Am I crazy, or is 7 too young to be ALONE in the Parks

[MemoryMakers2669]

I just saw this................

Persons under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult when attending the Magic Kingdom® Park, Epcot®, Disney's Hollywood Studios™ or Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park.

I seriously can't imagine letting me 7 year old...or even teenager, run around the park all alone!!!

 

[goofyernmost]

I don't know you so you may be crazy ...but you definitely are not wrong about 7 being to young to be alone.

It really doesn't sound good for society when they have to put that in writing to prevent it does it?

 

[Mrs.Toad]

You're not crazy.

This reminds me of the policy on the light rail system in my area. Kids under 5 are free when accompanied by an adult. Dh and I always say "as opposed to all those kids under 5 riding it alone -- they need to pay!"

 

[tinkbyday]

You and I may both be crazy because neither one of us would let our kids run free - but how amazing is it that I bet a pretty penny there are parents out there that would and not think twice about it.

 

[heidi8]

Some kids do go on rides while the parent stands by - especially tea cups where you can see the kids the whole time. Maybe this is a way for Disney to make sure that kids who look younger than 7 don't even do that.

I was eight when I went through the treehouse myself while my mom sat with my sleeping sister just outside. I felt like such a grown-up!

 

[wahoostampingirl]

I still make my 7 year olds wear a lanyard with my cell phone info on it while we're in Disney. Last year, my ds 7 got separated briefly from our group when we came off a ride into the very crowded dump shop. We found him in about 5 minutes, but he was terrified. I can't imagine any 7 year old being comfortable running around Disney by themselves.

 

[jcemom]

Just curious, where did you see that?

I thought I remembered reading that under 11 or 12 had to be with an adult in the park, under 7 had to be with an adult to ride.

 

[Sillyminny40]

My kids were too young at 10. Now they are 16 and that is fine.
A good idea is that passes for adults start at age 9. That gives you a minimum age suggested by Disney.

Even some 9 year olds are way too young but others are fine. Some 12 are too young. Mostly depends on child.

 

[allyphoe]

Would I drop a 7yo off at the gate with a cheery "Have a great day! I'll meet you back here at park closing!"? Heck, no.

Would I go through the ToT line with a 7yo, then take the chicken exit while they rode? Heck, yes! You can't do that with a 6yo, because a 6yo has to be accompanied by an adult.

Depending on the 7yo, the crowd levels, and the ride, I very well might enjoy an ice cream in the shade while the 7yo waited in the very long line for the ride I wasn't interested in and she declined to wait until FP return time for. On the other hand, I also let my 5yo have her own toilet stall, and walk all the way to the sink by herself if she finishes before I do.

I remember roaming the parks unaccompanied but with periodic check-in times when I was 11 or 12, and my sister was 8 or 9. And that was in the age before credit cards and cell phones.

 

[jcemom]

Found it on the Disney site, on the page to purchase tickets... "Persons under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult when attending the Magic Kingdom® Park, Epcot®, Disney's Hollywood Studios™ or Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. If your ticket includes admission to Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park or Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, please note that persons under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult."

It doesn't say when riding, it says when attending. That's crazy. I can't believe I could drop off a 7 year old and they'd let him/her in alone.

 

[ahecht]

Wow, sounds like a lot of overprotective parents in here. 50 years ago it was not uncommon for kids that age (and younger) to actually play outside all day, roaming the neighborhood, with no adult supervision. Not even cell phones! On weekends, most kids were kicked out of the house in the morning and told not to come back until dinner. And you know what? Those kids were just fine.

I know, I know, times have changed. Well, guess what, kidnapping, violent crime, and theft are MUCH lower now then they were back then. The only thing that has gotten worse is the introduction of the 24-hr news cycle. I know you hear scary stories on the news about kidnapping, but only 0.014% of kids that are reported missing were actually kidnapped by a stranger. In the entire country, that's just 115 kids per year. Your kids are 5 times more likely to get struck by lightning.

Of the other 800,000 kids reported missing, 33% were kidnapped by a family member or friend, or 261,200 per year. The rest were runaways, kicked out of home, or lost on their own. If you think about it, since so many kidnappings were by family and friends, your kid is over 2000 times more likely to be kidnapped if they are accompanied than if they are alone. See http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2007/01/raw-data-kidnapping-statistics.html for the raw numbers.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not suggesting that all 7-year-olds can handle being in a theme park alone. Some of course can't, but on the other hand some can. Maturity, independence, responsibility, and self-reliance vary from child to child. However, that decision should be left up to the parents of the child, not posters on a message board.

 

[mistydoodles]

Wow, sounds like a lot of overprotective parents in here. 50 years ago it was not uncommon for kids that age (and younger) to actually play outside all day, roaming the neighborhood, with no adult supervision. Not even cell phones! On weekends, most kids were kicked out of the house in the morning and told not to come back until dinner. And you know what? Those kids were just fine.

I know, I know, times have changed. Well, guess what, kidnapping, violent crime, and theft are MUCH lower now then they were back then. The only thing that has changed is the introduction of the 24-hr news cycle. I know you hear scary stories on the news about kidnapping, but only 0.014% of kids that are reported missing were actually kidnapped by a stranger. In the entire country, that's just 115 kids per year. Your kids are 5 times more likely to get struck by lightning.

Of the other 800,000 kids reported missing, 33% were kidnapped by a family member or friend, or 261,200 per year. The rest were runaways, kicked out of home, or lost on their own. If you think about it, since so many kidnappings were by family and friends, your kid is over 2000 times more likely to be kidnapped if they are accompanied than if they are alone. See http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2007/01/raw-data-kidnapping-statistics.html for the raw numbers.

