HOW MUCH "FREEDOM" DO YOU GIVE YOUR CHILDREN AT DVC RESORTS & WDW

[nezy]

I was reading on another thread that someone was concerned w/all of the unsupervised teens at pools at the resorts. I started wondering-
How much freedom do you give your children while at the DVC resorts?

Does it depend on their ages? or location? (or both?)

My children are 8,9 and 11. I give the 11 yr. old a little more freedom. For the most part, they stick togehter. I find that at HHI or VB I might be more inclined to let them go out on their own. eg. ride bikes to Big Murgies or arounf property at HH-no OFF property, w/ a cell phone)

I have also let them go to Community Hall at OKW and Hanks to play basketball or tennis-11 and 9yr old boys or to Goods Foods for a snack. At BW I have been at the clown pool while 9 & 11 yr old are in the game room or community hall area.

How do you feel? I think I feel more at ease at non hotel DVC resorts, than at the others. Maybe it's a false sense of security.What do you think?

 

[cgcw]

Last month, at SSR, I allowed my DS11 to go into the game room while we were at the pool, with a handful of quarters. When he was done and I was still at the pool with our younger DS, I let him go back to the villa to watch TV.

At HH, we've been letting him have some freedom for a couple of years. He can ride his bike around the resort or go down to the pier. We don't allow him to go to the pool unsupervised. Our DS6 likes to "think" that he's off riding his bike around in front of the villas. What he doesn't know is that I keep an eagle eye on him to make sure he stays out of trouble.

I think you truly know your child best and what they can and can't handle. But, we were blindsided one trip. Several summers ago, at HH, we allowed our older son to go back to the villa alone -- he was maybe 8. We knew he knew his way -- except he didn't. We hung out at the pool for another 5-10 minutes and then headed back ourselves. Our son came walking along with a man who stopped to help him find his parents since he couldn't find his villa. Our son had started getting scared and this nice man started walking him back to the pool area where we had been. We were very grateful that he took the time to do that -- and even more grateful that he was a nice person and not someone looking to harm a child in any way. That was the end of his freedom for that trip.

 

[DVCLiz]

The answer is "a lot" - but you have to know your child. My daughters are 12 and 17, and have been to WDW many times over the last six years. So, they have a comfort level at our usual hotels (VWL and BCV) and they know their way around. I let DD12 go back and forth to the lobby of the BC by herself every day when we were there last month - she brought back breakfast for us!!

I'd let them (together) got to a park if for some reason I felt like staying behind one day. But I don't think I'd let DD12 go to a park by herself - I just think she'd get a little unnerved on her own.

At HH they could certainly go back and forth from our villa to the pool. No one has rented a bike yet, but I'd be comfortable letting them go around the property. Not off-property, though - I don't feel comfortable with the traffic.

 

[mikesmom]

We gave DS a fair amount of freedom but in incremental bits and pieces.

He has gone to WDW almost every year since he was 8, so really knows his way around. At 12 we would let him go off on his own in the same park and meet us back at a certain place and time. He always was on time or early. If not there would have been no more freedom. By age 14, we let him go off park to park on his own with pre arranged meetings back, usually withing 3 or 4 hours. By 16 we had his buddy along and they pretty much had the run of the place with pre arranged meets for supper. With every new level of freedom he has followed the rules so we felt safe in going the next step.

 

[MAC3]

This past November I let my DD 13 & her best friend go to test track while I was getting fast passes for something else. My DD has been to WDW alot but has a lousy sense of direction so this past year we let her lead us around "just to test her" then I let them go to a ride without me and call me when they got out.

I was close by. This year I will let them go over to the pool by themselves if they are getting antsy waiting for us to be ready.

I think it may be a few more years before she can hit the parks by herself, but we will see how she does this year.

 

[disworldnum1]

for me vacation is not a time to be away from my children,I think for teenagers it's a different story all together but I could'nt enjoy myself worrying about what my son might be doing and with who at the game room or anywheres else.Thats just me..

