Teenager to babysit

[Shanora]

So we are staying off the resort and I was thinking that it would be nice for DH and I to wander down DTD one evening with out kids. My son is 14, and I'm a little worried about leaving him alone with the other 2 being that they are off site. Has anyone else done this?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Every kid is different. You know your son best and are in the best position to say whether or not you think he's responsible enough for this.

 

[Hannathy]

What are you worried about? Do they stay with them at home? if so I wouldn't be any more worried than I am at home. Of course if it is in the early evening I would think it would be rather boring to stay in a hotel room .
Depending on their ages what about letting them go golf or go to Disney quest while you walk around? or are you thinking very late at night and a pizza and a movie in the room would be ok?

 

[Shanora]

Im not worried about my son staying with the littles. He watches them all the time. I guess i am more nervous about leaving them all alone in a strange city not staying in the resorts.....

Never really traveled anywhere with them. .. lol. It would be later... probably after one of the earlier parks close. Back to the rental and then dh and I leave them to go exploring dtd alone.

 

[kitayama]

Situations like this is why I love taking my mom too... My 15 year old can play with the little ones for a night so me and my wife can have a little break, and my mom can rest and act as backup (and be an authority figure on the off chance it is needed)
No one is too stressed since my mom doesn't have to watch the kids the whole time, and my daughter just gets to play and not have the stress of being in charge.

 

[Aliceacc]

If you're worried, then I wouldn't do it.

Worrying about your kids will be on your mind at DTD. Why not just bring the kids along? And they're sure to enjoy DTD much more than being stuck in a hotel room.

 

[Holstar]

You really are best to judge this one - you know your kids better than anyone else!

If it helps, we're over in August and we plan to allow our eldest niece (15) to watch her younger siblings (13 and 10) for an evening or two. We're going to order them a pizza and let them relax in front of the tv.

She watches them whilst at home, and being on holiday really isn't any different - our rules are the same "don't leave the house"/"don't flood the house"/"don't set fire to the house" - so we're pretty covered!

 

[SEA333]

We had our 8th grader take our 4th and 2nd grade siblings around Great Wolf Lodge and do Magic Quest together while DH and I went across the street (from the resort) to the outlet mall last winter. None of the kids wanted to go shopping with us, and the age to do MagicQuest alone was 14, so we (and the resort) were perfectly fine with it.

The kids had a blast - when they got tired of MagicQuest, they went to the snack bar for something to eat, then went back to our room and watched TV. Our only stipulation was that they were not allowed to go to the waterpark without us.

Based on that, I would let DS watch his siblings again at a hotel. They LOVED the freedom!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Only you can decide, but I wouldn't make staying off site part of the decision. I'd be just as nervous (or not) leaving my oldest in charge in a hotel room whether it was on Disney property or not.

 

[MandiC]

I agree, just depends on the child. When our original plan was to go back in 4 years when our oldest was 14 we had planned on letting her babysit one night for us to go have dinner as a couple. Now we plan to go back sooner and she will only be 10-12, but as long as he has access to a phone to call you (and you have a cell phone) if needed and he knows your rules (no answering the door/leaving the room?) I wouldn't think it's any different than on Disney property.

 

[Shanora]

Very true. Although they may really like hanging out DTD. Guess we'll play it by ear.

 

[MSSANDRA]

You will first need to check with the hotel. The resort where we stay at the beach, we have to sign a paper that we will not leave a child under 18 alone in the room. Their hotel, their rules.

My thoughts....I would not be ok with it. I would leave them with him IF you were on site and having dinner at the same resort where you were staying but not going to DDT.

Remember fire alarms are not at all uncommon at hotels and would you want them to have to deal with that situation. What if they ran out without the room key? Also very common for people to knock on the wrong door. Would that scare them?

DTD is family fun. There are plenty of things for everyone to enjoy.

 

[Shanora]

That was kind of my concern. Especially since we are staying off the resorts so we would have to cross to the parking lot get into our rental and back to the condo…. yeah… LOL

Thanks