Parent Patrol

Parents can be tough. They control where you live, what you eat, what time you go to sleep, and they make you do chores. Some of the things we teens can put up with. But what if your parents are much more controlling than that? What if they prevent you from going to parties, still don’t allow you to date or don’t give you a reasonable curfew?

Although this is not the end of the world, it’s still unfair for your parents to cut down on what you do with your friends, especially during your teenage years. We get it, we’re young, and you may know more than us, but you cannot protect us from everything. Some parents are pretty chill; some are very uptight and worry too much. It may depend on how they were brought up and how their parents were with them.

Attending Parties
If you want to go to a friend’s party, approach them in a mature manner. Ask them nicely if they’d consider letting you go over to the party for a few hours. Tell them that although you can’t control the actions of others, of course you’ll behave and be responsible, and offer to call them to check in every hour or so. They may need this so they know at all times that nothing has happened and you are alright. But don’t lie to them. If there isn’t going to be any supervision, make sure you tell them that. This may not increase your chances of going, but it shows them that you’re telling the truth and have nothing to hide. If anything, they may trust you even more. The more open you are about where you’re going or what you’re going to do, the safer they will feel in letting you go out.

Dating
Are you 17 and still not allowed to date? This can prove frustrating. Especially if all of your friends are allowed to date, and even more so if there’s someone you like and would actually want to date. You may not even want to discuss dating with your parents because it may feel very awkward. But if dating is something you would like to start, then it is important to get your parents’ approval.

This is important for a number of reasons. Your parents’ first priority is to make sure that you are safe. This is why they may want to know and meet whomever it is that you are dating, and also why they may restrict the age of who you can date. Ask your parents if they’d be okay with you dating someone. Offer to bring that person over for dinner one night so your parents can meet them. They may not approve of your choice, but your parents cannot really pick and choose who you like or fall for. If they still persist in saying no, explain to them how responsible you are; how close to being an adult you are. Stress how much you like this person and for how long you’ve liked them for, and ask them why they won’t let you date. Chances are, it probably has something to do with fear of teenage hormones, or they’ll say that they were teenagers once and they know what it’s like. If they do, tell them times have changed!

Curfews
Do your parents make you come home when it gets dark out? It is often hard for teenagers to get parents to extend their curfews, usually because parents are so persistent on not doing just that. As you get older, the time you spent outside of home and with your friends increases tremendously. What parents don’t understand is that we teenagers have so much fun at get-togethers that often we lose track of time and run late. We do not do this on purpose. That is why a curfew of 10’ o clock is not very reasonable, especially if we go to a party where others don’t start showing up till eight or even nine. Try showing your parents that you are responsible enough to stay out a bit later than usual. Finish all of your homework, and do all of your chores, so that your parents know that you won’t have to worry about any of that later on.

Overall, the only thing that will increase the trust your parents give you is time. If you want them to let you do anything soon, you must first prove to them that you are a responsible, reliable person, and make sure you let your parents know that you respect their rules first, but would like to compromise. Chances are, the more you handle the situation like an adult, the more likely your parents will loosen up and let you do what you want.