teenagers on their own???eek!

[dee2zo]

Hello!
We are planning our summer vacation for the last 2 weeks in August. I have 2 teenagers 14 and 16. They both think they should be able to take off in the parks on their own this year. They will both be taking a friend and want to roam as they please. ..... Although they are good kids I am making myself sick with worry already.
We have gone to Disney every year for the past 5...so I am not concerned with them finding their way around....they know the parks better than I do. I just have a nagging doubt about it. Has anyone else let their teens do this?
I appreciate thoughts!
Dee

 

[tiggerwannabe]

As often as you've been to the world, IMO, I think they would be fine...
trust in good communications (we use Nextel- walkie talkie style.)
and
I am the anal type-my husband has to remind me that sometimes I just have to trust them. If I had my way, my children would never go out on their own, but most parents of teenagers know that isn't an option. I usually set an agreement that satisfies both sides.

We started off with letting them out on their own, but only within the same parks we were...
This year I am supposed to let them (16 & 18 this year) stay at DTD while the adults do Epcot...I hate the idea of leaving them but I have to trust them someday. What better place than WDW.

 

[MomE@Home]

My DS(15) is bringing a friend(also 15) with us on our upcoming trip.
My DH & I are going to let them try to go off on their own to explore FW while we are there and if they do o.k. then we will let them do a little more on their own.
We are going to give our DS a cell phone to use.
We have also told him that this is still a family vacation so he will still be with us most of the time.

P.S. Welcome to the DIS !!!

 

[dee2zo]

Hi Tiggerwannabe and MomE@home,
Thanks for the input. I am sure they will be fine, but like you, tiggerwannabe, I am anal and tend to hold on tightly. I think I am leaning towards letting them go within the same park...but we'll see. There is still the silly thought that when we get there they'll say " but we want to stay with you".

Ha Ha Ha ! Who am I kidding...... It is so tough to let them go.

Thanks again guys,
Dee

 

[4greatboys]

The past 2 years my 2 oldest 15 and 12 first time and then 16 and 13 next time got to do some exploring alone. They had to stay together and had a cell phone and all went well. We only do for a few hours--not a whole day. And actually they only do to a park when we need to take their 2 little brothers to the room for some rest, otherwise they stay with us. I have asked them if they want to split up in the same park and they say no.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

Hey, I missed the newbie part-
Welcome to the DIS dee2zo!

 

[AreWeThereYet]

I grew up in SoCal and spent many days at Disneyland. As a young teen (from age 13) my parents would let me and my friends go our own way, with the expectation that we would meet up with them at preset times and locations. We never had any problems hooking up again, and my friends and I had a much better time roaming the parks on our own.

I have a 14 and a 12 year old, and they are not asking to go off alone yet, but when they do DW and I will carefully consider who they're with and will definitely set the ground rules for meeting times and consequences for not making those meetings.

I would think that we will be ready to let them go off on their own when they ask, but DW might have a different opinion.

 

[BeesKate]

I just came back from a trip with 15 kids & 10 adults. Yes the girls REALLY wanted the freedom to go off on their own and they did. We did have a specific "check-in" location -- and a window of time that they had to check in during the day, and a time at night (no one could leave the park without an adult, etc.) The check-in locations worked great, and we invariably ended up here to eat. At MGM it was the ABC Commisary; MK the Plaza Pavillion; EP: Fountainview; AK (we didn't pick a good location, make sure it has a name... like Pizzafarri ... something with a central location). The girls knew that if they missed a check-in, it would mean touring with adults the rest of the trip -- no one missed it. It was scary seeing the girls walk off, disappearing into the crowds at Magic Kingdom on 3/15 (one of the busiest days ever this spring) but we didn't lose anyone. Around 9PM or so we'd find each other at our location and leave together. WDW is really a pretty safe place to do this as long as the kids are responsible enough not to get in trouble. The girls on this trip ranged in age from 9 - 14, with the majority being 11 & 12.

 

[christinadei]

I agree with some of the above posters. Let them go off, but just for a few hours and have them meet you back in a central location. If they don't come back, well, then they're stuck with you the rest of the time. I know I always took my younger stister with me places, the mall, the fair, etc. and she'd never meet me when she was supposed to and I always ended up having a stressful time, so I made her stick with me. But as long as they meet where they are supposed to, then I don't see a problem with it. that proves that they can be responsible if they can judge whether or not to go on one last ride and when to start heading back, etc.

 

[christinadei]

Oh, and I HIGHLY reccommend giving them a 2 way or cell phone, so that if there is a problem or they aren't where they are supposed to be, you can check in with them and make sure everything is okay, so you don't have panic attacks or anything.

 

[MickeyMac]

AR Mom here...

I've got a 13yo boy and let him go off on his own. We were down a total of 43 days last year, so he was bored to tears with wandering around riding the Pooh rides. My DD, 6, wouldn't do ANYTHING that involved darkness, so it got tough.

We gave him a cell phone and predeterimined times to go, and he had a *blast* When he got back to school (last time we went was in October) he had so much fun bragging about the 'thrill ride day' much to the envy of his friends.

I know this is going to sound horribly double standardish of me, but if he was a she (he's 120lbs and 5-6 - big kid) I wouldn't let him off on his own until much older.

No matter how many times he does this though (he goes off for an hour or two at a time, one whole day in the end) I still hate the 'pit of my stomache' feeling I get while he's gone. He's so excited when he comes back - not the gloomy teen attitude at all - that I hate to take it away from him.

 

[NotUrsula]

I had this discussion recently with my sis when her 16 yo was given an opportunity to go to England on a class trip. The kids chosen were all girls, all honor students. They were required to travel in groups of at least 3, and to check in at breakfast and bedtime every night, but otherwise they were on their own. Sis was a bit worried, 5000 miles away and all, but my other sister and I supported her decision to let the kid go. It was a new country, strange money, public transport, etc., but all 12 girls did just fine on the 12-day trip, and they all had the time of their lives. They even went on daytrips by train to other cities.

Only you know your own kids well enough to know whether they can handle themselves in your absence, but especially if they are WDW veterans, I think it would be reasonable to let them go. I really don't think that problems are likely unless they are really immature (or just terminally irresponsible.)

 

[dee2zo]

Thanks everyone!!
We are going to allow them to wander about with check-in points and 2 way radios. I appreciate everyones input.
Dee
PS and thanks for the welcome