Enforcement of 14 yr old restriction

[Ava]

This past february my daughter and niece rode the 7DMT together. They were asked their age and then allowed to go together with no ploblem. (there were adults in the group). They were 7 and 8 at the time. One is 53 inches tall and the other 43 inches. ( she looks 5 unless you notice her adult teeth)

That's because they were both 7 or older. Children 7 years & up are permitted to ride without an adult. Children under 7 have to be seated with someone 14 or older on all attractions. So your 7- & 8-year-old were allowed to ride together, but if they'd been 6 & 13 they would not have been allowed to sit together. (Which is asinine to me, but I don't make the rules.)

 

[gorkt]

Thanks! This kind of changes the game really for me. I am now envisioning a few nights of quiet dinners while the kids are running around the parks.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks! This kind of changes the game really for me. I am now envisioning a few nights of quiet dinners while the kids are running around the parks.

14 year olds have always been able to enter the parks alone.

Have a great trip!

 

[kamik86]

At our local theme park my church group would go and the older kids would chaprone the younger ones. I'm pretty sure I was a group lead before I was ever 14.

The only thing that would worry me is if your kids weren't good at directions. Since your letting them go I assume they aren't. I wouldn't want my mom to go to the park on the monorail alone because I am 99% sure she would get lost. I had no problem with my 16 year old niece going places alone though.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Speaking for our family, mature or not, I would not lay the responsibility of two younger brothers or sisters, one as young as 10, on a 14 year old, in a busy, confusing place as a major theme parks. Just to many things could happen.

AKK

 

[NotUrsula]

Speaking for our family, mature or not, I would not lay the responsibility of two younger brothers or sisters, one as young as 10, on a 14 year old, in a busy, confusing place as a major theme parks. Just to many things could happen.

Much depends on the kids and their experience with the parks. My two practically grew up there, and my DS was running around loose on his own inside the parks from age 10, and has been on his own to get back and forth from the resort since about age 13. (He usually meets us for meals if we're in the same park, because after all, why pass up a meal that the 'rents will pay for, LOL!) For my kids, the Disney parks are not confusing at all, they know them like the backs of their hands. DS has been taking his younger sister into the parks on their own for a while now.

The 14-to-enter rule is a very recent change (March 23, 2013) before that the age was 8 (I have it printed on the back of an old ticket that I saved.) It's very much about Disneyland and the Disneyland-summer-daycare issue. About 10 years ago I was in Orange County, CA for a convention in June and decided to do a day at DL on a weekday. When I walked over in the morning there was a row of minivans as far as the eye could see pulling up to the drop-off entrance. I happened to leave the park at about 6 pm because I had a dinner to go to, and there were at least 200 kids, many of them pre-school aged with older siblings, sitting on the sidewalk there waiting to be picked up.

 

[mom2rtk]

Much depends on the kids and their experience with the parks. My two practically grew up there, and my DS was running around loose on his own inside the parks from age 10, and has been on his own to get back and forth from the resort since about age 13. (He usually meets us for meals if we're in the same park, because after all, why pass up a meal that the 'rents will pay for, LOL!) For my kids, the Disney parks are not confusing at all, they know them like the backs of their hands. DS has been taking his younger sister into the parks on their own for a while now.

The 14-to-enter rule is a very recent change (March 23, 2013) before that the age was 8 (I have it printed on the back of an old ticket that I saved.) It's very much about Disneyland and the Disneyland-summer-daycare issue. About 10 years ago I was in Orange County, CA for a convention in June and decided to do a day at DL on a weekday. When I walked over in the morning there was a row of minivans as far as the eye could see pulling up to the drop-off entrance. I happened to leave the park at about 6 pm because I had a dinner to go to, and there were at least 200 kids, many of them pre-school aged with older siblings, sitting on the sidewalk there waiting to be picked up.

Wow, I had heard about the issue, but never in such detail. That's wild!

 

[mco65]

Everyone has a different comfort level with how old their kids must be before they allow them to do even the simpilist of tasks alone. My wife and I can't even agree. I personally would have a hard time allowing my 12 year old twins to ride the monorail to MK without me.. I would probably let my 15 year old but still would not allow the 12 year olds even under his supervision.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Much depends on the kids and their experience with the parks. My two practically grew up there, and my DS was running around loose on his own inside the parks from age 10, and has been on his own to get back and forth from the resort since about age 13. (He usually meets us for meals if we're in the same park, because after all, why pass up a meal that the 'rents will pay for, LOL!) For my kids, the Disney parks are not confusing at all, they know them like the backs of their hands. DS has been taking his younger sister into the parks on their own for a while now.

