Curfews can feel impossible to work with, especially when they cut into plans with friends.
So, what would you do if your dad set a strict curfew that didn’t account for things like travel time or special occasions? Would you accept it? Or would you find a way around it?
In the following story, one teenager uses the time change to his advantage. Here’s what happened.
When I was about 16 or 17, like any other kid at that age, I desperately wanted to go to a party all my friends went to. All of my friends were older than myself, so they had no curfew or were allowed to stay very late.
My dad, however, was a pain in the *** at that time. Or at least, that was my perception.
He wouldn’t let me go anywhere, and when I was allowed to go, he’d give ridiculous curfews that held no account of the nature of the event. E.g., going to the movies at 8 but demanding to be back home at 10… that kinda limits your choices, right? And you don’t want to be that friend who puts constraints on the group.
After a lot of negotiating, the dad agreed to a 2 AM curfew.
Sorry, I digress. Anyway, that particular day, I negotiated for him to give me a later curfew. After a while, he stated that 2 AM was the absolute latest I should be home.
That sucked because most of my friends had a 3 AM curfew, AND the party was at least a thirty-minute bike ride away. So this would mean I would miss more than 1h30 of the party (yeah, severe case of FOMO here). I tried to negotiate some more, but then I realized the date. Enter Malicious Compliance.
You see, it was the last weekend of October, on a Saturday. I don’t think this is the same everywhere, but in the larger part of Europe, this means that Daylight Savings Time ends.
He was home right on time.
At exactly 3 AM, clocks are set back one hour. So I went to the party, not by bike. I asked for a friend to drop me off, making sure that I would be there exactly on time. I made sure that my dad didn’t hear me a minute too soon (because then, I would be almost an hour late!). At exactly 3 AM (or better, 2 AM for the second time), I opened the door and got in.
Needless to say, he was furious, demanding an immediate explanation as to why I was an hour late. When I said I was exactly on time, pointing at his own radio-controlled watch, I could see his face turn all kinds of red and an awesome mix of defeat and anger in his eyes.
He sent me to bed, knowing I was right, and I complied, knowing I was very wrong. Nevertheless, it was an awesome victory!
Nice! That worked well for the son, but the dad must’ve been so mad he missed that detail.
Let’s see how the folks over at Reddit feel about this story.
Great observation.
This person must be a parent.
In some industries, the time change doesn’t matter – closing time is closing time.
Here’s someone who did something very similar.
What a great memory!
Sure, his dad was mad at that moment, but looking back at it now, he probably laughs.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.
