Thinking Ahead
Devise a get-away plan. You need to pinpoint when you're aiming to leave, how you're leaving, and where you're going to go. Sneaking out successfully is not a spur of the moment thing. Sit down and map out (in your head, not on paper) your tactic for the mission. When do your parents go to sleep? What time will be the absolute earliest you can escape without being noticed? Better yet, what time must you be back by? What exit will you use? What obstacles are in your path? Are you meeting a friend? Where will they be? How will you get to them? How will you get back?
Plan your route out of the house. This is entirely based on your situation. There may be a number of possibilities, but only one means of likely escape to freedom. Consider the following: If you are climbing out your window, take note of the surrounding terrain. For a first-story window, this is not an issue. But for sneaking out of a second-story window, be careful—being found on the ground with a broken leg in the middle of the night is not the start to the memorable evening you had in mind. Is there a tree or a terrace you could climb? If the get-away is in the daytime, this will probably be your only option (as done from your room). You will need to lock the door, turn on some light music or the television, and get your defenestration on. If you are climbing out a window that is not your own, make sure it is far away from your parents' location. Choose a window that's on the opposite side of the house. Make sure it isn't noisy to open. Check the screen of your chosen window beforehand. Some screens are very difficult to work with and you may have to nix this possibility if it means damaging the window. Does it come out easily and can you put it back intact? If you are going out the door, can you unlock it at an earlier time? Can you leave the screen ajar with a doorstop? How much noise does it make upon opening and closing?
Take note of your parents' schedule. If your parents go to bed at 22:30 (10:30 pm) like clockwork Sunday - Thursday, this may be less of an issue. But if there's any possibility at all that they'll stay up late to watch Conan or they have extra paperwork to do, be ready. If it's normal for you to ask about their day, do so. They may casually mention their workload or their post-dinner plans. However, if you are the go-directly-to-my-room-and-draw-skulls-on-my-notebook-all-night-long type, don't bother. They'll wonder what's going on and it'll just rouse their suspicions.
Research the stairs. If you are unfortunate enough to have to climb up or down stairs on your path to liberation, do the work beforehand. Where do they creak? How should you tread to make the least amount of noise? Generally, using the sides and leaning on the banister are your best bets, but every flight is different. Experiment with different types of footwear. Maybe socks make the least amount of noise or maybe your tennis shoes/slippers do a good job diffusing the sound. The night of, don whatever is the most silent.
Preparing for Your Escape
Get your clothes ready. This may sound like a needless point, but in the event you get caught, what you're wearing can be a huge tip-off. It's best to have getaway clothes and then something to change into once your escape is successful. You have two options: Wear your going-out clothes under your bedclothes. If you're sneaking around the house and the 'rents wake up, you can say you were grabbing a CD or some water or simply couldn't sleep so you were killing time till you got tired. Hide your going-out clothes outside. This can be in a grill (a clean one!) or in some area that won't be seen or discovered—by humans or animals. An area of the garage may be your best bet. Keep your clothes in a bag. That way, when you change, the clothes you're forced to take with you (unless you hide those in turn, too) are easily transportable. If you'll be wandering around outside, consider camouflage. Not the army kind—just simply blending into your environment. That doesn't mean wearing a black ski mask, a black sweatshirt, and black pants. Think about the colors of where you're going. How would you fit in? Navy, dark green, brown, and dark gray generally mix in well with nighttime. Stay away from black (few things are actually black) and bright colors to avoid attracting attention to yourself needlessly. If the streets you're going to be on are poorly lit, wear light colors anyway. You don't want to be hit by a car.
Clear a path. Now that you know what you're doing and when you'll be doing it, what stands in your way? Make sure there's nothing that can go wrong between point A and point B -- your exit needs to be as swift as possible. Where will the family dog be? If necessary, get him out of your trajectory the night before. He could cause a ruckus you aren't otherwise expecting. If you'll be wandering around in the dark, remove any objects that you think could pose a problem. Tripping over anything, breaking something, or running into your mother's beloved wind chimes can all blow your cover.
Put clothes/stuffed animals or any kind of bulky, soft items under your covers. If/when your parents come into your room to see if you're actually in bed, they may be fooled by the decoy. If a doll has hair like yours, take advantage of it! You may want to put a note to your parents telling them where you are under the blanket with the items. That way, if your parents actually look and see you're not there, they can at least know where you are. This strategy can help alleviate any penalty, because you were considerate of your parents' worries.
Consider "sleeping" downstairs. Find a place where you can pretend you are sleeping that's near your desired exit. If you are caught "sleeping" on the couch, say that you felt uncomfortable, you dozed off watching TV, or that you simply wanted to sleep downstairs tonight. Depending on your parents, this may only work once (twice if you're lucky). Use this method sparingly as it may rouse suspicion if used often. On the other hand, if you do sleep there frequently, your parents may get into the mindset that falling asleep on the couch is a normal occurrence and it will arouse less suspicion. In that case, it would be to your benefit to sleep on the couch some nights even when you aren't sneaking out.
Doing the Deed
Prep your return. On the off chance that your parents awaken and lock all the doors, take a key. To be doubly sure of your re-entry, prop open a window (or two). Just make sure you cover your tracks once inside!
