Welcome to "Hey Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature in which we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area.
Most teens love to stay out late with their friends, a habit upon which many parents prefer to keep a certain degree of limitations. Mom and Dad tend to know better about when their kids need to get some sleep, after all—and when there's liable to be less reason to be out. Which brings us to this week's question:
What curfews have you set for your teenage children, and how do you enforce them?
Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section.
Tracy Colangelo: My son is 15 and he has to be home by the town's curfew. Except on school nights, he's typically not out. He's usually with a group of friends at one's house. How do I enforce it? It's the rule, so he follows it. — Wheaton Patch Facebook
Karen Sherman Bushy: I did not ever set a curfew for my children. I don't believe an artificially set time expectation teaches them anything at all about responsibility and judgement. Rather, I would ask them where they were going and with whom....then I would ask them "When may I reasonably expect you to be home?" They had to figure out what was appropriate for where they were going and what activities were being planned. — Downers Grove Patch Facebook
Hank Beckman: When I was in high school, I was the only one of my friends that had to be in at curfew time--11 p.m., I think it was. The only exception was prom night or if I was playing hockey in one of those 3 -in-the morning ice rentals. I'm still a little upset about it. — Wheaton Patch Facebook
Sue Rethford D'Anza: I must be a mean mom. My kids had to be in by 9 on school nights, and 11 on the weekend. Nothing good can happen after 11pm. My son's exception was hockey as well. The older he got, the later the ice time, even during the week. — Wheaton Patch Facebook
Laura Temple: We too have flexibility depending on the event and who they are with. Except while they are under the graduated driver's license. Then we enforced that driving curfew! — Downers Grove Patch Facebook
Dawn Muldowney Neylon: Local laws say under 17 years old-11pm Mon-Thursday, midnight on Friday and Saturday. Our family curfew was always 1/2 before legal curfew.If they were driving, graduated licensing rules from the State are even stricter: 10pm Mon-Thurs, 11pm Fri-Sat. — Naperville Patch Facebook
Nina Tuccori Fortin: 9-10 pm s-f, 11:30pm Fri nite, 12:00 Sat nite. — Woodridge Patch Facebook
Jeffrey Rampage Finn: Whatever time I tell them. I don't have to enforce it,they listen. — Lemont Patch Facebook
Garrett Kent: 11 p.m. if they are driving... I am not a parent, but that is when the night time police shift begins for a reason. — Wheaton Patch Facebook
Merilou Grant: You are driving our car, be in the house by midnight. — Glen Ellyn Patch Facebook
Kim Peters Lutz: Nothing good happens after midnight—doesn't matter how old you are! — Glen Ellyn Patch Facebook
So what's your take? Tell us in the comments.