How My Parents Raised Us: Curfew

Let me carry on the journey to my past for a while. This topic, curfew, is an interesting one for me he he he...Why? You'll see!!!

Back in our days when we still studied at the Elementary School, we never went out just with our friends to the malls or anywhere else. So we just went to school, play with our friends there, and went back home. We spent time during the weekends with our parents.

Starting Junior High School, I began to go out to the movies and malls with my friends. My parents allowed me to go anywhere by public transit at the end of 6th grade. They always told me to be careful of pickpockets, too he he he he...In Junior High School none of my friends could drive, of course, so we went anywhere by public transit. We mostly went to the movies almost every week hi hi hi hi hi...

My parents never set any strict curfew for us as long as we told them when we would come home and with whom we were going out with. Since my friends had visited my house every once in a while, my parents knew already who they were, so they trusted me. But since we were all girls, we never went out too late at night, since after all we had to go home by public transit and it wasn't safe to go back home too late by public transit. So if I remember correctly, by 7 pm we were already home during the weekends.

In Junior High School (I was around 13-14 years old) I also started being a bit more active at church, so that meant on certain days I went home pretty late sometimes (around 9.30 pm or 10 pm). My parents knew where I was going and one of the guys would always take me home by motorcycle safely, so they let me go home late. Just as long as I told them when I would probably go home (for example: around 10 pm), then it would be fine with them. I've always been enjoying my freedom and I've never had to argue with my parents about my curfew.

They even let me spend a night or two in one of my closest friends' place during High School since they knew who she was and they trusted us. I remember that the parents of one of us were strict enough not to let her spend some nights with us, so she couldn't join us. It was a pity 'coz in that friend's house where we spent some nights in, she had no parents at home, so we could do anything we wanted to do (basically just talking and eating popcorn and watching something, nothing dangerous).

Anyway, one time in High School a bunch of students (without any teacher involved) organized their own trip to Pangandaran Beach and my parents let me go with them, as well. *grin* My Mom even urged me to go (I asked her if I should go or not). Why? Because she said that this time would never happen again and she was right. After we graduated, we went our separate ways and especially after we started having full-time jobs, we couldn't organize such a thing. It was too hard to find a good schedule for each and every one of us. BRAVO for my Mom!!!! ;-D

When we were at university, my friends started driving their own cars, so we started going home later naturally. Even then my parents didn't set a curfew for me as long as I told them that I would go home late (I didn't even have to state when I'd be home since by then I had my own keys). I'd just tell them not to wait for me since I'd bring my keys. Oh, I was enjoying my dayssss tremendously!!! My closest friends and I had no boyfriends still back then, so we had so many girls' night out. We went to try different restos and cafes and just hung out together and talk. Sometimes when we didn't know where to go, we'd just drive around the city at nights. Splendid!!!

Some of us also tried going to a disco to enjoy live music. Then we'd get home REALLY late (like 2 or 3 am). We didn't drink alcohol, of course. We just enjoyed the live music and we just wanted to know what those places were like. My parents didn't mind that, either, since after all I always told them where I went and whom I was with.

Funny thing is that my brother's 2 years younger than me and he's a homebody. Even though he's ridden his own motorcycle since High School, he always got back home not later than 9 pm (most of the time he's home already by 7 or 8 pm). He just prefers being home rather than going out till late at night. This habit of his made my parents WORRIED whenever he wasn't home after 9 pm, can you believe it? Sometimes I'd get a bit jealous whenever Dad or Mom wondered aloud, "Where is he? It's late already, but he's not home yet. Go and call him!"

I'd be thinking to myself, "Oh, please!!! It's not even 11 pm yet and I'm the GIRL here, not him! He'd know how to take care of himself! How come you didn't frantic and call me whenever I wasn't home by this time?" (But on second thoughts, I love the fact that they didn't check up on me anyway HE HE HE HE HE HE...)

Yes...funnily enough, they never called me whenever I went out to find out when I'd be coming home, whereas sometimes they'd ask me to call my brother whenever he came home later than "usual" he he he he...

So how about you? Did you have a curfew when you were growing up? Did you ever sneak out of the house? C'mon, spill, spill!!! HE HE HE HE HE...