View Full Version : Curfews for kids
Have just caught the end of a programme about curfews for children under a certain age. I think it was 12 and they were not allowed out of the house without a good reason after 9pm.
Obviously there were some teething problems but it seemed to work.The problem areas where people were having to live with teens hanging about causing mischief and vandalism, were suddenly quiet and the residents said it was a remarkable change..
I think this would be a good idea, although what age you would have it at i am not sure.Any voises on this..
Could this be a small step towards the plight of bored teens hanging around, or just away to get the problem off the streets and leave it to parents to deal with..as some parents will see this as a problem.some hopefully will see it as a way of ensuring that there children are not up to mischief.
Have just caught the end of a programme about curfews for children under a certain age. I think it was 12 and they were not allowed out of the house without a good reason after 9pm.
Obviously there were some teething problems but it seemed to work.The problem areas where people were having to live with teens hanging about causing mischief and vandalism, were suddenly quiet and the residents said it was a remarkable change..
I think this would be a good idea, although what age you would have it at i am not sure.Any voises on this..
Could this be a small step towards the plight of bored teens hanging around, or just away to get the problem off the streets and leave it to parents to deal with..?????
I'd lift the curfew when they left home! :Razz
Why shouldn't there be a way to get problems off the streets..and why shouldn't their parents cope with them..........after all, they chose to have them.....and in many cases chose not to teach them manners and a sense of responsibility.
I'd be fining parents if if their offspring were found out after curfew more than once without good reason, as well.
What would be a good reason for them to be out sans parents after 9pm, I wonder?
I think its a great idea, at least if you saw "children" out after a certain time that you would be OK to call the police and have them taken home/parents informed etc.
I am lucky that in the majority of cases my elder two come home at realistic times and are home when they say they will be. They also know to have their phones with them and to call if they will be later or whatever.
I'd lift the curfew when they left home! :Razz
Why shouldn't there be a way to get problems off the streets..and why shouldn't their parents cope with them..........after all, they chose to have them.....and in many cases chose not to teach them manners and a sense of responsibility.
I'd be fining parents if if their offspring were found out after curfew more than once without good reason, as well.
What would be a good reason for them to be out sans parents after 9pm, I wonder?I know the feeling on that. My kids are not out after nine at all, infact normaly they are just off to bed at that time.
I think its a good idea as there is nothing worth doing at that age that time of the night.
danc1ngwitch
29-Jul-08, 19:27
We had the children, its up to us to ensure the children are behaving.
I admit some children are harder to control than others, but, is it really about control?
Manners come free and yet so many children never use them, gosh adults don't either.
Parents who struggle to keep children out of trouble and from being a pest to others, should get support. They should also accept that support.
teenybash
29-Jul-08, 19:28
Curfew is a great idea though, it is a bad reflections on some parents. In times past authorities did not need to do this as parents laid down the rules and guide lines for their children.
Sometimes the answers to problems are found in the past...........it's called experience.
i think the problem with this is that the parents that let their kids go gallavanting to all hours probably arent going to be the type to give a monkeys about a curfew. Just another rule to break.
Question is though, "What age should the restrictions start at"?
I am not sure exactly what ages the teens hanging abaout are, i hear of them as young as 12 but could not say for sure.
So what age limit should be imposed.
I must be more ancient than I'd thought! :eek:
All three of my kids knew when they had to be in by, depending on their age, whether it was a school night and if there was a special reason to be out later. That was in the 80s/90s, scarcely the olden days.....:confused
Defo agree there should be curfews, but how would it be implemented when there are kids running wild everywhere and leaving home and their parents don't even know where they are.
Defo agree there should be curfews, but how would it be implemented when there are kids running wild everywhere and leaving home and their parents don't even know where they are.
That i would be when the police do the job, they must be able to trace a child and find the parents, wether they are in the same town or not. If the child is hanging about and they cant trace the parents then i would assume the child would be taken to the station until the police could trace them. Maybe more runaways may be found.
percy toboggan
29-Jul-08, 20:16
This was a relatively tiny esate in Redruth...Cornwall...hardly a hotbed of social unrest and anti-social behaviour. I'm all for kids being off the streets at reasonable times but here we'll have a perfect example of good, responsible teenagers being punished for the few who do not know, or have not been shown how to behave.
Provide faciities for these bored kids...we need imagination before curfews. If the 'taking an interest' route does not work and they continue to be a pain in the bottom then re-introduce the stocks....boys over 16 go in starkers. It's the only way...a little pubic humiliation goes a long way.
percy toboggan
29-Jul-08, 20:18
Defo agree there should be curfews, but how would it be implemented when there are kids running wild everywhere and leaving home and their parents don't even know where they are.
Sorry...but kids are not running wild 'everywhere'If they are doin git everywhere in the towns of Northern Scotland then I'll be amazed...I ;live to the east of Manchester and we have very, very little of it. Most kids are in by half nine-ish even at holiday times and the ones I speak to are polite. bordering on the charming. We must not always believe to doomsayers.