The 14-to-enter rule is a very recent change (March 23, 2013) before that the age was 8 (I have it printed on the back of an old ticket that I saved.) It's very much about Disneyland and the Disneyland-summer-daycare issue. About 10 years ago I was in Orange County, CA for a convention in June and decided to do a day at DL on a weekday. When I walked over in the morning there was a row of minivans as far as the eye could see pulling up to the drop-off entrance. I happened to leave the park at about 6 pm because I had a dinner to go to, and there were at least 200 kids, many of them pre-school aged with older siblings, sitting on the sidewalk there waiting to be picked up.

To each their own. My point was that I would not, mature or not, I would not lay the responsibility of two younger brothers or sisters, one as young as 10, on a 14 year old, in a busy, confusing place as a major theme parks. Just to many things could happen.

It is not fair to give a 14 year old that responsibility. If the younger children were ever hurt, the emotional impact on the 14 year old could likely cause hurt and pain for a life time. It's the parent or a adults job!

AKK

 

[wilkeliza]

Wow, I had heard about the issue, but never in such detail. That's wild!

They still do it (at least at WDW) but instead of curb drop off they walk their kids through the front gates and pick them up later. I saw it as little as 3 years ago at EPCOT where a parents walked their kid in, handed them a lunch bag, told them to call in an emergency, kissed them good by then turned around and walked out. I mean an AP is cheaper than day care and some locals they don't see it as a big deal to let their 8 or 9 year old run around Disney by themselves. I would never do it as so much could happen but people still do it and just work with in the loop holes of the rules.

 

[mco65]

One of the things I worry about besides the obvious (my kid getting hurt or even worse, abducted).. I worry my kids would be rude without even realizing it to others. Running in front of them, talking loud in line, just being disrespectful to others when I am not there to correct them. I mean they are kids and that's what most kids (at least mine) would do if I were not there to reign them back in.

Now I know some of you have kids sent from heaven and are just angels and you raised them to be respectful at ALL TIMES and they would NEVER do such things.. but mine, well.. there kids... but I love 'em anyway!

 

[jcvalenti]

It is not fair to give a 14 year old that responsibility. If the younger children were ever hurt, the emotional impact on the 14 year old could likely cause hurt and pain for a life time. It's the parent or a adults job!

AKK

I think the point is, what responsibility your children can handle (or are given) is an individual decision. When I was 14, I had a 20 hour a week job, babysat for 2 six year olds on the weekends and took extra classes at the local college. My oldest was 6 foot tall when he was 14, ran a Model UN after school program for 35 middle school kids, and had memorized the layout of every Disney park since he had been to Disney on 10 separate trips. Taking care of your younger siblings, or younger cousins, has always been part of the way our family raised their kids, so it's something he has had drilled into his head since he got out of diapers. My dad's favorite saying was "it's a parents' job to teach their kids to be as independent as possible as quickly as possible" (good advice, as it turns out, since both he and my mother passed pretty young).

Bottom line - I didn't have the slightest hesitation about letting my son walk up and visit Future World in Epcot for several hours with his 8 year old brother and his 8 year old cousin when he was 14, while the adults were at the Boardwalk. Other people probably feel differently, as kids are all raised differently and mature at different speeds. It's not like you're letting them loose in the middle of forest with a sleeping bag and a bowie knife - we're talking about letting them walk through one of the safest, most heavily monitored public spaces in America.

 

[mjkacmom]

To each their own. My point was that I would not, mature or not, I would not lay the responsibility of two younger brothers or sisters, one as young as 10, on a 14 year old, in a busy, confusing place as a major theme parks. Just to many things could happen.

It is not fair to give a 14 year old that responsibility. If the younger children were ever hurt, the emotional impact on the 14 year old could likely cause hurt and pain for a life time. It's the parent or a adults job!

AKK

Id have no problem with it. I remember babysitting my 9 year old sister when I was 12, we were just playing on the street, and she stepped on a rusty nail. I called my parents, they can home.

If one of my kids got hurt at WDW, there is SO much help around! Plus, I'd expect a phone call, hop in a taxi, and get their quickly.

My HS freshman just broke her wrist at school. It was bad, they called the ambulance, I met her at the ER. She was fine (except for the pain).

Kids can handle a lot if given the chance, especially if they've been allowed some independence.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Id have no problem with it. I remember babysitting my 9 year old sister when I was 12, we were just playing on the street, and she stepped on a rusty nail. I called my parents, they can home.

If one of my kids got hurt at WDW, there is SO much help around! Plus, I'd expect a phone call, hop in a taxi, and get their quickly.

My HS freshman just broke her wrist at school. It was bad, they called the ambulance, I met her at the ER. She was fine (except for the pain).

Kids can handle a lot if given the chance, especially if they've been allowed some independence.

