Would you leave a 9-year-old while you go on a ride?

[rastahomie]

I think a lot of what we're seeing in this thread is a result of generational differences. We Gen X parents were the first generation of so-called "latchkey kids," who were left alone, unsupervised, for hours at a time as both of our parents worked. Then we have the Gen Y parents, some of whose peers have literally been arrested and charged with crimes for letting their kids go to the park (I mean like a city park, not a Disney theme park) unsupervised.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

per Disney rules, children must be at least 14 to enter the park unaccompanied. Right now there is a thread from a poster who wants to send in their 13-year-old, arguing that they know their child is mature enough even though he or she is not 14, and wants to know if the CMs will actually ask the child their age.

Once IN the park, they must be at least 7 years old to enter an attraction alone. Children under 7 entering an attraction must be accompanied by a person age 14 or older. Children under 7 aren't permitted to use single rider lines. Apparently Disney has decided that 7 is old enough to be able to follow directions in case of a shutdown or evacuation of an attraction.

It is true that no child has ever been abducted by a stranger from a Disney park.

24% is a highly inflated figure for stranger abductions of children in the US. It's usually placed between 3% and 1%, currently closer to 1% for nonfamily abductions. The vast majority of missing minors are endangered runaways, followed by family abductions, per the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This is not counting child disappearances which are never reported.

 

[Magpie]

per Disney rules, children must be at least 14 to enter the park unaccompanied. Right now there is a thread from a poster who wants to send in their 13-year-old, arguing that they know their child is mature enough even though he or she is not 14, and wants to know if the CMs will actually ask the child their age.

Once IN the park, they must be at least 7 years old to enter an attraction alone. Children under 7 entering an attraction must be accompanied by a person age 14 or older.

It is true that no child has ever been abducted by a stranger from a Disney park.

24% is a highly inflated figure for stranger abductions of children in the US. It's usually placed between 3% and 1%, currently closer to 1%.

It's worth clarifying that the 3 to 1 percent figure is a percentage of all children abducted, not all American children.

Between 1990 and 1995 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children handled only 515 stranger abductions, 3.1 percent of its caseload. From: http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/stranger-child-abductions-actually-very-rare-130514.htm

The population of the US is presently over 318 million. 73,941,848 of these are children under age 18. Assuming that perhaps 100 American children are abducted by strangers in any given year, that means this year, your under-18 year old has a 0.00013524141295467756% chance of being kidnapped by a stranger.

The odds are so small, it's hard to even imagine!

On the other hand, motor vehicle accidents remain a leading cause of death among children, along with accidents inside their own homes. So while we're protecting our kids from stranger danger, we might also want to give a thought to more immediate threats to their well being.

 

[Stitch76]

We did once, but not by choice.
We were getting on TOT on our first trip down, my DH couldn't ride due to an injury so he waited outside. My oldest DD was 9 at the time and was psyched up to ride, until she got to the front of the line, and then she freaked. We couldn't go back, and with it being our first time, I didn't know about rider swap or chicken exits, so I was in a panic too. I was trying anything to bribe her to just go ahead and get on, and close her eyes until it was over, because I honestly didn't know what else to do, or how to get out of there.
Thankfully a nice CM seen what was going on, and offered to take her to the exit to meet with her Dad, while I road the ride with my younger DD. I was relieved, however, when we got off the ride, DD was wandering the gift shop alone. She said that she didn't see her Dad, so the lady just told her to wait there. She was fine thankfully, but leaving her alone would have never been my first choice.
If it's the only choice you have though, I agree with the person that suggested the baby swap area, where she would most likely be the safest.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Except that most Disney attractions don't actually have designated baby swap areas.

 

[Gracie09]

We did once, but not by choice.
We were getting on TOT on our first trip down, my DH couldn't ride due to an injury so he waited outside. My oldest DD was 9 at the time and was psyched up to ride, until she got to the front of the line, and then she freaked. We couldn't go back, and with it being our first time, I didn't know about rider swap or chicken exits, so I was in a panic too. I was trying anything to bribe her to just go ahead and get on, and close her eyes until it was over, because I honestly didn't know what else to do, or how to get out of there.
Thankfully a nice CM seen what was going on, and offered to take her to the exit to meet with her Dad, while I road the ride with my younger DD. I was relieved, however, when we got off the ride, DD was wandering the gift shop alone. She said that she didn't see her Dad, so the lady just told her to wait there. She was fine thankfully, but leaving her alone would have never been my first choice.
If it's the only choice you have though, I agree with the person that suggested the baby swap area, where she would most likely be the safest.

There is no baby swap area. For child swap you get a ticket to use in the fast pass line at any time for the rest of the day. (I know there is more to it but for simplicity sake I kept it brief).

 

[tracylynnhare]

I thought there was a kid swap thing? Is there an age limit on that?

 

[Gracie09]

I thought there was a kid swap thing? Is there an age limit on that?

not an age but height. If your kids meets the height requirement but is too scared to ride, not swap

 

[schriverl]

You can all wait in the line together for the ride and then have your 9yo chicken exit at the end. Then will only be alone for about 2 minutes.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

What I would do, although I do agree every child is different, is find a place with a table/bench near the attraction and get your 9 year old a snack or drink to enjoy while she waits or if it has a gift shop at the end of the ride, let her browse and pick out a small souvenir (set a price limit) while she waits . That way she is not just waiting.

 

[sunshine1]

Hell no.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Planning a trip for me and my two kids. My 9 year old does not do any big rides - like not even Splash or 7DMT. My 13 year old loves them, and I feel bad thinking about him ride them all by himself. I was thinking maybe for some rides I could go on with him and leave my daughter at the exit of the ride where we will be coming out? Obviously not if it's a long wait, but say 10-15 min. Max. What do you think??

