed to have visitors. The world has many dangers especially when kids aren't prepared for adulthood. Besides, that should be my right as a parent to determine when my child needs to be home. It's ironic (at least to me) how many parents insist it's their right to whack (assault?) their child with a paddle without government interference. And yet, these same "parents rights" people won't let me determine what time my child needs to be home.
I don't consider it hassling kids for police to ask what they're doing, where they've been, and where they're going - provided there's no requirement to answer. I think it's hassling them when the officer gives them a citation for simply walking down the sidewalk.

ABSG July 14, 2012 at 12:32 pm

I agree Chris - in today's world, everyone believes they have a right to be everyone's nanny! It's getting out of hand if you ask me....for pete sakes we won't be able to eat or have passengers in our cars pretty soon because "we might get into an accident". We CAN NOT Protect or Police Everyone and Everything 24/7 365! There is this thing called FREEDOM and SELF-RESPONSIBILITY - we need to Practice and Allow More of this before we see it wiped out completely in the very near future!

peter larson July 14, 2012 at 12:41 pm

Remember that old saying, "Nothing good happens after midnight?" Good kids, mine included may not be safe late at night. In our house, the practice is to make sure our sons are either at home or at the house where they may be staying over, by 10:00 PM until they reach 18. The sole reason for being out after that is high school football games, from which they head directly to their destination. We're not worried about them creating trouble, so much as them becoming a needless victim. Kids affected by local curfews are not supposed to be employed in positions that require them to violate local curfew laws. It's really pretty simple and logical.

peter larson July 14, 2012 at 12:50 pm

slb -
I totally agree. 1:00 AM is too late for a 16 year old. That's closing time for a lot of establishments serving alcohol to drivers all evening. I don't want to sound like a Pollyanna, but you can't take back an accident that occurs in the dark of night on the pretense of granting "freedom" responsibly. Our kids are too valuable for that. Why would I want my kid on the street after 10:00, if he's had all evening to be out already?

Fabuladico July 14, 2012 at 07:19 pm

So the question might be then, the extent of responsibility for such decisions. If your kid is caught vandalizing someone's private property with a spray can, are you willing to pay the damages, and serve his time? If your kid is caught making a connection after midnight, are you willing to wear his ankle bracelet? Or do you say well it's his/her responsibilty, I wash my hands of the whole thing because, after all, my kid has freedom. I had a friend one time whose dad gave him such freedom. His philosophy was "I don't care what you do or how late you stay out; that's your responsibility, as long as it doesn't involve me." My friend is dead now, but at least he had his freedom, right?

ABSG July 14, 2012 at 08:42 pm

Well Fabuladico, we all have opinions which no one can take away from one another.
I'm not going to tell you how to raise your children and please don't tell me how to raise mine ... mine will turn out just fine, I guarantee you just as I did. As for the subject of this article...should kids have a curfew? If it were out for a vote - I'd VOTE NO!

Fabuladico July 14, 2012 at 11:21 pm

And there lies the rub. It is not up for a vote. It is a law, and has been for many years, however if you choose to disobey the law, that is entirely your perogotive, but it is also the perogotive of the police to enforce that law.

C July 14, 2012 at 11:37 pm

If a kid vandalizes something, it's the parents responsibility to pay for the damages. Any kid who does vandalism can be arrested. That isn't the issue. The issue is whether kids who are not causing any problems can be cited simply for being out. This ISN'T about parents who don't care. The issue is whether parents who do care should be allowed to let their children be out later than some arbitrary curfew set by the government.

B. Martin July 15, 2012 at 04:44 pm

Re-asserting that letting kids out at night indicates less parental care does not make the statement any more true as well. You have your opinion, others have theirs. The law is what matters if kids do not want to get grief from violating curfew. Either side that wants a change in the curfew can work with legislators to get a change. Otherwise, no perspective has any more truth than any other.

B. Martin July 15, 2012 at 04:48 pm

Only if the vandal is caught. Otherwise, the community pays for the repair through taxes or higher prices. This is one of the reasons that a communities have developed laws to regulate individual behavior. Not you or me, or any one person, is in the position to decide or dictate the parameters for behavior. Would you be willing to donate money to repair vandalism if your child is allowed to have no curfew?

Terry Elliott July 16, 2012 at 05:19 am

OK Chris so you've dismissed crime, behavior, and parental responsibility, you've now succeeded in framing the argument to this: "the issue is whether parents who do care should be allowed to let their children be out later than some arbitrary curfew set by the government."
But it's not arbitrary; the times have been pretty well thought out and crafted for specific ages. It's not "set by the government" any more than any other regulation is by elected officials charged with policing our community. And it definitely is about crime and the proven reality (for 50 years?) that kids get into mischievous behaviors when left on their own in the middle of the night outside. Car keying, tire slashing, mailbox vandalism, broken windows, alcohol consumption-- geez you know the list as well as I do. Your answer is simply: "well we have laws for that." And one of them is the curfew law, which is a painless way to get ahead of the curve in a preventative sense.

Annie S. July 16, 2012 at 02:12 pm

As far as my home was concerned, I never had a curfew growing up. I never got grounded either. Why? Two reasons - First, my parent knew where I was or how to get a hold of me pretty much at all times. Second, she knew I wasn't stupid enough to get picked up for breaking legal curfew. Even if I wasn't home, she knew I was INSIDE, wherever I was.
So, with my background, what have I learned from reading these comments? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Shakopee Mom July 16, 2012 at 03:06 pm

In answer to the first poll question there is a state curfew..Minnesota leaves it up to the communities. I think Minnesota needs to set uniform state curfew laws, not leave it up to the community that you reside in because they vary from city to city. For instance Shakopee Curfew (from the city's website):
To combat juvenile violence and crime, the Shakopee City Council passed a uniform juvenile curfew ordinance. Youth age 17 and under should not be out between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. There is an exception to the curfew for students who are lawfully attending, going to or returning from school, church or community sponsored athletic, musical or social activities or events, or place of employment. Shakopee police officers enforce the curfew ordinance seven days a week.

Shakopee Mom July 16, 2012 at 03:09 pm

This past week at 3 AM my daughter's car was set on fire, the police think it was set by juveniles. Just having a law on the books doesn't help if the violators are not caught. And the small curfew ticket fine ($50 for the first offense) that Shakopee has doesn't deter more curfew violations....the parent/guardians need to be fined (at a higher fee) for their children consistently violating curfew.