DATING - HOW OFTEN AND HOW LATE?

• who else is going with the dating pair (the more to be picked up and taken home, the later)
• what time the activity will be over (no one expects to leave long before the end)
• how long it will take to be served some refreshment (is “The Greasy Spoon” always crowded after a game?)
• how far the couple has to travel to get the girl home (the farther, the later)
• what is generally considered a reasonable hour in the community

Curfew Conversations

With at least nine factors determining the lateness of a date, it’s hard to find any one definite homecoming hour to suit all dates. Therefore, many girls find that they need to discuss each date with their parents. Then they can weigh the different factors involved.

While Jane is helping to set the table, she talks over her date plans with her mother, and together they agree on a reasonable time for Jack to get Jane home. This is decided on in the light of the kind of date it is, the confidence the parents have in their daughter and her date, and their realistic estimate of the hour by which the date should be over. If the hour is later than Jane’s dad feels is sensible, then Jane and her mother may need to interpret to him just why this particular date will take so long. Most fathers are reasonable if they understand the factors involved. They get excited when they fear that their children are “chasing around” in an irresponsible way too late at night.