Sorry you do not see the problems with it. I was not refering to help, I was referring to the fact a young teen is likely to feel responsible to a younger brother or sister being hurt or even kidnapped.

Any number of stranger things can happen at a busy park.

AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I think the point is, what responsibility your children can handle (or are given) is an individual decision. When I was 14, I had a 20 hour a week job, babysat for 2 six year olds on the weekends and took extra classes at the local college. My oldest was 6 foot tall when he was 14, ran a Model UN after school program for 35 middle school kids, and had memorized the layout of every Disney park since he had been to Disney on 10 separate trips. Taking care of your younger siblings, or younger cousins, has always been part of the way our family raised their kids, so it's something he has had drilled into his head since he got out of diapers. My dad's favorite saying was "it's a parents' job to teach their kids to be as independent as possible as quickly as possible" (good advice, as it turns out, since both he and my mother passed pretty young).

Bottom line - I didn't have the slightest hesitation about letting my son walk up and visit Future World in Epcot for several hours with his 8 year old brother and his 8 year old cousin when he was 14, while the adults were at the Boardwalk. Other people probably feel differently, as kids are all raised differently and mature at different speeds. It's not like you're letting them loose in the middle of forest with a sleeping bag and a bowie knife - we're talking about letting them walk through one of the safest, most heavily monitored public spaces in America.

Sorry I totally disagree. It's the parents or a adults responsibly.

AKK

 

[whiporee]

I didn't have the slightest hesitation about letting my son walk up and visit Future World in Epcot for several hours with his 8 year old brother and his 8 year old cousin when he was 14, while the adults were at the Boardwalk. Other people probably feel differently, as kids are all raised differently and mature at different speeds.

While I understand your point, here's the flip. You don't know how they behaved while you were gone. You think you know and you know how they tell you they behaved, but you don't know. And, frankly, you've got no consequence if they did act badly. If they were jerks to other guests or whatever, you've got no way of knowing, and you're putting the responsibility for monitoring their behavior on the CMs.

I'm sure they behaved well. But if they didn't, what's the consequence? Who would know? It's not like school where someone could call you -- the only people who may have suffered from their bad actions are the other guests around them.

 

[Magpie]

While I understand your point, here's the flip. You don't know how they behaved while you were gone. You think you know and you know how they tell you they behaved, but you don't know. And, frankly, you've got no consequence if they did act badly. If they were jerks to other guests or whatever, you've got no way of knowing, and you're putting the responsibility for monitoring their behavior on the CMs.

I'm sure they behaved well. But if they didn't, what's the consequence? Who would know? It's not like school where someone could call you -- the only people who may have suffered from their bad actions are the other guests around them.

It would be unusual, I think, to have to monitor a 14 year old's behaviour at all times. And most 14 year olds can be relied on to monitor the behaviour of most eight year olds (who shouldn't require much monitoring in public spaces, since they aren't toddlers). But, on the other hand, you know your own kids as well as anyone can know another human being. If yours need constant adult supervision in order to ensure they remain reasonably civilized, then hopefully you wouldn't allow them out of your sight. Or at least attach some remote monitoring equipment to the teenager...

 

[whiporee]

I agree, and I've got an 11 year old. Not 14 yet. And I'd like to think she wouldn't be a jerk in the parks. But if I turn her loose, what I'm doing is just hoping. It's a justifiable hope, but it's just hoping.

I was a good 14 year old. Did the same level, but different school and positive activities as the poster I quoted. i was a good kid. I also went out to the lake every Friday night and drank warm Budweiser. Didn't get caught, didn't get in trouble, but I did. I rode my bike drunk a lot on those nights. And my parents trusted me to be out, because they didn't know what I was doing. Parents don't always know. So the argument that "I know my kid" doesn't really hold, because by the time they are 14, you don't really know them. They have lives beyond you. The assumption they are as well behaved around the world as they are around you may be right, but it also might be wrong. You have no way of knowing -- all you have is hope.

So while I understand the idea that parents know their kids well enough to decide whether to turn them loose, when you do it you have to admit you're just hoping they behave the way you want them to. And also understand there's no way you'll know unless the catastrophic occurs, and if you're wrong, the people who have consequences are strangers who don't deserve it.

 

[Allison]

Kids can handle a lot if given the chance, especially if they've been allowed some independence.

Absolutely. This is so important.

Of course, we want them to act appropriately. You don't keep them at your side just because you can't guarantee they will behave perfectly.

So, yes, my kids get to go out to eat with their friends, they go to basketball games and football games, they might go for ice cream or to a special event in town or walk around Magic Kingdom-all without me. They will continue to be allowed to do that so they can grow to be an independent person. If there is a problem, they will learn from it.

 

[serenitynow]

There are no small number of adults who behave poorly in the parks as well. That is the wonder of human behavior.