Your parents’ bedtime and sleep habits Your travel plan What to blend in with, and how to blend in Where you’ll meet up with your friends Your route out of the house Your route out of the neighborhood Animals Back-up plans and excuses
Wear bedclothes over your regular clothes. Make sure your parents see that you’re dressed for sleeping. Take off your bedclothes when you get outside. Stash them somewhere close-by, or in your car, or stuff them somewhere your parents won’t look, like the mailbox. Before you sneak back in, change your clothes. If your parents happen to be up, or awaken when you enter, you’ll be able to use a quick-excuse more easily if it looks like you’ve been sleeping recently. If you are just sneaking out to hang with friends, and have no specific clothing to wear, consider where you will be, and how to blend in. Although many people think black is a good color, it is not. Black - As mentioned above, this is not a wise choice for camouflage, as most shadows are not black. [1] X Research source Dark blues or purples - A better choice for blending in. Most shadows tend to be darker shades of blue and/or purple. Green - A good option for blending in with trees, bushes, and weeds. Sand/khaki - Better for staying hidden in sandy environments. Grey - A good choice of camouflage for rocky terrains. Brown - Better for woody areas. Not necessarily for hiding in trees, but for areas where the trees have barely any leaves on the lowers parts of the trunk.
Make sure that the location you pick isn’t somewhere you’re going to get caught. If a snoopy neighbor sees a bunch of pre-teens congregating in the Pizza Hut parking lot and recognizes your friend, you might be one step closer to getting caught. Think like a ninja. Aim for dark areas, or try to get picked up in a car far a couple blocks away from where you live. Stay out of sight and you won’t get caught. [2] X Research source
Consider coming up with a good excuse for the dog to sleep in your parents room, or another distant wing of the house where you won’t be sneaking through: “Buster keeps crawling up on my bed and bothering me in the night. Do you care if I close him in your room tonight? I don’t like closing my door, because it creeps me out. "
If someone hears something, they’ll next hear your bathroom routine and drift slowly back to sleep. It’s a familiar sound. Then they’ll be comfortably sleeping by the time you’re at the back door. Just don’t overdo this step. If a parent heard the toilet flush and you walking back and forth every 5 seconds, they might come to check up on you.
In general, leave the lights off. If you’ve got to negotiate a particularly cluttered room, or one with lots of edgy furniture, you might consider flipping it on for a second to get your bearings. As long as it isn’t visible from your parents’ room, you’ll be fine. Get the layout, then shut them back off.
As for the door, it’s usually best to do more like ripping off a Band-Aid. Don’t let it squeak eternally, open it only as far as needed to squeeze out and close it almost all the way. Turn it to pull back the lock and push it slowly and gently into place. Then release the handle. Continue being quiet as you walk around the outside, being especially wary of gravel. [4] X Research source If you’re driving, you need to be extra cautious. Back your car out of the driveway in neutral and wait to start it until you’re somewhere up or down the street. Leave your door open a crack until you get your car started. In the middle of the night, car sounds carry.
Leaving windows open can be somewhat sticky, as the noise is conspicuous. You might consider unlocking one as an emergency, if you don’t have access to a key. Crawling in through a window without making any noise is a difficult proposition, though.
Survey the house before you enter. Are any lights on? Do people seem to be up? If the answer is yes, start getting an airtight alibi together, or booking a trip to Mexico. Slip back into your pajamas to give any possible alibis more credibility. If you try to say that you just went out for a walk, it’ll be more believable.
“Steve called because he needed to be picked up from a party and was really upset. He’s going through some stuff. I didn’t want to wake you guys up, but I just wanted to do the right thing. Sorry. " “I couldn’t sleep, so I texted Amy and we just took a walk around the neighborhood and got to talking. She’s kind of upset, so I didn’t feel like I could ditch her. I think I’m going to make some warm milk. I’m exhausted. " “It’s such a nice night, I went out to look at the stars. Guess I fell asleep. " Alternatively, you could just own up to it and take your licks: “I met up with some friends. We just hung out for a while. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. " Avoid stupid excuses like, “I don’t know what happened, I just woke up here!” Far-fetched excuses won’t get you anywhere. Your parents are not dumb.
Do you have older cousins to call, or could you get away with calling a friend’s parents? Think about your options and clear it with them ahead of time. Let them know you might need them before you find yourself outside and in need of a favor.
