Essay Reflection

Candela Lattanzio

Debra Reece

English 1010

24 September 2014

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, Why Curfew Shouldn’t Ensue

            I consider myself a good daughter. I have never tasted anything remotely alcoholic, I have never abused substances of any kind, and I have always kept fairly good company. I would like to think that I have been a fairly easy teenager to raise. Despite this, my parents and I have had an ongoing conflict for several years, this being: Curfew. This never ending feud has caused several late night arguments. They believe that curfew stands no matter what age you are, who you are with, or what you are doing. In contrast, if you are a responsible individual, I believe that curfew should be left up to you. I understand their concern with my safety, but they should also understand my need for independence and individuality. Hopefully, this will settle that argument once and for all. Curfew should not be set by the parents, but by the individual going out.

            Parents often want their children home at a reasonable hour, even after their children turn eighteen years old. This is reasonable enough and I agree, to a point, that everyone should get home at a fairly decent hour. However, the problem is, how does one determine a decent hour to be home by and who gets to determine it? One might argue that the parents get to decide what hour their child has to be home by. How is this fair to their child? If the individual in question is under the age of eighteen then one might suggest that both the parents and the child sit down and converse about what time curfew should be set at. Both parties should also take into account the age and maturity of the individual that will be receiving a curfew. If the child is a minor they should take into account that the parents are still liable for them and that therefore they should abide by parental rules. If an agreement can’t be achieved then one might try to abide by the curfew set by the city or state that they reside in (more on this later). However, if the child is eighteen years of age or older then the situation becomes slightly more complicated. Since the child is now legally an adult they are allowed to govern themselves and don’t technically have to abide by their parents’ rules. Again, a helpful suggestion would be to sit down and talk through the issue in an attempt to reach an agreement. This still might not work since the eighteen-year-old is legally able to stay out until they please, but it is worth a try. The issue with trying to determine what time someone should be home by is that everyone thinks differently. If one hundred people are surveyed and asked what time they think curfew should be set at each one would answer differently and a conclusion would never be met. Each individual knows their limits. No one knows themselves better than themselves. Therefore, the best person to determine a “reasonable hour” to be home by is you. 

            Not only is defining a proper curfew an issue, but, unfortunately, not all young adults make good decisions. Some of them decide to drink alcohol before they are legally able to do so. Others choose to intoxicate their bodies with drugs or other harmful substances. Others are complacent with taking lives or committing felonies of all sorts. Still others do any combination of all these things. Even if this is not the case some people are simply troubled. Troubled children tend not to make the best decisions that get them in trouble when they are out and about in the dead of night. If a parent has a child such as this then it is fully comprehensible for them not to want their child to stay out past a certain hour. In contrast if the child, presumable eighteen years of age, has not exhibited any questionable behavior and has given reason to be trusted then there should be no reason why a curfew should still be enforced upon them. If the young adult has proven that they are responsible enough to stay out late then the parents should trust their child’s judgment and allow them to stay out late. If the child breaches the parents’ trust and gives the parents reason to believe that the child can no longer responsibly stay out past a certain hour, then it is completely understandable for the parents to now enforce a curfew. Unless that happens, if the young adult has proven themselves worthy of trust and of not needing a curfew then the parents should not dictate one.

            It is comprehensible and utterly sensible for parents to set a curfew for their children until their child reaches the age of eighteen. Until then their child a minor and must abide by parental rules. Not only that, but the city or state they reside in also sets a curfew for minors. According to the Utah State Legislature, bill SB0042 states “The hours between 12 midnight and 6 a.m. each day of the week are established as statewide curfew hours. It is a violation of this chapter for any minor under the age of 18 years to be or remain in any public or semipublic place during curfew hours” (United States. Utah State Legislature. Juvenile Curfew. Washington, 1997, Print). For this reason it is understandable that parents would want their children home by midnight or earlier. However, what is difficult to comprehend is why parents still insist on a curfew after their children reach the age of eighteen: The legal age of adulthood. Once a person reaches their eighteenth birthday their parents are no longer in any way, shape, or form liable for that individual. The law itself, the very thing that governs us and that we abide by, says that eighteen year olds are adults and are free to govern themselves and to do as they please as long as their actions are in accordance to the law. If legally we are permitted to do as we please then why don’t our parents see it that way? It might be a stretch to say that our parents are denying us our constitutional rights but, according to what the law says about adults and curfew, they are. We abide by the law and if the law says that we can be out past a certain hour then it should be so.

            It’s unmitigated that parents worry about their children when they are out at night. Any good parent would. Still, there are ways around posing a curfew. The individual going out could agree to check in with their parents once every so often. Not only that, but before leaving, the child could tell their parents roughly what time they plan to be home by. If for some reason they’re going to be late coming back home, they, the child, could text or call their parents and explain the situation and say that they will be returning later. This way, the parents are reassured that their child is safe. If the parents don’t receive some form of communication then, and only then, would it be reasonable for them to get in touch with their child and inquire about their whereabouts. However, parents, don’t constantly badger your children. Text or call them only once to insure their safety and remind them to check in. Afterwards, let them check in with you. If they forget to do so, then, again, it’s alright to get in touch with them. This could be a solution to the curfew issue. Checking in will allow the child to stay out with the parents knowing where they are and what they are doing. This way both parties are happy. The child gets to stay out and the parents know that their child is safe.

            In retrospect although parents’ concerns with having their children home by a specific hour is understandable, there’s also reasons why teens don’t need curfews. When trying to decide on a curfew it hard to agree on a time to come home because everyone has a different definition of a “decent hour” to be home. Not only that, but if the teen has been proven to be trustworthy then there’s no reason to believe that they’ll get into mischief while being out. It’s also important to consider that once teens reach the age of eighteen they’re now liable for themselves and are able to make their own decisions. If all else fails, compromise. Teens, agree to check in with parents and parents agree to let your kids stay out as long as you know their whereabouts. Remember, we are our own agents and are able to choose for ourselves. For these reasons curfew should be a choice, not a demand.

     Writing this essay was a long, time-consuming, complicated process. I started out with a very badly, hastily written, three page essay. It then developed into a five page paper that had many hours dedicated to it. 

     One thing I love about drafting is that you get to see your progress. I wrote four different drafts for this paper and each one got progressively better. Seeing that always makes one feel proud. 

     Not only was drafting a rewarding process, but we also learned a lot of useful writing skills from the reading and in class. We were taught different methods of introducing our topic and of concluding. We were taught the old-before-new contract and many other things. All of those were really useful to keep in mind while writing. I went through my draft on one occasion and noticed that I had nothing at the beginning of my body paragraphs that transitioned well because I wasn't using the old-before-new contract. Also, at the beginning I had a very boring title. It was "Curfew". How boring is that? After talking about how to revise introductions and titles and after "nutshelling"  I came up with a much more fun and slightly crazy title "Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, Why Curfew Shouldn’t Ensue"

     Though very stressful and time consuming, this writing process was very rewarding and I learned a lot. Hopefully my essay reflects that.