Do you think that a curfew on a computer is fair?

My mum got a curfew put onto my computer because she felt I wasn't getting enough sleep. I can't access the internet from 10:30pm onwards. This applies to weekends as well, and when I found out I was pretty much furious.
I agree that it's fair enough that I shouldn't be sitting up till 2am on a school night. But if I'm expected to be in bed at the same time on weekends then I'm one very sad teenager indeed. I decided to give the curfew a try for a week, and now that I've had it for a while, it's doing my head in. I've met the love of my life online, and we're exceedingly happy together even with a 5 hour time difference. Though by the time he gets home from school, it's already 9pm or later. So I'm being limited in that aspect too, seeing as talking with him is hard enough as it is.

Do you think curfews are fair?
Do you think it's acceptable to have the same limits on weekends as well as weekdays?

I'd like to say thanks very much for the feature =] Much appreciated, and it's been wonderful to see so many detailed replies ^.^

Tags: 10:30, curfew, overseas, sleep, weekdays, weekends

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by clearlylogic on February 9, 2009 at 8:12am: I'm 16, yet on the other hand, I run a licensed business in computers. I'm no longer in school - I took that upon myself. So, in my case, my hours are my own. I own (and paid for) my own computers, receipts in my name, through my business as well.

Ha, but I guess mine's a different story. I left school and starting homeschooling myself. I've taken the leisure of investing money into Adobe products as well as Adobe certified programs so I could have an advantage in the business I've chosen to be in.

But, even then, there are time's that I'll be online until the unhealthy hour of 3, 4 or 5 AM. Yet, usually, I'm working. Occasionally talking, but usually working on a project. I guess I just don't have that many people to talk to, at any hour. haha! I even try to respect my body enough to take time to sleep.

Anyway, it's not fair on the weekend, but still, even on a weekend you should let yourself get a decent amount of rest, don't set your body outta whack -- it's not good for you. Keep everything reasonable and it'd be very good.

Thanks for bringing this to my mind, it's kinda a reminder of who I tried to be a couple years ago, the uncontrollably strange internet flirting, hooking up and "dating" world was just so interesting - (but nothing beats a true serious relationship) - before I started working hours every day.. ha :) I wish you all the best in settling your agreement with your family though.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David on February 9, 2009 at 8:13am: Here's the way to play it. Accept the curfew and then, down the road,

a. do the same to your children
b. when your mum is old and feeble and in your care, impose like restrictions on her.

Keep the cycle going. Perpetuate civilization.

*heh*

Seriously though, embrace the old "honor your parents" meme. If you can learn to do that now, just think how much easier it'll be to hold a job down the road when your boss is a real jackass (but you NEED to keep buying groceries, make car payments, etc., until you can find a better job). Think of it as training for life.

A more manipulative way of thinking of it is akin to the way I managed to relax my parents' curfew (not a computer curfew, but still) imposed on me in my youth. I had a 10:30 curfew when I bought my first car (from funds made pushing a broom after school). I made sure to be in by 10:00. Sure enough, after a couple of months of self-imposed curfew that was stricter than they had mandated--during which I came home early and sat around jawing with Mom or Dad or both for a bit--they relaxed the curfew, and within a few months removed it entirely.

Yes, it was a deliberate move on my part and a bit manipulative, as well as requiring me to learn some patience (and cunning :-)), but... a surprising thing happened. The one-on-one (or two) time spent in the time I came home earlier than their curfew was the first time in a long time we'd had such time(s), and I think we all learned something useful about each other, just sitting and jawing a bit. (With a passel of siblings, one-on-one time with either of 'em had been rare indeed for years.)

Parents are strange, alien creatures. Think of it as a project/study for admission to the "Academy for the Study of Aliens“ if you want. ;-); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by clearlylogic on February 9, 2009 at 8:22am: Ha. I can't help but make another useless post, just saying how much your post made me laugh today! It's all true, eh. Actually, my family and I get along fine 99% of the time - it's just usually I'm away from home for a couple days at a time working, or working late hours - big difference. haha.

:); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Aly on February 9, 2009 at 8:32am: unfortunately I have pretty much the same thing, but I get a later curfew on weekends . imposing a curfew on sat/sun is just stupid. tell ur parents to be reasonable! lol.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by randomshadowmusic on February 11, 2009 at 3:09am: Believ me, I have, but even if they changed their minds they wouldn't be able to get it changed without calling in a computer programmer, seeing as they don't know a great deal about how to do computerised things XD

Besides loading up the ionternet and email and the odd word document, they're not as clued in.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Chris Holland on February 9, 2009 at 8:48am: I think that what's most critically important is for kids to not have their own personal computer in their own bedroom. There are, and there will continue to be *many* computers in my house, but when my two-month-old grows-up to be old enough to use a computer, I will absolutely not put a computer in her bedroom.

She'll have access to computers in the living room. The monitor will be facing toward us so anybody walking in the room will be able to see what she's doing on there. Unless my Wife and I are around, she won't be using the computer. Which means that when we go to bed, she'll go to bed. And i'll know that once she's in her bedroom, she's not doing anything but her homework, sleeping, reading, or chatting with her girlfriends on the phone, which i can deal with.

Also, for many years thus-far, and likely for many years to come, my computing platform of choice is Mac OS X. OS X has a ton of really good really-simple-to-use access restriction features built right into it. I can create an account for her that gives her restricted access to the operating system and only allows her to run apps i choose. When I'm the one using the computer, I can switch to my own admin account.

Since she's my kid though, she'll likely find ways around all this, and it'll be fun to watch her try to perpetrate the impossible: outsmart me :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by clearlylogic on February 9, 2009 at 8:53am: God, I think people should teach me how to be a proper young person. haha. My computer lives in my room and when I'm not working -- so do I.

Ah, I'm hoping to get a Mac soon enough myself. Make me jealous.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by randomshadowmusic on February 11, 2009 at 3:11am: We're teenagers, we like to foil your evil plans XD
I can promise she'll be rebellious at some point ^.^ Though when you're in your teens it's nice to have as much privacy as possible, even though family and friends are very important and we shouldn't neglect them. I'm the kind who likes privacy, so if I had to sit with my parents watching me online for hours I'd just get too fed up and go away.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by randomshadowmusic on February 11, 2009 at 3:13am: lol, no dodgy stuff here. I stay away from repulsive stuff. That I can say is true. I know she was trying to do the best thing because she was worried about me, but it isn't working and that just made me mad.
It'd just be nice to be asked instead of forced.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by FLYzilla on February 9, 2009 at 9:25am: CURFEWS ARE FAIR. BUT YOU SHOULDN'T I THINK HAVE THEM ON THE WEEKEND THAT'S A KIDS FREE TIME; ▶ Reply to This