It's a Saturday Night and your kids are out of the house. You have no idea where they are. This isn't a good idea. Now while this doesn't automatically mean they are up to mischief and no good, it's better if you had some idea of what they are up to. Better to be safe than sorry.

The fact of the matter is that kids grow up quickly. Many of them are on 15 going on 26. They hit this age and suddenly the opposite sex, alcohol, cigarettes and even drugs become an issue. You don't want to be one of these heavy-handed parents who rides their kids hard. This is only going to make them want to rebel and do what you do want them to do. That's just how kids are.

But by the same token you don't want to be totally naive. Do you think your kids are out playing bingo and drinking chocolate milk? Sometimes when they are bored, they actively go out of there way looking for mischief. This is just the way that kids are wired.

Parents of daughters are more sensitive about this issue than those who have sons. The fact is that there is just a sense that girls are more susceptible to trouble and meeting a bad guy than a girl is meeting a bad girl. Also as girls mature faster they are more likely to hang out with older guys while guys are more likely to hang out with other people their own age.

The age of mobile phones has definitely made things easier for parents and kids. Now kids and parents can call another and they are always contactable. This is a massive upgrade from the era when you just had no way to reach them unless you got to a public phone. You can be assured that no news is good news.

Opinions are mixed as to whether or not a curfew is a good idea. Some people believe it stifles the kids while others feel it is better to let the kids make their own choices and decisions. Do you want your kids sauntering in at 2am? Most likely not. But it can be very limiting to them if they have a curfew which is before all of their friends.

Some parents like to keep an open mind as far as alcohol goes. They believe that if you try to repress it they will only seek out the plenty of other avenues where they could find it. Instead of drinking in a supervised and controlled environment they can go crazy where literally anything can happen. Again you have to make that decision based on the maturity of the person in question.

At the end of the day that is what it boils down to. Some kids really need to be kept on a short leash while others you can give the freedom to do as they please. You can't generalize. Make decisions on a person by person basis.