How old for kids to go on their own?

[pplasky]

How old were your kids when you let them go off on their own in the parks?

 

[trayletha]

umm 30 sounds about right to me - I'm curious too; not an issue for us yet but wondering what others say.

 

[wld4mky]

Hi,
I let my 15 year old and his friend go on their own with cell phones.
We always had a time and place to meet and did all meals together.

 

[chrismom2005]

i let my 15 sister and 15 stepdaughter go off on there own they had cell phones and we would meet up every couple of hours

 

[Hannathy]

When my DD was 11-12 I would let her go in different stores herself, or go to a different food place and get something and bring it back to where we were, go to the arcade at the hotel by herself or go get a drink. At 14 we let her go to different areas of the park and one time to ride the bus back from Epcot herself when she had forgotten to buy something and I didn't feel like walking back to the store and then back to the bus so she went herself. If she had had a friend with her I would have felt fine letting the 2 of them go off on their own. She also took her little brother 8 to the pool or arcade or on a ride that trip. Now at 15 if with a friend I would let them go to a park and back by themselves.

 

[noahdove]

Well, both of my daughters went with me and they were way over 20 It must be a mom thing

 

[mammomommie]

My daughters were 11 and 16 and they would go together lots of places without us. They both had cell phones. It worked out great for us!

 

[holden]

WAAAAYYY back in the 80's, I was running around MK and Epcot with a friend at 14. Just think, my parents didn't have any way of getting in touch with me. We left the 10lb. cell phone and its case in the car at home LOL.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

My two teens haven't asked yet, but I would have no problem allowing them to go on their own. I think if your kids are pretty responsible and they have a time to meet up or be back to the resort by, then it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[kellyg403]

My girls, dd15, dsd16 and dsd14 have been going on there own since oldest was 14. As long as they have a cell phone, stay together, are considerate of other people and stay in the same park we are good to go. Sometimes they stay away from us for most of the day, last trip not so much. Dsd16 and dd15 are very responsible. Last trip they marched up to us in Fantasyland with dsd14 and said she had to stay with us, she was fighting with them and embarrasing them! Dsd14 was a little hormonal last trip...

Kelly

 

[FyreFli64]

My boys went off on their own at 15 and 13...with cell phones, like others have said. They loved that!

 

[powellrj]

explain this logic to me. I didn't feel comfortable letting my teen be alone at the parks when we went last year and he was 15, but I am letting him go with his choir where I know he will just be with kids for a good part of the day????? I think by mid teen years as long as they are with another person would be fine. I wouldn't let a young teen or pre-teen go alone, but 15 and up would be ok.

 

[Darcy03231]

Mine are DD-16 & DS- 14. I let them go off on their own in the parks, with cell phones, as long as they stayed in the same park we were in. We ended up meeting up at several points during the day to do some things together. I found it worked out fine.

 

[heathermm]

Oh gosh, when I was about 10, my parents use to let my two brothers and me go to the park by ourselves- we'd meet them during the day to check in and then we'd go back out. Of course, this was over 20yrs ago when things were very different.

Me- Maybe when they are 15??? I'm one of those paranoid moms so who knows.

 

[manhattan]

My kids just went on their own this past trip - ages 15 and 13 - with their cell phones. I remember I was 12 years old when I went off on my own throughout the park. I don't know if I would let them go on their own from the resort to the park - but once there, they can do what they like. I also let them have charging priveleges on their room keys so that I don't have to worry about them being thirsty - they proved to be responsible with the card, so I knew that I could trust them behaving in the parks.

 

[MSSANDRA]

DS and his same age cousin begged to go off on their own at 11. We were not ready but told them the age was 13. The year they were 13 however our trips were not during the same time. I had no issues with both of them age 13 or older together in the same park as we were in , but I did not want DS alone in the parks. This year DS was 14 when we went and we did not go with any other family or friends so he pretty much stuck with us. It so depends on the child and the situation. Same park as parents, two or more kids, 13 or 14 at least. I vote 16+ for differnt parks but I am a little over protective.

 

[raysnkaysmom]

I let my 11 yr old go to a food stand and come meet us at the table...but thats it....I'd say about 15 before they could go it ALL alone...
But...last yr...when she was 10 on the Disney Cruise...I did give her ONE hour to roam the ship alone.... she loved it! And was right on time coming back

 

[Alice28]

I let my 9 year old do things last March like, go to the bathroom, or get a drink refill, walk over to a different food stand, (where he was in shouting distance). He asked me how old he would need to be for him to do things on his own, and I told him maybe 13? I know I was about 11 or 12 when my parents let me go off for an hour or two at DL, but that was 20+ years ago. My oldest is MEGA responsible (he will be 10 in a few weeks), but still. It's other people that scare me. We're going next summer for 10 days, I can see myself letting him say, browse the Japanese merchantile while we're getting lunch at the counter service place in Japan, or let him go on a ride on his own if we're at the exit, let him spread his wings a bit, but not on his own.

Anyway, I think 13 or so would be an appropriate age, esp with a sibling, cell phone and just a few hours, not the whole day.