Sorry...but kids are not running wild 'everywhere'If they are doin git everywhere in the towns of Northern Scotland then I'll be amazed...I ;live to the east of Manchester and we have very, very little of it. Most kids are in by half nine-ish even at holiday times and the ones I speak to are polite. bordering on the charming. We must not always believe to doomsayers.
Well I'm talking about Wick not the east of Manchester. ;)
That i would be when the police do the job, they must be able to trace a child and find the parents, wether they are in the same town or not. If the child is hanging about and they cant trace the parents then i would assume the child would be taken to the station until the police could trace them. Maybe more runaways may be found.
A kid goes missing every 15 seconds but I doubt the police would have the resources to deal with that. To me it's the parents responsibility but unfortunately nowadays it's kids having kids and we have bred all common sense out of people.
percy toboggan
29-Jul-08, 20:30
Well I'm talking about Wick not the east of Manchester. ;)
point taken Sweetpea...but can it really be that bad? The more I hear about Wick the less I think I'd like it. Is it really a granite grey outpost of drug induced anarchy? I can see how the isolation and sense of being forgotten, or ignored can breed a sense of resentment and even rudderlesness amongst the youth but can i treally be so bad? How many stabbings/muggings/burglaries this year? Isn't it mostly low-level pain in the neck stuff that an organised community could combat?
My 13 year old has to be in at 9 earlier if her friends won't be there. She will be the same as me and get out until 10 at about 15 :lol:
point taken Sweetpea...but can it really be that bad? The more I hear about Wick the less I think I'd like it. Is it really a granite grey outpost of drug induced anarchy? I can see how the isolation and sense of being forgotten, or ignored can breed a sense of resentment and even rudderlesness amongst the youth but can i treally be so bad? How many stabbings/muggings/burglaries this year? Isn't it mostly low-level pain in the neck stuff that an organised community could combat?
Read some of the recent posts about vandalism and old wifies getting their windows put in. Ok it may be just a few that are spoiling it for others but it's making kids that wouldn't normally think about having to protect themselves do so.
Maybe a lot of these crimes go unreported for fear of reprisals?
As for kids being bored and having nothing to do, I don't buy that. There are plenty of opportunities for them they just don't take them
Well I'm talking about Wick not the east of Manchester. ;)
It seems to be a problem in a lot of smallish towns from what I've seen, Sweetpea -probably worse than it is in the cities. :(
It seems to be a problem in a lot of smallish towns from what I've seen, Sweetpea -probably worse than it is in the cities. :(
I think so too. A few weeks ago the police confiscated over £1000 of alcohol on the streets of Elgin and Forres from underage drinkers. Also there'sl lots of stuff that goes on among these kids that we don't hear about, stuff they keep quiet among themselves.
Kathy@watten
29-Jul-08, 22:26
definately a good idea but like all laws/rules only effective if supported by local policing and by parents..think you would find certain families would flout this as all other rules, same ones who probably do not know where or what thier kids do anyways. What penalties would have to be enforced to make this work...fines, yellow cards,imprisonment for parents allowing rule to be broken? think at the moment the negligence of parents is an offence and where kids are unsupervised this may well constitute neglect to one degree or another as when out and about at night they are not safe and subjected to an adults world when still children/young adults without the tools at their disposal to make good safe decisions when things go pear shaped. There would have to be alternatives in place to attract our youths away from street activities that they would want to do instead...all stems back to money and resources and finding folk to help run clubs and activities for them...kids don't start off bad and unruley but they are somewhat forgotten about what with the now lack of places to go and things to do. So much easier to take th wrong path out there isn't it?
I've thought about this 'bored teens thing' and I think it's bollocks. Plenty of agencies such as SW, youth clubs, schools and many many others offer these kids chances but they don't know how to take them because they are used to everything being handed to them on a plate and people coming to them. We are breeding a nation of non-risk takers. My opinion is that parent who work hard and pay taxes teach their kids these skills but those on the dole don't cause they're used to hand outs and everyone wiping their backsides. Every teenager I ahve met that has ambition comes from a working home.
Kathy@watten
29-Jul-08, 23:19
Yeah think you are right Sweetpea, we all knew how to entertain ourselves as kids without resorting to vandalism, or making a public pests of ourselves also knowing if we did overstep the mark we would have a punishment to fit the crime.....back when smacking was OK and grounding wasn't an excuse to sit in your room with Satelite TV and computer games. I daresay it is poss a bit harder now with the whole working parents and not many can afford to be around as much as they may like for their kids especially as the get older...you assume they need less attenion eh? But when I was growing up there was plenty of stuff to do but you did need active parents to take you to activities and pay for them too, perhaps this is another problem? Are the activites on offer engaging our kids and giving them a sense of this being their community and giving them space to grow into responsible young adults? What happened to Duke of Edinburgh awards and the like? We all did em as teens and had to put a bit back into our local area helping with younger kids and with older folk, gave you a sense that you could make a small but valuable contribution!
