is your DH ready to give up the strings but youre not?

[newholidayx2]

DS willl be 15 in May. We return for our annual WDW vacation in Aug. It was ok last year leaving him at BCV while I went to EpCot/Canada. This year DH says its ok to send him to Disney Quest himself! and for me to go to EpCot/Canada while DS stays alone at WL! what would you do? Do you find your DH is ready to give up the strings before you are? and would this even be safe to do?

 

[Bibbidi]

Well, my kids aren't that age yet so thankfully this worry is a ways off for me--but I can see myself being totally paranoid when my kids are 15. I feel that WDW is probably one of the safest places for a teenager to have a little independence, but I would be darn sure that they had a cell phone on them and I had mine, so I could reach them at any time and check in. Honestly, because I have girls, I don't think I'd ever let them go off alone, maybe in a pair, but not until they were older. It also depends on your son's personality and reliability when it comes to being where he's supposed to be, on time, if you're not there to remind him. Will he follow your "rules" if you're not there with him? Also, has he expressed a desire to go off and do his own thing?

I'm sure someone else who has experience with this will chime in. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Liltx]

With a buddy yes but alone no. Around the resort is one thing at the pool and such but dtd is far and there are too many variables. I only have toddlers though so I'm not the best one to give advice.

Monica

 

[dis-happy]

I let my dd take Disney transportation to the parks, usually with her younger siblings in tow. She's 17 now, but we started when she was 15. Often they would bus over, dh and I would drive over, and meet them. The freedom was fun for them but still very safe IMO.

HOWEVER, DTD is a whole different ball game. There's no front entrance with a gate and ticket booth and cm's standing around like there is in the parks. Any weirdo under the sun could come and go and not be noticed. I would not send him to DQ by himself. If you and/or your dh took him to DQ, saw him off at the door, agreed he wouldn't leave the building but would call you at a certain time, fine. Then you'd be free to wander around DTD, eat lunch there, etc. Otherwise I wouldn't do it.

 

[LaraK]

I think it depends on your son. by 15 I was a junior in high school and had been babysitting on my own for 4 years. My parents let me go alone pretty much anywhere (I graduated and moved away from home at 16).

My sister, on the other hand, was an immature 15 who still needed reminders to brush her teeth. She was accompanied everywhere by an adult.

If he's a responsible 15...go for it, if no, keep him close.

 

[meandtheguys2]

On a Tuesday afternoon, yes...on a Saturday evening, no. Of course, that is with my kids. Only you and your husband know him well enough to judge. My husband always thinks the boys are ready to move ahead toward independence, and frankly, he is usually right. It is a guy thing.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I agree with LIltx,

It is the alone part that bothers me. I have a son almost exactly that age and he is very matrue and respsonsible and quite used to staying home alone and even sitting for younger children. The issue is being alone in a place where you can not control the envirment. I would be fine leaaving him at the WL while you went to dinner at Artist Point or maybe even one of the monorail resorts but it takes a long time to get back to the WL from DDT if there were any issues. I think for us, DDT is out of the question . Now I might be ok with DS and friend alone at DQ IF I was somewhere else at DDT and we all had good cell phones.
It is kind of funny but I used to be a lot more protective than DH but lately he seems to have crossed over to my side. We are starting drivers ed soon and that sorta has been a reality shocker!!!!!

MSSAndra

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I think it depends on your child. At 15 I probably would have been allowed but I was already working and babysitting and in 11th grade. On the other hand I never even asked to do stuff like that on vacation. I guess we are weird, we liked staying with my parents. They were alot of fun and still are. You have to do what you are comfortable with. My kids are young but I don't think I would let them go alone to DTD. Maybe of they were with a friend or sibling in case something happened but I doubt it. I asked DH and he said the same thing. I agree with the poster who said they would go to DTD and if ds wanted to go to DQ by himself I would let him go while I was in the area and we would meet at a certain time and we'd have cellphones. Maybe eat at House of Blues or get an ice cream and relax while ds plays. Good Luck!

 

[sdbirdsong]

Remember, that your son will be 18 before you know it. Then he will be going off to college, moving out or whatever. Kids need to learn responsibility and how to make good decisions (away from the parents) before then. Otherwise? I have seen kids in college who did not know how to take care of things. Too used to depending upon mommy and daddy to take care of things. You do not want this I promise you.