Stay cool. In your haste and adrenaline, it'll be easy to get excited and to make poor decisions. Try to stay calm. The consequences are plenty if you don't! Don't concern yourself with being late for your friends. If it's taking you longer to pry out that screen, they can wait. Text them you're having problems. Do not get harried and wind up falling down stairs or breaking windows just to get there on time.
Go to a smart meeting spot. Use a spot that is in the center of your group's houses, but is also out of sight from any neighbors. You don't want them getting suspicious or calling the police either! Many places have curfew laws; keep this in mind. While you may feel tax-free, you aren't necessarily. Always keep an eye out for possible mishaps and lay low throughout the night.
If confronted by anyone, have a story ready. This all depends on where you get caught, so use your environment as your alibi. If you get caught in the kitchen, you were hungry. If you get caught in the doorway, you heard something outside and were nervous there was a burglar. If you get caught on the lawn (hopefully still in your bedclothes), you were waiting for the meteor shower to start. Be smart about it. If you're carrying a purse or your wallet, that could be a dead giveaway. If your cell phone is in hand, you're good as busted. Make sure your story is mostly believable, even if it is a bit strange.
When arriving back into the house, be equally stealthy. The show's not over yet, folks! Leave all of your obvious materials (phone, purse, jacket, wallet, hat, shoes) in a hidden place outside your house—it is possible that your parents might be waiting inside for you. If you have your bedclothes stuck in the grill, great! Put 'em back on. They'll think you're crazy, but they may lessen your punishment in their confusion as to what the truth actually is. Your story is up to you. What fits into your personality? Would a casual stroll be enough of an alibi? Do you have a tree house or similar place you could sneak away to that would lessen the blow? If they ask why you did such a stupid thing, say you were very stressed about an upcoming event like a test or talent show, etc. You may still get grounded, but it'll be much better than being grounded for sneaking out.
Clear your texts and calls. In the event that your parents are either waiting up or are suspicious the next day, clear your phone. They may have the bright idea of taking it when you're not looking and going through it. You don't want to give them proof! Clear all of them. It looks less suspicious if you have an empty inbox than if you have all texts deleted from the last 24 hours. Most people do periodic sweeps through their phones to clear everything out, and you did, too.
If Trouble Arises
Think of a plan B. If you're out of the house, stranded in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere and your friends are good-for-nothings, you may need to make a phone call to get you out of there. This is where not panicking comes into play. Breathe. Who could take you home? Weigh your options. You may not want to call your parents, but it could be your best option. Your situation may get worse, the cops could eventually come, and all hell would break loose. Or you could just call someone to get you the heck out of there now. Your parents may be glad you called and lessen your punishment.
Don't panic. The world is not over. "Sneaking out" is not a felony—sneaking out to rob a bank, sure, but sneaking out is not. So stay calm. Panicking will just make your situation worse. Only fabricate a story if you're positive it would work. Sometimes honesty is the best policy in a situation like this—or at least sticking closer to the truth. If you say a friend was having a panic attack or was contemplating suicide, make sure your parents (or the cops) will not get a hold of the friend. Your story either needs to check out or not get checked out at all.
Cooperate with authority. If a police officer shows up on the scene and stops you for violating curfew, it's in your best interest to cooperate with him. If he stops you for a more egregious crime, it's still in your best interest to cooperate with him. If you tell the police that you are on your way home and he lets you go, go home. If you are found out and about later, your punishment will be much worse. Take that stroke of luck you were just offered and use it.
If your parents call, somehow let them know you're fine. You don't necessarily have to pick up, but texting them back and telling them you are coming home is a wise idea. If they get worried, they may alert the entire town. They may blow the situation out of proportion entirely. If you are nearby, it's possible you can come up with an alibi. However, your parents aren't stupid. If you do come up with some outrageous story, make sure you look like what you said just happened, did. If you got into a brawl with a giant squirrel, look like you got into a brawl with a giant squirrel. If you spent the night stargazing, come in with grass stains. You know the drill.
For Next Time
Use different alibis sparingly. If you say, "I thought I heard something" every time you are caught, your parents will begin to realize you are up to something. Change your tactics because obviously they aren't working. Know what you have to work with. If you're obsessed with biology, tell your parents your teacher got you on this kick about earthworms and their nighttime habits. And if you're not obsessed with biology, put in the work (mentioning it in daily conversation) a few days beforehand to make your story believable.
Get your parents' patterns down pat. Adjust your technique based on what actions they take. What days are they the most tired? What days do they get up a bit earlier? And what arouses their suspicion the least? If you have siblings, you may want to take into account their schedules, too. It's a lot to juggle, true, but the investment will pay off in the long-run.
Expect exhaustion. If you're out all night and you have school the next day or you simply have to act as if you weren't out all night, you'll be incredibly tired. So slam that coffee or energy drink and burn the 7 AM oil. Caffeine should be part of your post-sneak out alibi, depending on your situation for the next day. You don't want your own tiredness leading to your exposure. All that work for nothing! Some parents wait until morning and make you do a bunch of things when you're really tired from sneaking out. You got yours, now it's time for them to get theirs. Deal with it...it's better than being grounded!
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