At What Age?

[goodferry]

Do you allow your kids to walk alone in the parks (with a walkie talkie of course)?

 

[Chadsgirl44]

3 years ago we let our DS and his best friend walk around by themselves - ages 11. They did have walkie-talkies and they had to stay in the same park as we were and check in via walkie talkie at least once an hour. They did great and never missed a call - the idea of losing this privledge was too great for them not to check in! This summer my DS and friend (now 14) will also have this same privledge.

 

[webray]

They were in the 9, 10, 12 range.

They could go wherever they wanted between parks and resort.
We told them how much they were allowed to charge to the room key..They had to stick together though...go the same places.

They did great! We met back up for dinner.

 

[kel3420]

Many times it is the unsupervised kids that are cutting in line, being obnoxious, running, etc.

Really, I guess it is all a maturity level, not an actual age. I have two teens, one I would let go off by herself, the other no way, unless I was willing to let him get kicked out of a park, but I wouldn't want him to affect other people's vacations, so we always just make it a family trip, the whole thing. If my 7 year old wants to do something different than the teens, then I take her, and hubbie takes the older kids elsewhere.

It is not the safety issue I am worried about, it is how my kids would affect other people.

Just my two cents, for what it is worth.

 

[SamanthaL]

WOW kel3420! Most parents don't REALLY know what their kids are like. Or they know but choose to ignore it. That's great! Very thoughtful.
My babes are too little. DD is 5. She has been painfully shy her whole life though she is doing better. I don't know what she would do if approached by a stranger so I would tend to think that it would be a long time before I could feel comfortable. Maybe when she his 21!
I too agree it is not age but who your child is. Just go with your gut.

 

[Leota]

My son started small venture alone at age 11 - we had been there several times & he knew his way around. As someone above stated - he is mature & was ready to venture out, whereas I wouldn't have done the same with my nephew at even 14.....

 

[dbail2]

When my 2 older ones were 14 and 12 we let them go for a little while but most of the time the 5 of us are together.

 

[katerkat]

I agree with the maturity age, not age age. My older sister and I were cut loose around 12 and 10, but our little sister (age 8) wasn't allowed to go with us. Which was based on both her maturity and my older sister's (not old enough to be responsible for the little one, but responsible enough to be off together.) I don't think we were allowed off with the little sister until we were 15, 13 and 11. But this was before walkie talkies.