 

[ilovejack02]

My DS18 at 15 was pretty good boy and fairly responsible. I would have left him alone at Disney Quest, he would have been busy for hours. NOw as far as him finding his way around on the buses, he cant find his way out of a paperbag, gets lost easy and wont ask directions. So NO at that time I would have brought him and dropped him off for a while. I also would have left him at the resort, but prob wouldnt have let him leave the room... but i dont know.

 

[jenrein]

I agree that it has a lot to do with your son. Some kids act 11 at 15 and some act more independent. My 11 yr old is very responsible for her age- shes had a cell phone and an ipod since 9 that she has taken care of and paid for her cell with allowance. Little things like that are good clues to how your kids can handle grown up tasks. I would def make sure they had a cell or a 2 way walkie.

 

[newtowdw1]

Hi! For what it's worth, I'm leaving Monday afternoon with 9 high school juniors and seniors for 3 nights at WDW (2 Disney YES programs). They wondered if they could go to Pleasure Island at night to go 'clubbing.' DH and I squashed that idea pretty quick.

I have no problem with leaving them at the gates to MGM and them taking the bus over to MK later where DH, my kids, and I will be. Neither do their parents. One chaperone will probably stay at MGM with them, but that's not a requirement.

When we go to DTD I will not hold their hands, and they can scatter to the winds WITH A BUDDY!!

Our requirement is simple. No one tours alone. You don't have to hang with us old folks, but you're not playing alone. Everyone is with someone with a cell phone. I have their numbers, they have mine.

With my kids I think the rules would be the same. Would I let DD at 15 go to DisneyQuest alone? Sure. I'm sure DS (who'd be 11) would go with her. But I'd probably be in DTD.

I hate to suggest this, but maybe take a friend or cousin? I'd feel better with 2 together. My sister and I always behaved better together. We kind of enforced the rules together.

(DH and I both teach HS biology. DD10 and DS6 are skipping 4 days of school to go with us!!)

 

[Hannahsmom]

Remember, that your son will be 18 before you know it. Then he will be going off to college, moving out or whatever. Kids need to learn responsibility and how to make good decisions (away from the parents) before then. Otherwise? I have seen kids in college who did not know how to take care of things. Too used to depending upon mommy and daddy to take care of things. You do not want this I promise you.

ITA! I do agree that it depends on the maturity level of the teenager, but you will be sending him off to college in 3 years, and I am assuming driving in a year or so. My Dad used to say that you can only "raise" your children for so long, and at some point you have to trust them to go on their own. We all want to protect our children, but part of growing up is learning to make choices on their own. If he doesn't learn this now, his late teens and early twenties (or even longer!) will be a disaster. Arm him with a cell phone, set up clear rules and a return time and let him go.

 

[Tink561]

My oldest went alone at 15. My younger two will went together at 13 & 14. It totally depends on the child.

 

[JESW]

Your son has also been to WDW many times so he is not like other teenagers going there for the first time. I would feel more comfortable letting him go to a Disney park alone first before going off to Disney Quest, which is open to the general public.

 

[Hannathy]

Yes I would let him do what you are suggesting. My DD was 14 when we were at Disney last and we let her go to the arcade, pool, foodcourt alone. Let her go to different things at the parks alone, different stores etc at DTD. She came back to POP by herself on the bus when she just had to get something in Japan and it was raining and we were in future world and leaving, so she went to Japan and came back on the bus when she was ready. The only thing I wouldn't let her do would be come back from DTD at night alone on a bus, too much access by the public to that area for my tastes for a young girl by herself. But if she wanted to go to Disney quest and stay there till an agreed upon meeting time then I would let her. I agree wholeheartedly with the posters that you have to trust your kids and give them the chance to learn independence before the stakes are high/real/dangerous.

 

[snugglepeas]

At 15 he should be old enough to go explore disney world on his own, after all he is only a year or so away from driving. You would have to try VERY hard to get lost at Disney you walk to the bus stops at any of the parks or Downtown disney and everything is clearly marked, he should be just fine.