 

[kddlm]

Great Question! My DS is 11 and DD is 6. DS has freedom while at the resort (go to game room, pool, back to villa), but would not even consider allowing him to go alone to the park. Maybe if he had a companion a little older (cousin, friend, whatever) I would allow them to go off on their own in the park where I also was, but not at a park where I am not! Just way too many worries to think about! It's easy to stay in close contact with cell phones! DD does not go anywhere unsupervised by an adult!

 

[MinnieGirl33]

We have DS12in6weeks & DSalmost9.

Yes, we have let them venture a little bit (arcades, community hall's & to get snacks) and will continue to give them a little more leeway each time they prove themselves able to handle it. So far they've done great.

They have a cell phone. Maybe this gives me a false sense of security but I like knowing I can get them whenever I want.

I remember being 12, staying at CR with my parents & another family & the parents would send two of us to France to bring back croissants for breakfast. Remember this means 2 monorail rides, getting through the gate, walking to WS, making a purchase & reversing the process. Now, not that I don't think my son could handle this task, Im not ready to let him/them go that far just yet. The world is a very different place now.

 

[patsal]

DS is 14 and DD is 10. DS can walk about the resort, refill mugs, pretty much anything--he knows he will lose his privleges if he messes up. DD can go with S, but is not allowed off on her own without someone older with her. DS usually takes DD with him and rarely wants to "be alone". Both can go to a limited area within the parks while we are there as well. If we are in Tomorrowland and the kids want to do stitch we might let them go together while DH and I just chill on a bench--the kids have a phone and we can make contact at any time so I don't fear them getting lost. In addition DS has been going to WDW since he was 5 so he knows it as well as he knows the neighborhood. It doesn't hurt that DS looks like he's 18 as far as the wandering around unsupervised is concerned--he doesn't look like a little kid.

 

[pbharris4]

No. Maybe in a few years. Sofia Silva (16yo) and the Lisk sisters(15 and 12) were abducted, raped, and murdered from their front porch right after school in broad daylight and they lived with in 5 miles of me. All really nice neighborhoods. It took 5 ormore years for them to catch the guy and that's only because he abducted and raped another girl in SC but she got away (thankfully). He ran to FL and ended up killing himself in a police standoff. Things hapen when our guards are down. BUT there does come a time when they need some freedom...(sigh) my DD's 10..I don't even want to think about that yet.

 

[DrTomorrow]

DS goes wherever he wants whenever he wants to - of course, he is 25 now!

Seriously, when he was just a few months shy of 14, and on our 2nd trip to WDW, we let him head out on his own. He had a good head on his shoulders, and as an "only" was used to being on his own at times. This was in the 90s, but I'd do it again today - just MHO (and I'm a dad) but I think that all this 'bubble wrapping' of children has a negative effect on them....

 

[Sherri]

I think I would feel comfortable giving my kids freedom at Disney as they have been going for a very long time and have a good sense of where things are. However, this is our chance to reconnect as a family so we all stay together. At home it's all about sports and frineds and school of course and activities and feel like we have most of our time spent in the car. I long for our vacation when we put everything else on hold and have family time.

 

[lisareniff]

I've been struggling with this a little. My fear is not what my child will do, but how safe my child will be alone with many many people that might not have the best of intentions. My DD is only 10 and doesn't request too much freedom so I haven't had to make this hard decision.

 

[tomandrobin]

I think it all depends on your own kids and how comfortable you are with trusting them to do the right thing. We went to Disney during the New Years Eve this past year. We have a kids 12, 14 and 20. We made the 12 and 14 year olds go together whenever they wanted to do something on thier own, but not at night. However, we let the 20 and 12 year old go out the one night to 3 am to one of the parks.

 

[dgaston]

I'm a lot like mikesmom. Our youngest DS17 has been with us on many trips to the world. We even used to play alternate transportation when everything still went through the TTC. You take the bus, and I'll take the boat and we'll see who gets back the fastest, type thing. DS has been able to go in the same park since he was 13, use the cell phone for contact, etc. His privileges increased as long as he didn't mess up. On our last trip, Feb 2006, he met some girls (also 17) in AK and they got confused about how to return to their resort CBR, so he escorted them there. He's never stayed at CBR, but gets the transportation system very well. I do like having the cell phone, especially since he's not into hanging out with mom and dad and loves to meet other teens when we're at WDW.