There comes a time in every teenager’s life when it becomes necessary to sneak out of the house on the sly. There are parties where you have to be seen, there are friends to meet and things to do in general. How do you get out of the house without waking mum, dad and the family dog? Just keep reading.
Table of Contents
Advance planning
Make an escape plan.
You have to decide exactly when and how you want to leave the house and where you are going. Sneaking out of the house is not a spontaneous affair. Sit down and work out your tactics for the mission (in your head, not on paper). When do your parents go to bed? What is the earliest possible time to escape unnoticed? And more importantly, when do you have to be home? Which exit can you use? What obstacles are in your way? Are you meeting up with a friend? where will you meet How do you get there? How are you coming back?
Plan your route out of the house.
It depends entirely on the situation at hand. There are several options, but there is always one that is most likely to lead you to freedom. Consider the following possibilities: If you want to climb out of the window, pay close attention to the surroundings. This is not a problem for a window on the first floor. If you want to get off the first floor, though, be careful – being found in the middle of the night with a broken leg isn’t the start to a memorable night you imagined. Is there a tree or a ledge you can climb on? If you want to sneak out during the day, that’s probably your only option (since you can do it from your room). You have to lock the room, turn on the music or the TV, and tackle your window lintel. If you climb out of a window other than your own, make sure it’s as far away from your parents’ room as possible. Choose a window at the other end of the house. If you have fly screens, check them beforehand. Some are difficult to handle and you must rule out this possibility if doing so would damage the window. Can you simply remove the fly screen and reinsert it completely? If you exit through the door, can you unlock it earlier? Can you leave the door ajar with a doorstop? How much noise does it make when you open and close the door?
Pay attention to your parents’ schedule.
If your parents go to bed punctually at 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, that’s less of a problem. However, if there’s even the slightest chance they’ll be up late at night to, say, watch a TV show or do some extra paperwork, you need to be prepared. If it’s normal for you to ask about your parents’ day, then do it. They might casually mention the extra work or their late-night plans. But if you’re more of the “I’ll-go-right-to-my-room-and-draw-skulls-in-my-diary-type-all-evening-type, then don’t do it. You’ll just wonder what’s going on and get suspicious.
Check the stairs.
If you’re unlucky enough to have to climb or descend stairs on your way to freedom, do some research beforehand. Which step squeaks? How do you best perform to make as little noise as possible? Basically, it’s best if you go all the way out and lean on the railing, but every scenario is different. Experiment with different footwear. Maybe your socks are the least noisy, or maybe your tennis shoes are the best at deadening the noise. On the night in question, wear whatever makes the least noise.
Prepare your escape
Prepare your clothes.
It might sound pointless, but what clothes you wear can make a world of difference in case you get caught. It’s best to have one set of clothes for sneaking away and one set to change into later if you’ve really made it. You have two options: Wear your night out clothes under your sleeping clothes. When you’re sneaking around the house and your parents wake up, you can just pretend that you just wanted to get a CD or a glass of water, or you couldn’t sleep and you’re just killing time until you get tired. Hide your evening wear somewhere outside. This can be a large grill (a clean one!) or some other hiding spot that is difficult to see and spot by accident – by humans or animals. Somewhere in the garage is probably your best bet. Leave your clothes in a bag/backpack. This way, the clothes that you are forced to take with you are easy to stow away (unless you also want to hide them).
Clear the way.
Now that you know what you’re doing and when you’re doing it, what’s still standing in your way? Make sure nothing can go wrong between point A and point B – your exit needs to be as clean as possible. Where will the family dog stay? If necessary, try to get him off track for the night. Otherwise he could cause a row that you didn’t plan for. If you’re wandering around in the dark, it’s a good idea to remove any objects that might become a problem first. Stumbling over something, breaking something, or walking into your mom’s beloved greyhound can blow all your covers.
Tuck clothes/stuffed animals or something else chunky/soft under your covers.
If/when your parents come into your room to check if you’re really in bed, they might fall for the dummy. If you have a doll with your hair, take advantage! You might want to put a note under the covers for your parents telling them where you really are. If they’re really looking under the covers, they’ll know where you are. This may help you avoid additional penalties for worrying about yourself.
