13 year olds on their own at local amusement park?

[sharona]

My 13.5yo daughter has been invited to our "local" (one hour+ away) amusement park on Wednesday. It's her friend's birthday and the parents are treating her and 3 other girls to a day/night at the park.

Tonight I got a text from the birthday girls's mom checking in with me regarding the outing. In part if says "we were thinking of letting them have their independence and dropping them off and then picking them up later... I wanted to be sure you felt comfortable with that. If you are not we totally understand."

I'm very torn about this. This is the first summer that my daughter has really started going places without direct adult supervision. Getting dropped off at the mall or movies, going downtown for lunch at the local teen pizza hang out, getting dropped off at one end of the beach while I sit at the other end enjoying my book ... but all of these places are very close by and I could be there in a flash if anything should happen. I want to say no but I think I may be acting too overprotective. I want to let her go but I worry that they're too young to be on their own all day somewhere where there will likely be groups of teens who are older than them roaming around. Many from the immediate area have season passes and hang out there during the summer (there's a pool and small waterpark).

Also, not sure if the mom's ending of her text that they "totally understand" means that if I say no then she and her DH will stay at the park for the day or that I'd be saying no to my DD going... Of course I wouldn't expect them to change their plan for us but it's a bit unclear. I plan to call her tomorrow and find out what time they would be dropping off and picking up and discuss it a bit. Meanwhile, I wanted to get some feedback from the DIS!

What do you all think?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

My wife would never permit it. OTOH, my mom used to drop me off at Six Flags she I was 9 LOL

 

[sonnyjane]

My 13.5yo daughter has been invited to our "local" (one hour+ away) amusement park on Wednesday. It's her friend's birthday and the parents are treating her and 3 other girls to a day/night at the park.

Tonight I got a text from the birthday girls's mom checking in with me regarding the outing. In part if says "we were thinking of letting them have their independence and dropping them off and then picking them up later... I wanted to be sure you felt comfortable with that. If you are not we totally understand."

I'm very torn about this. This is the first summer that my daughter has really started going places without direct adult supervision. Getting dropped off at the mall or movies, going downtown for lunch at the local teen pizza hang out, getting dropped off at one end of the beach while I sit at the other end enjoying my book ... but all of these places are very close by and I could be there in a flash if anything should happen. I want to say no but I think I may be acting too overprotective. I want to let her go but I worry that they're too young to be on their own all day somewhere where there will likely be groups of teens who are older than them roaming around. Many from the immediate area have season passes and hang out there during the summer (there's a pool and small waterpark).

Also, not sure if the mom's ending of her text that they "totally understand" means that if I say no then she and her DH will stay at the park for the day or that I'd be saying no to my DD going... Of course I wouldn't expect them to change their plan for us but it's a bit unclear. I plan to call her tomorrow and find out what time they would be dropping off and picking up and discuss it a bit. Meanwhile, I wanted to get some feedback from the DIS!

What do you all think?

At that age I was doing amusement parks alone, and that was pre-cell phone so if something went wrong I couldn't reach anybody. Nowadays I wouldn't have an issue at all.

 

[kimblebee]

I don't think the age thing would bother me but being an hour away might give me pause for a second. In the end I'd let her go though..

 

[jevs]

I'm not sure what I'd do...I have dropped my 13 yr old and friends off at the movies but I've hung around at the shopping centre.

That said, I was traveling into Melbourne CBD, going to the Melbourne Show etc with friends from age 12.

 

[sharona]

Yes, we too had quite a bit of freedom at that age. We used to take the train to the beach 20 miles away or the bus to the local pond.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I would probably let my 13 year old go if I knew and trusted the friends.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

For the last two years my daughter has walked around the local amusement park with her friends
Last year 11 years old, this year 12 years old.
I stay and walk around but thats because i grew up near the park and love to ride and scarf down lots of unhealthy food.

If she was asked to go with a group of friends like in your daughter case, id let her go
She is 12 going into 7th grade

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Personally, I'd be more concerned about the beach than an amusement park.

 

[King Schultz]

My 13.5yo daughter has been invited to our "local" (one hour+ away) amusement park on Wednesday. It's her friend's birthday and the parents are treating her and 3 other girls to a day/night at the park.

Tonight I got a text from the birthday girls's mom checking in with me regarding the outing. In part if says "we were thinking of letting them have their independence and dropping them off and then picking them up later... I wanted to be sure you felt comfortable with that. If you are not we totally understand."

I'm very torn about this. This is the first summer that my daughter has really started going places without direct adult supervision. Getting dropped off at the mall or movies, going downtown for lunch at the local teen pizza hang out, getting dropped off at one end of the beach while I sit at the other end enjoying my book ... but all of these places are very close by and I could be there in a flash if anything should happen. I want to say no but I think I may be acting too overprotective. I want to let her go but I worry that they're too young to be on their own all day somewhere where there will likely be groups of teens who are older than them roaming around. Many from the immediate area have season passes and hang out there during the summer (there's a pool and small waterpark).

Also, not sure if the mom's ending of her text that they "totally understand" means that if I say no then she and her DH will stay at the park for the day or that I'd be saying no to my DD going... Of course I wouldn't expect them to change their plan for us but it's a bit unclear. I plan to call her tomorrow and find out what time they would be dropping off and picking up and discuss it a bit. Meanwhile, I wanted to get some feedback from the DIS!

What do you all think?

I agree the distance is more of an issue than just letting her go without constant supervision.

If it were me, I'd ask myself two questions:

1) Do I trust my daughter to make good decisions?

and

2) In general, is the park a safe place to be?


