two teenagers alone?

[detective mickey]

we'll be heading down in a few days. my 16 year old nephew has been added to the pot. what are the hazards of my 13 3/4 yo ds and my 16 yo dn being allowed to go it alone to the parks a few hours during the week. they have a cell phone and we'll be staying onsite so buses will be the mode of transport. we will have a four yo, 19 mo and an eight year old between our two families that will weigh them down( as teenagers look at it) nap times, kiddie rides etc.. i would like to think they could maybe be allowed to do their own thing a little while each day. i'm kinda nervous and would like some imput.

 

[frstimer128]

16 is definately ols enough to venture off for a while as long as he is responsible and considerate enough to check in or meet up when you plan. Do the boys get along? Do they behave well? They shoud be fine as long as they stick together and go by your rules. Cell phones are great.
Each child is different, as you know, so go with your instincts. Maybe start out by giving them one hour alone and if they do well, bump it up a bit. Or have an hourly check in either in a meeting place or by phone. You may be at opposite ends of the park so phone check in may be more logical than meeting up.
Good luck and enjoy!

 

[styloviolet]

If you think they can handle the responsibility, the boys should be just fine on their own. The parks are safe places to be, and usually the only variable in the equation is the weather!

In my opinion, check-ins are the best way to go with young adults, either hourly or every few hours. The thing to keep in mind, though, is that the boys may be boarding Space Mountain right as they're supposed to be calling/meeting you to check in, so don't get too worried if they're a little late!

 

[ahutton]

As a teen I was allowed to spend time with my cousin and I doing things we were interested in, seeing how many times we could ride Space Mountain in an hour, etc. We were always given a time and place to meet, and understood if we were not there for any reason it was not acceptable. We would pace ourselves and our rides, and only do things we knew could be done and we would be at our meeting place when arranged. This of course was before the days of cell phones, although I'm not sure that would change how they handled it. It made it a lot more fun for us to have some independence, and we managed it responsibly. I look forward to offering that same opportunity to our kids as they get old enough, although it will be a few years and they are all under 5!

 

[mjmcca]

Before i had children of my own. I tagged along ona trip with my aunts and cousins and their kids. They ranged in age from 17-18 down to a few months old. The older kids would take the younger ones like up to age 9 or so and they would break up into groups. They had beentot he parks before and were familar with the transportation. They all did fine. I would kust make sure they have enough money for food snackd and drinks ( we are talking about young boys!). When My aunt and cousins let this happen they were on a plan that the meals were included so they only needed the meal tickets.

 

[Brian Noble]

I'd want to be in the same park, Just In Case, but 16 (and for that matter, 13) is probably old enough to have short adult-free, in-park excursions.

 

[detective mickey]

thanks for the advice... just want to make sure..