Consider going downstairs
sleep Find a place where you can pretend to sleep that is closer to your desired exit. If you get caught sleeping on the couch, claim that you weren’t feeling well, fell asleep in front of the TV, or just wanted to sleep downstairs. Depending on your parents, this will probably only work once (twice if you’re particularly lucky). Use this method sparingly, as it will raise suspicion if used too often. On the other hand, if you regularly fall asleep downstairs, it may be normal for your parents that you sleep on the couch from time to time and will arouse less suspicion. In this case, however, it’s beneficial if you can spend a few nights on the couch without actually sneaking out. If you’re hiking outdoors, consider camouflage gear. Not in the army-clothing sense—just clothing that lets you blend in with the environment. You don’t have to wear a black ski mask, black shirt and black pants. Just think about the colors of the environment you go to. What would go well with it? Navy green, dark green and dark gray usually blend very well with the night. Stay away from black (few clothes are actually black) and bright colors to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. If you’re driving on poorly lit streets, you should still wear bright colors. After all, you don’t want to be hit.
Do the deed
Prepare your return.
In the unlikely event that your parents woke up and locked all the doors, take a key with you. To be on the safe side, keep a window (or two) open. Just make sure to cover all tracks once you get back inside!
Keep calm.
In all the rush and excitement, it’s easy to get too excited and make bad decisions. Try to stay calm. You risk many consequences if you don’t! Don’t worry about keeping your friends waiting. If it takes a little longer to take off the fly screen, then you just have to wait. Text them that you have some problems. Don’t rush and risk falling down the stairs or breaking a window just to be on time.
Arrange a smart meeting point.
Meet at a location that is about equally close to everyone in your group, but out of sight of a neighbor. You don’t want them to get suspicious or call the police! In some places there is a curfew; keep that in mind. Just because you think you have everything under control doesn’t mean you have to. Always keep an eye out and stay covered at night.
If someone asks you, have a story ready.
It all depends on where you get caught, so use your surroundings as an alibi. If you get caught in the kitchen, you’re hungry. When you are caught in the hallway, you heard a noise and were concerned about a burglar. If you’re already on the lawn (hopefully still in your sleep clothes), you’re waiting for a meteor shower. be smart Having your bag or purse with you can give everything away. If you have your phone in hand, you’re caught. Try to make your story sound as believable as possible, even if it seems a little strange.
When you get back, try to be stealthy as well.
The show isn’t over yet folks! Leave all suspicious items (cell phone, purse, jacket, bag, hat, shoes) in a hiding place in front of the house – there is a good chance that your parents are waiting for you inside. If you hid your sleep clothes in the grill, great! Put them back on. They might think you’re crazy, but not really knowing what’s going on can lower your sentence. Your story is entirely up to you. What suits your personality? Is a leisurely walk sufficient as an alibi? Do you have a treehouse or something similar that you might have snuck into that might mitigate the consequences somewhat? If they ask you how you could do something so stupid, say that you’re stressed out about an upcoming event, like a test, a talent show, etc.
Delete your messages and calls.
In case your parents are either waiting for you or are suspicious the next day, clean your phone. They might have the brilliant idea of picking it up and looking through it when you’re not paying attention. You don’t want to leave any evidence behind! delete everything It looks less suspicious if you have an empty inbox than if you just haven’t had any messages for the last 24 hours. Lots of people regularly update their phones, and so did you.
When there’s trouble
Come up with a plan B.
When you’re out of the house, stranded in a wheat field somewhere, and your friends are useless, you might need to make a phone call to get out of there. Here it is important that you do not panic. Breath deep. You probably don’t want to call your parents, but this might be your best bet. Your situation could get worse, the police could show up and everything goes to hell. Or you just call someone and you’re out of there. Your parents may just be glad you called and reduce your sentence.
No panic.
This isn’t the end of the world. Sneaking out of the house is not a felony – sneaking out to rob a bank, OK, but just sneaking out, no. So keep calm. Panic only makes the situation worse. Only make up a story if you really think it will work. Sometimes honesty is the best policy – or at least staying close to the truth. If you’re suggesting that a friend had a panic attack or was suicidal, you need to be sure your parents (or the police) can’t get their hands on that friend. Your story must either be verifiable or not verified at all.
