Hi

my daughter went out this evening with her friend which I did not know about. It was dark out. What is acceptable for a teenager as far as going out for 13 year old.

It depends on what your daughter is doing when she goes out-is she going out to the movies etc or just to a friends house? There will probably be different rules for different situations, for example if she wants to go to a friends house after school you could tell her to be back by the time it gets dark if that seems appropriate, or else give her a specific time that you both agree on...make sure you discuss this with your daughter, then you can find out what kind of situations she is in when she goes out and together you can decide appropriate times for her to be home at, and of course appropriate punishments if she misses her curfew etc. This also applies to teenage parties etc-make an appropriate curfew together with your daughter-she is much more likely to follow the rules if she has had some input into them and feels that she is being listened to! good luck!

We have rules in which we need to know where and who are children are with at all times. Sure, they can change plans after they go out, but making sure that my daughter knows that we are keeping tabs on her, I think helps her make the right decisions. She also can expect that we might just call up her friends parents to verify that the plans she gave us were indeed truthful. My experience has proven that the more she tells us, the less likely we have to keep checking because she knows that its a possibility and therefore, tries to be honest with us. Children want and need boundries, and I believe we must be very careful with our daughters out alone in this world. Be safe NOT sorry!