DEAR ABBY: This is in reference to the letter from the 23-year-old manager of a suburban fast-food restaurant and the teens who were bound and left after a robbery. I want to address the fact that the parents of these teens never came to find out why they were out all night. As a parent of a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old (and for 10 months, a 17-year-old foreign exchange student), I have an explanation for the apparent lack of concern from the parents. Exhaustion!
Our 17-year-old had curfew hours on the weekend, which her mother and I set. Our student would be home exactly on time or call us if there was a problem. At first, I stayed up to make sure she got home -- but after arising for work at 5 a.m. every day, I was too exhausted to be efficient. I shared this problem with other parents of teen-agers. Here's how I solved it:
I set an alarm for the time the child should be home. If the child gets home before the alarm goes off, he or she turns off the alarm and goes to bed. If the child does not arrive home in time, the alarm goes off and wakes the parent. Parents get their sleep -- and the teens get to keep the hours they desperately want. -- ANGIE IN L.A.
DEAR ANGIE: I received a stack of mail from defensive parents of teens about my reply to that letter, for saying that the parents of those young girls weren't doing an adequate job. Many said that their teen-agers ignore their attempts at discipline and refuse to accept their authority or curfews. Others said they were unable to wait up for their children and still function the next day.
For households where there is mutual respect and order, your solution is ingenious. I only wish I had stock in an alarm clock company.