No! Just this week a Disney security CM was caught by the Polk County Sheriff's office in a sex sting involving very young children. In 2014 a study by a major news network found that 35 Disney CM's were involved in sex crimes involving children. None of the crimes occurred at the Parks, but still! I just read this on a major online news AP. So......No!

 

[dp911]

Planning a trip for me and my two kids. My 9 year old does not do any big rides - like not even Splash or 7DMT. My 13 year old loves them, and I feel bad thinking about him ride them all by himself. I was thinking maybe for some rides I could go on with him and leave my daughter at the exit of the ride where we will be coming out? Obviously not if it's a long wait, but say 10-15 min. Max. What do you think??

I know Disney has a service where you can get a sitter to go with you to the parks if that would be an option you would consider. That way you can enjoy all the rides with your 13 year old and not worry about the 9 year old.

(800-696-8105 or 407-828-0920). If a babysitter is needed throughout your stay, the Walt Disney Company recommends utilizing the services of Kid’s Nite Out. Kid’s Nite Out Caregivers can provide one-on-one in-room childcare in the comfort of your Walt Disney World Resort room or can just hang out with your family if you need a father’s/mother’s helper. The sitters are over the age of 18 years old and are certified in child/infant CPR and basic first aid. Reservations can be made up to three months in advance and require at least a 24-hour notice.

 

[dp911]

I know Disney has a service where you can get a sitter to go with you to the parks if that would be an option you would consider. That way you can enjoy all the rides with your 13 year old and not worry about the 9 year old.

(800-696-8105 or 407-828-0920). If a babysitter is needed throughout your stay, the Walt Disney Company recommends utilizing the services of Kid’s Nite Out. Kid’s Nite Out Caregivers can provide one-on-one in-room childcare in the comfort of your Walt Disney World Resort room or can just hang out with your family if you need a father’s/mother’s helper. The sitters are over the age of 18 years old and are certified in child/infant CPR and basic first aid. Reservations can be made up to three months in advance and require at least a 24-hour notice.

or I found this for in park care http://vacationsitterfl.com/services/in-park-care

 

[Gracie09]

No! Just this week a Disney security CM was caught by the Polk County Sheriff's office in a sex sting involving very young children. In 2014 a study by a major news network found that 35 Disney CM's were involved in sex crimes involving children. None of the crimes occurred at the Parks, but still! I just read this on a major online news AP. So......No!

Your point is? A Christian academy football coach was also arrested - should I not send my kids to school? A firefighter - should I not call 911 in case of a fire a hospital technician - hope she doesn't need to go to the hospital.
If we tried to protect our children from every single possible danger that could arise no matter how small we would wrap them in bubble wrap and never let them leave their bed. Instead you educate them and teach them to trust their instincts and what to do if something doesn't feel right. Your child is statically more likely to be kidnapped or molested by their uncle cousin aunt grandfather neighbor teacher etc etc etc than a stranger in a theme park in an area that is monitored by cameras and security personnel both uniform and not

 

[Gracie09]

I know Disney has a service where you can get a sitter to go with you to the parks if that would be an option you would consider. That way you can enjoy all the rides with your 13 year old and not worry about the 9 year old.

(800-696-8105 or 407-828-0920). If a babysitter is needed throughout your stay, the Walt Disney Company recommends utilizing the services of Kid’s Nite Out. Kid’s Nite Out Caregivers can provide one-on-one in-room childcare in the comfort of your Walt Disney World Resort room or can just hang out with your family if you need a father’s/mother’s helper. The sitters are over the age of 18 years old and are certified in child/infant CPR and basic first aid. Reservations can be made up to three months in advance and require at least a 24-hour notice.

They are not employees of Disney. For all you know they could also kidnap or molest your child.

 

[Magpie]

No! Just this week a Disney security CM was caught by the Polk County Sheriff's office in a sex sting involving very young children. In 2014 a study by a major news network found that 35 Disney CM's were involved in sex crimes involving children. None of the crimes occurred at the Parks, but still! I just read this on a major online news AP. So......No!

These people were purchasing children. The vast, vast majority of kids are exploited by people they know, including parents willing to pimp them out to others. A nine year old waiting briefly at the end of a ride in a crowded theme park is at minimal risk. Much, much less risk than they're in when you buckle them into your car to drive them to school each day. Less risk than when they play at your local park.

In fact, from a purely statistical risk perspective, driving your child anywhere is by far the more irresponsible parenting decision, than letting them wait for you at the end of a ride. Mind you, I don't think either decision is irresponsible.

 

[dp911]

They are not employees of Disney. For all you know they could also kidnap or molest your child.
I am guessing you never let your kids anywhere, daycare, parties, parks, etc etc. and btw disney employees have been arrested for misconduct.

I think it would be a great option for her instead of worrying about leaving her alone and someone doing what you just stated.

 

[smiths02]

We did it on our last trip. My older DS was barely 9 and he wouldn't do Dumbo (he was being grouchy), so I made him wait outside the ride. He didn't even have a cell phone. He knows how to talk. He had my cell phone number. He knows how to find a CM.

I guess I'm also surprised by how many people wouldn't even consider it for a 9 year old.

ETA: My 9 year old is little immature, anxious, and inattentive...I still did it.

 

[Gracie09]

If you read my previous post you would see that I teach my children what to do if someone tries something. I know the stats. I know how to teach them to take care of themselves.