If both answers were yes, I'd let her go.


But you have to do what feels right for you. .

 

[Allons-y!]

I would have no problem with it, assuming you trust your daughter and her friends. I never had concerns about either of my kids or their friends, but if you do that's the only reason I would think you should say no.

 

[ronandannette]

My DS and his friends started going to our local place (a good 40 minute drive in city traffic) at about that age. It was actually one of the few things we "turned him loose on". We dropped them off and picked them up at the main entrance - there would have been nowhere else for them to go and we trusted them not to get into mischief.

 

[mombrontrent]

For my daughters grade 8 graduation gift I took her and 5 friends to our local amusement park 3 hours away. I dropped them off at the beginning of the day, went shopping, for lunch and to a movie and picked them up at the end of the day. We were gone from 7am until midnight. Kids ages were 12-14, all parents agreed, this was just this past June.

My Dd has been going to movies, the mall, the beach alone ect since about age 11. She is now 14 and as I write this I'm waiting for her and her boyfriend to text me to come pick them up at the movies. They often go out the two of them together all day to the mall, beach, fast food places ect. And I'm totally fine with it, I know I can easily reach her and she can reach me by text. She is usually very good at responding quickly unless she is swimming or something.

 

[bcla]

Disneyland didn't have a set minimum age until 2013. Some parents would buy an annual passport and during summer might drop off kids on the way to work and pick up going home from work.

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/19/business/la-fi-disneyland-age-policy-20130320

 

[fly girl]

I'm with the others, if the park is safe and you trust your daughter and her friends I would allow it.

If you want her to go but still worried, maybe have her check in with a simple text saying "I'm fine" every couple of hours.

 

[bcla]

I'm sometimes wondering if maybe we did it all wrong when I was a kid. At age 6 I was taking the regular bus to school. I walked several blocks to private daycare after school. I'd be accused of child neglect if I let my kid do that.

 

[scrapquitler]

My 13.5yo daughter has been invited to our "local" (one hour+ away) amusement park on Wednesday. It's her friend's birthday and the parents are treating her and 3 other girls to a day/night at the park.

Tonight I got a text from the birthday girls's mom checking in with me regarding the outing. In part if says "we were thinking of letting them have their independence and dropping them off and then picking them up later... I wanted to be sure you felt comfortable with that. If you are not we totally understand."

I'm very torn about this. This is the first summer that my daughter has really started going places without direct adult supervision. Getting dropped off at the mall or movies, going downtown for lunch at the local teen pizza hang out, getting dropped off at one end of the beach while I sit at the other end enjoying my book ... but all of these places are very close by and I could be there in a flash if anything should happen. I want to say no but I think I may be acting too overprotective. I want to let her go but I worry that they're too young to be on their own all day somewhere where there will likely be groups of teens who are older than them roaming around. Many from the immediate area have season passes and hang out there during the summer (there's a pool and small waterpark).

Also, not sure if the mom's ending of her text that they "totally understand" means that if I say no then she and her DH will stay at the park for the day or that I'd be saying no to my DD going... Of course I wouldn't expect them to change their plan for us but it's a bit unclear. I plan to call her tomorrow and find out what time they would be dropping off and picking up and discuss it a bit. Meanwhile, I wanted to get some feedback from the DIS!

What do you all think?

I'd drag myself to the park that day, and be in the park, but not with my child. I actually HAVE done this. Then I was there if there was a problem, but I wasn't with her. (this was at Six Flags New England, which I think has a bit of a problem with local season pass holders roaming the park in packs and acting inappropriately).

 

[bcla]

I'd drag myself to the park that day, and be in the park, but not with my child. I actually HAVE done this. Then I was there if there was a problem, but I wasn't with her. (this was at Six Flags New England, which I think has a bit of a problem with local season pass holders roaming the park in packs and acting inappropriately).

The biggest problem in some places is gangs. Magic Mountain had some huge problems with gang fights. They even shut down a couple of hours early a few times. It does have a somewhat remote location relative to its patrons, but even gang members drive. Some of the worst were special high school events. This stuff happened even 30 years ago. I think it's toned down recently, but it was pretty bad in the 80s and 90s.

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-06-22/local/me-2151_1_gang-members

6 Are Stabbed, 21 Arrested in Gang Violence at Magic Mountain
June 22, 1985|JOHN NIELSEN | Times Staff Writer

Six people were stabbed, four security guards assaulted and 21 people arrested at the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park early Friday when a wave of gang-related violence broke out at an all-night party for Los Angeles-area high school students.

Spokesmen for the park and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the trouble was triggered by members of two rival eastern San Fernando Valley gangs who apparently decided to settle their differences at the amusement park's annual "School's Out" party, which was attended by an estimated 25,000 youths.

Mike Ford of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said five young men and one 16-year-old boy were injured in the stabbings, which began near a dance pavilion at 2:15 a.m. Friday. All of the stabbing victims are members of the two Valley gangs, Ford said.​

 

[King Schultz]

I'm with the others, if the park is safe and you trust your daughter and her friends I would allow it.

If you want her to go but still worried, maybe have her check in with a simple text saying "I'm fine" every couple of hours.

Good idea!

Again, assuming the place is generally safe, it sounds like a good opportunity to give a 13-yr-old some independence in a controlled environment.


I'm assuming it's not Magic Mountain or Coney Island or some other risky place.

 

[gotomu212]

Only you know your child, but I'd be okay with my son going to an amusement park with his friends.

To me an hour isn't really that far since my work commute is an hour in traffic so every days I'm an hour away if something goes wrong.