There are also the likes of the ACF, ATC etc, which also do the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, plus give useful qualifications if the kids reach the appropriate levels.
But so many kids nowadays can't take the discipline........or are unable/unwilling to exert the self discipline necessary to make the experience a learning one......which is a pity as the uniformed services/associations can greatly enhance a child's self esteem and leadership qualities.
In the ACF, at least (that's the one i know about) they can gain BTEC First Diploma in Public Services. (4 Standard Grades at levels 1 - 3 in Scotland) covering - CV Development, Interviewing Skills, Public Speaking/Presentations, First Aid and Nutrition
-and Adventure Training and there is also a qualification for the best Cadets who complete the Master Cadet Course are eligible for the Certificate in Team Leading from the Institute of Leadership and Management. The award mixes theory and practical elements with an emphasis on leadership, teamwork and communications and is the first step in the managerial process. It is a valuable award recognised in industry by employers.
Have just caught the end of a programme about curfews for children under a certain age. I think it was 12 and they were not allowed out of the house without a good reason after 9pm.
Obviously there were some teething problems but it seemed to work.The problem areas where people were having to live with teens hanging about causing mischief and vandalism, were suddenly quiet and the residents said it was a remarkable change..
I think this would be a good idea, although what age you would have it at i am not sure.Any voises on this..
Could this be a small step towards the plight of bored teens hanging around, or just away to get the problem off the streets and leave it to parents to deal with..as some parents will see this as a problem.some hopefully will see it as a way of ensuring that there children are not up to mischief.Any kids under a certain age should be in their beds not wandering about the streets.
Immature minds of the Teenage Mother think that their parents were bad to them by making them get to their beds at a certain hour instead f letting them wander the streets.
Their wee experiment in liberal parenting has failed miserably.
I agree with curfews...but unfortunately...as someone has mentioned, it would be the select few that are causing the problems that...of course would probably flout these things as their parents would not enforce..hence where the problem kids stem from in the first place.
I think the kids whose parents care where they are...are indeed the ones that are in at a decent time. I have finished work at 3am and seen 13,14 and 15 year olds out on the streets at this time!!...and in this case.. you have to ask..why aren't the parents concerned about their kids not being home at this time....i know most parents who care would reporting their kids missing if not in at this time...so how could it be policed. The local constabulary are stretched enough, and with an added job of returning children home who are flouting a curfew...should indeed be followed by a penalty to the parents..unless in a legitamate case of the child lying...e.g..saying they are staying at a friends..but indeed hanging about the streets.
It is a difficult situation, because as usual, the parents who do not give a hoot will be leaving responsibility of their children for someone else to worry about. This problem is not just down to parents on benefits or broken homes..indeed parents who are well off who do not consider their little angels to be a problem...but who are left to their own defices are also a problem, but will not accept it.
At the end of the day...we should all be responsible for our own childs actions...and should face consequenses of not doing so. as someone said...it was their decision to become parents and they should take resposibility for this.
The school holidays are far too long in the summer, 7 weeks!! this year....and it seems that kids are left to please themselves for most of this time.
Any kids under a certain age should be in their beds not wandering about the streets.
Immature minds of the Teenage Mother think that their parents were bad to them by making them get to their beds at a certain hour instead f letting them wander the streets.
Their wee experiment in liberal parenting has failed miserably.
well then i must be doing somehting right as mine start going off to bed betwteen 6-7pm and the oldest who is nearly 18 trundles off to bed a 9 with supper.
Teeneage mothers need more than just lessons in what times there kids should be in and wether it was unfair they got called in early or not. It stops with the parents, who have the power to stop them being out, but alot choose to ignore there parenting abilities..
Cant go wrong with my kids, as they all do as asked..most of the time.
i had my wee one when i was a teenager, and she is 4 now and goes to bed between 7-8 always has done, she is never out unsupervised unlike alot of kids i know
Just a quick one about the comment about teenage mothers. I had my first child as a teenager, he is not allowed out to play unsupervised, he has a routine at bedtime and will for the forseeable future. Just because I choose to have my children young doesnt mean I am less capable of caring for my children properly. Ill just add in here that I now have three children both me and their father work to provide for them. But I could be here all day if I were to start going on about all the children I see running riot and there mothers are definately not teenagers but woman you think should know better..
percy toboggan
30-Jul-08, 17:43
I've thought about this 'bored teens thing' and I think it's bollocks. .
Full marks for exploring the outer gamuts of the English language Sweetpea....for 'bollocks' is a fine word and sums up so many things admirably...congrats to to the moderators for not censuring it's use.
I do not completely agree with you...it should not be beyond the wit of man...much less woman... in 2008 to provide a few facilities for teenagers.
If they abuse/misusue or ignore them then at least it was a try.
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