If a police officer pulls you over for violating the curfew, your best bet is to cooperate. If he stops you for something worse, it’s still better to cooperate. If you tell the police you’re on your way home and they let you go, go home too. If you are caught later, your punishment will be far more severe. Grab the straw that was offered and use it.
When your parents call, somehow let them know you’re okay.
You don’t necessarily have to answer them, but texting them back and saying everything is okay is probably a good idea. If they’re really worried, they’ll alert the whole town. It just makes the whole situation needlessly inflated. If you’re still around, maybe you can work out an alibi. But you shouldn’t take your parents for fools. If you’re thinking up a wacky story, make it look like that’s exactly what happened. If you’ve been in a fight with a giant squirrel, look like you’ve been in a fight with a giant squirrel. If you’ve spent the night lying on your back gazing at the stars, then you should have a few grass patches, too. Do you understand what is meant?
For the next time
Use different alibis.
If you say, “I thought I heard something” every time you get caught, your parents will quickly become suspicious. Change your tactics, because this will no longer work for sure. what can you work with If you’re obsessed with biology, tell your parents that your teacher took you on the nocturnal trip on earthworms and their habits. And if you’re not obsessed with biology, set it up for a few days (by mentioning it in daily conversations) to make your story more believable.
Know your parents’ behavior patterns inside out.
Adapt your technique to the specific situation. What days are you particularly tired? When do you get up a little earlier? What arouses their least suspicion? If you have siblings, consider their schedules as well. That’s a lot to consider, of course, but the investment will be worth it in the long run.
Don’t forget the exhaustion.
If you’ve been out all night and have to go to school the next day or just have to pretend you haven’t been out, you’re going to be incredibly tired. So down that coffee or energy drink and give it you’re all in the morning. Caffeine should be an important part of your “after sneaking out” tactic, depending on the situation the next day. After all, you don’t want your tiredness to give away everything the next day. All this work for nothing! Some parents wait until morning and then let you do all sorts of things when you’re tired of sneaking out. You’ve had your success, now they have theirs. You have to deal with this… still better than grounding!
Tips
Whatever you do, act naturally. Pretend it’s just a normal day. Don’t spend all day talking to your friends on the phone about your plan, and don’t go to bed at an unusual time. Your parents become suspicious. If you go on a date behind your parents’ back, you should ask him/her to pick you up a little way from your house, such as on the street corner. Before leaving your room/safe place, make sure your phone is on silent. If you get caught sneaking around and come up with a really good excuse for your parents, but it’s ringing or buzzing in your pocket at the moment, your parents will immediately become suspicious. It’s better to miss some calls than to get caught. Also, make sure to adjust the brightness of your phone when receiving calls or texts so the light doesn’t give everything away. If you are at someone else’s house, be careful not to get them into trouble with your actions. If the hinges or door handles are too noisy, spray them with petroleum jelly, WD-40, or something similar beforehand. This makes them much quieter. Be sure to wipe off any excess fat. Always double-check if your parents are really asleep. Lean against their door and hear if they are snoring and not moving. If you hear snoring, you can now safely leave the house. Before sneaking back in, wipe off all makeup and remove all jewelry. If you trust your siblings, tell them when you sneak out. They can help you if you get caught or sneak out yourself. If you’re sharing a room with one of them, be sure to do it so they don’t go nuts when you’re not around. If you have an alarm system, you should choose a window and find the alarm sensor on it. Put a magnet on it, that should turn off the sensor and make the window passable for you. Always make sure you get home before your parents wake up or come back.
Warnings
Delete this site from your browsing history in case your parents become suspicious and should check the history. Always have a plan B for your way back home in case your family or neighbors are nearby and you need to change your route. For example, open several windows or take a house key with you. Don’t get cocky. Parents tend to know more than they let on, so always be careful and take precautions. Even if you get caught using an excuse like stargazing, your parents will be a lot more vigilant from now on. Wait a few months before trying again. Always take your cell phone with you. In case of an emergency, you will need it. If you take your cell phone with you, you should turn on the key lock so that you don’t accidentally call your parents or home. Don’t get caught with illegal substances like alcohol (if you’re underage) and drugs.