I have heard this info before but it doesn't ease my mind at all. I don't want one of my kids to be one of the 115 that is taken each year.

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Nope no way. I have a 7 year old no way she could handle being alone. Heck my 9yo could probably handle it but I would not feel comfortable with them. Lets set aside the kidnapping thing but what if the child was hurt ? I remember from babysitting my brother once and he broke his arm the hospital could not treat him until our parents were there. There are many other reasons I could elaborate on but I know we all dont have all day!

 

[merryweather20]

When I used to lifeguard not only did we have under 7s showing up we had a 5 year-olds pushing strollers up all by themselves(They were baby-sitting their baby brother). I bet those same people would drop their kids off at Disney.

I think in practice even anattended 8 year-old with a ticket in hand would result in a call to child services at Disney.

 

[ahecht]

I have heard this info before but it doesn't ease my mind at all. I don't want one of my kids to be one of the 115 that is taken each year.

Given that you're in Florida, I'd be much more worried about them being struck by lightning. In fact, in 1996 there were 114 people struck by lightning in Florida ALONE. 600 people per year are struck, and given that there are almost daily thunderstorms in the summer, on average more than 14% of those people are in Florida. However, that statistic doesn't seem to have stopped you from going to WDW every year.

There are always improbable things out there that can hurt you and your family, but most aren't worth worrying about. Worry about the significant ones like heart disease and car accidents, and save yourself a lot of stress.

 

[delmar411]

Wow, sounds like a lot of overprotective parents in here. 50 years ago it was not uncommon for kids that age (and younger) to actually play outside all day, roaming the neighborhood, with no adult supervision. Not even cell phones! On weekends, most kids were kicked out of the house in the morning and told not to come back until dinner. And you know what? Those kids were just fine.

I know, I know, times have changed. Well, guess what, kidnapping, violent crime, and theft are MUCH lower now then they were back then. The only thing that has gotten worse is the introduction of the 24-hr news cycle. I know you hear scary stories on the news about kidnapping, but only 0.014% of kids that are reported missing were actually kidnapped by a stranger. In the entire country, that's just 115 kids per year. Your kids are 5 times more likely to get struck by lightning.

Of the other 800,000 kids reported missing, 33% were kidnapped by a family member or friend, or 261,200 per year. The rest were runaways, kicked out of home, or lost on their own. If you think about it, since so many kidnappings were by family and friends, your kid is over 2000 times more likely to be kidnapped if they are accompanied than if they are alone. See http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2007/01/raw-data-kidnapping-statistics.html for the raw numbers.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not suggesting that all 7-year-olds can handle being in a theme park alone. Some of course can't, but on the other hand some can. Maturity, independence, responsibility, and self-reliance vary from child to child. However, that decision should be left up to the parents of the child, not posters on a message board.

MTE

 

[DisCopper]

Wow, sounds like a lot of overprotective parents in here. 50 years ago it was not uncommon for kids that age (and younger) to actually play outside all day, roaming the neighborhood, with no adult supervision. Not even cell phones! On weekends, most kids were kicked out of the house in the morning and told not to come back until dinner. And you know what? Those kids were just fine.

50 years ago??? How bout 30? Or even less in many cases. I grew up in the 70's. During the summer, my parents saw me for lunch, dinner, and bedtime. Other than that, we were out in the woods playing. At around 13 we were riding our bikes about 20 miles to the beach!

I just saw this................
I seriously can't imagine letting me 7 year old...or even teenager, run around the park all alone!!!

OK, I also SERIOUSLY can't imagine letting a 7 year old wander the parks alone. But a teenager???? Come on! The Disney Parks are probably safer than letting them wander the halls of their high school alone!

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

Just curious, where did you see that?

I thought I remembered reading that under 11 or 12 had to be with an adult in the park, under 7 had to be with an adult to ride.

On the Disney site itself. I was ordering my American Idol Experience tickets.

 

[Hmbldr]

But how cool would that be to be 7 or 8 and have the run of the Magic Kingdom to yourself or with a friend/sibling/cousin!

Seriously, 7 is probably too young to let them do anything own their own these days. It is just the way it has become.

When I was 10 ('71) I went on a tour to Southern California and had 2 whole days at DL, a day at Universal, etc. We had one chaperone for 10 of us, so we were pretty much on our own for the day. I still can't believe it! It was awesome! My first trip to WDW was at 14 and I was with older sister and some friends. Did a fair amount without parents, including hitting rope drop by myself. Yeah, I was addicted early on.

 

[Colleen27]

Wow, sounds like a lot of overprotective parents in here. 50 years ago it was not uncommon for kids that age (and younger) to actually play outside all day, roaming the neighborhood, with no adult supervision. Not even cell phones! On weekends, most kids were kicked out of the house in the morning and told not to come back until dinner. And you know what? Those kids were just fine.

I know, I know, times have changed. Well, guess what, kidnapping, violent crime, and theft are MUCH lower now then they were back then. The only thing that has gotten worse is the introduction of the 24-hr news cycle. I know you hear scary stories on the news about kidnapping, but only 0.014% of kids that are reported missing were actually kidnapped by a stranger. In the entire country, that's just 115 kids per year. Your kids are 5 times more likely to get struck by lightning.

I'm pretty much a "roam the neighborhood" parent at home, but I keep a much tighter leash in a large, busy, unfamiliar place like Disney than I do in our own familiar surroundings. Kidnapping is far from the only thing that can potentially happen to an unsupervised child, and I'll freely admit that a fair bit of my concern is for other people - my kids are generally well behaved, but they're still 10 and 7 and prone to running and roughhousing at inappropriate times in the absence of gentle reminders to be considerate of the people around them.