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Curfew Negotiation

Rahul's daughter wants to stay out later for a friend's birthday party, so father and daughter negotiate a curfew that respects both her independence and his worry.

Rahul, Daughter

Key words and phrases

curfewthe time by which someone must be homeHer usual curfew on weekends is nine o'clock.
extend the curfewto allow someone to stay out later than usualShe asked her father to extend the curfew for the party.
trusted friend groupa set of friends a parent feels comfortable withHe knew it was a trusted friend group hosting the party.
share the locationto send someone your live location for safetyShe agreed to share the location with him during the party.
pick-up timethe agreed time someone will be collected from a placeThey fixed a pick-up time of eleven.
check into briefly contact someone to update them on where you areShe promised to check in with a text every hour.
worst-case scenariothe most difficult or dangerous outcome someone can imagineRahul's mind kept jumping to the worst-case scenario.
prove responsibilityto show through actions that one can be trustedShe wanted the chance to prove responsibility with a later curfew.
middle grounda compromise position between two different demandsThey found a middle ground of ten-thirty instead of midnight.
emergency contactthe person to call first if something urgent happensShe kept her father as the emergency contact for the night.
text back promptlyto reply to a message quicklyHe asked her to text back promptly if plans changed.
one-time exceptiona rule change allowed just for a single occasionHe agreed to it as a one-time exception, not a new rule.
worry lessto feel less anxious about a situationRegular check-ins helped him worry less.
independencethe freedom to make one's own choicesShe wanted a little more independence as she got older.
set a precedentto establish an example that future situations will be compared toHe was careful this didn't set a precedent for every weekend.

Useful sentences

Dialogue

DaughterPapa, can I stay out a little later tonight? It's Ritu's birthday party.

RahulLet's talk about it. Your usual curfew is nine. What time were you thinking?

DaughterMaybe midnight? It's a trusted friend group, you know most of them.

RahulMidnight feels too late for me. Could we find a middle ground?

DaughterHow about ten-thirty? I'll share the location with you the whole time.

RahulThat helps a lot. Will you check in with a text every hour too?

DaughterYes, I promise. And I'll text back promptly if anything changes.

RahulOkay, ten-thirty it is. I'll come pick you up myself.

DaughterThank you, Papa. I won't let you down.

RahulI know. Just remember, this is a one-time exception for tonight.

Common mistakes

Quick quiz

1. What does "curfew" mean?

2. What does "middle ground" mean?

3. What does "prove responsibility" mean?

4. What is a "one-time exception"?

5. What does "set a precedent" mean?

6. What does "check in" mean in this context?

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