What age do you let your kids roam the parks?

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I wonder this all the time when reading DIS posts. I've sort of come to the conclusion that some parents have decided that their children aren't going away to college...or won't need too much prep for it. But I don't know...which is why I'm finally asking.

I agree with you. If my kids know their way around the parks, then I'd let them roam within the same park at about 12/13, and parkhop at 15/16....provided they used the buddy system. I don't expect them to do these things "overnight" either. Each trip we give them a bit more independence and once they prove they can handle situations, we can give them more opportunities. By the time they are 16 they can drive and get a job....both situations will mean they are out in the world without me at times and they need to be prepared to handle reality.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Well, not actually where I live - they are only allowed a permit and have to drive with an adult, but nonetheless, my post clearly stated that at 16 or 17, I would consider it - it's the posts for children 9, 10 and even 12 that are just surprising to me.

There's a state that doesn't grant a driver's license at age 16?

Anyways, I think that the answer isn't going to be the same for every family. I wouldn't have a problem with a 13-14 year old hanging out in the parks during the day with friends, and I wouldn't have a problem with a 16 year old hanging out in the parks alone. Although...I'm not sure why a 16 year old would want to hang out in the parks alone.

 

[tinkbyday]

I'm not trying to be snarky in any way here. It's an honest question.

Is it your goal, as a parent, to have raised a child who is prepared to go out and take on the world when they reach the age of 17 or 18?

If I've overstepped, you can tell me to go to hell. I won't be offended or tattle on you.

I wonder this all the time when reading DIS posts. I've sort of come to the conclusion that some parents have decided that their children aren't going away to college...or won't need too much prep for it. But I don't know...which is why I'm finally asking.

Absolutely! I would think most parents strive to prepare their children to go out into the world - I do not, however, agree that at 9 years old or even at 15 years old, roaming around Disney unattended is what will accomplish this - matter of fact, I'm quite certain there are many other, successful ways of accomplishing this and as I've said in a previous post, I do allow my child certain freedoms that are, IMO, age appropriate.

On our local news channel - there was a segment recently about how children react when put in certain situations - A Mom is in a room watching as they are taping this and they have her son, about 10 years old, at a park and this guy walks up with a cute dog which the boy goes crazy over, petting him and playing with him - and then the guy asks him if he wants to take him for a walk and the boy takes off with the guy. The guy with the dog was an actor working for the news channel - anyway, the Mom was shocked - she said they had talked about this type of stuff many times and she was completely convinced he would know how to handle this...

Listen, it's obvious I am not with the majority here, and I'm perfectly fine with that - I'm comfortable with the way I raise my child and feel like I can be successful at a balance of safety and independence.

 

[tinkbyday]

There's a state that doesn't grant a driver's license at age 16?

Yes - it's really true

 

[Chelley00]

Well, not actually where I live - they are only allowed a permit and have to drive with an adult, but nonetheless, my post clearly stated that at 16 or 17, I would consider it - it's the posts for children 9, 10 and even 12 that are just surprising to me.

I'm with you on the 9, 10 year olds roaming around. DD is 10 and I couldn't imagine her going off, even with friends, but she's kinda flighty

My older DSs were way more responsible and level headed, so sending DS11 with his older brother 13 almost 14, I felt comfortable. Plus, we were in the same park as they were, they had cells and called every 30 minutes or so and they stayed together, and did nothing but rode rides.

 

[njmom47]

Our dkids were 12, 14 and 15 (when we went for the baseball tournament) and they went to the parks with a bunch of other kids (some were older sibs of team members) but we were fine with that. Cellphones were a necessity though, to check in when we wanted. Of course, if they couldn't take the call (or return the text) if they were on a ride, they would do so asap.
I would also say it depends on the maturity level of the kids involved.

 

[disney1990]

...without a parent/adult? I know this is very subjective...and might even vary from park to park, but I am curious at what age you are comfortable with letting kids or teens go and do their own thing? Planning a trip this fall, and my 16 year old is on the fence about coming on the trip
So I get it...he doesn't want to hang with me the whole time. But we will be there with my sisters family, which includes my sons cousins, the oldest, being 13. Would you let a 16 and 13 year old go off to ride some rides by themselves? Why or why not? The cousins are girls, if that makes a difference.

My daughter was about 11 or 12 when we let her "go" in the parks. There were specific rules about not leaving the park that we were currently in and meeting times throughout the day.

 

[njmom47]

There's a state that doesn't grant a driver's license at age 16?
Anyways, I think that the answer isn't going to be the same for every family. I wouldn't have a problem with a 13-14 year old hanging out in the parks during the day with friends, and I wouldn't have a problem with a 16 year old hanging out in the parks alone. Although...I'm not sure why a 16 year old would want to hang out in the parks alone.

NJ does not issue a license at 16, only a permit. A probationary license at 17, and at 18, a basic driver's license.

 

[kaulds]

My twins, one DS and one DD were 12 when we let them go I'm Epcot, we also stayed at BW so we also let them go around the entire Boardwalk, all of this was only if they stuck together all the time. They also both have cell phones. We were so surprised on how many times we actually saw them as we were walking. This year we are staying at the BW they will be able to go to both Epcot and Hollywood studios, as long as they are together. Our rule will be no busses. If they argue or fight with each other then they stuck with us.

 

[kaligal]

Absolutely! I would think most parents strive to prepare their children to go out into the world - I do not, however, agree that at 9 years old or even at 15 years old, roaming around Disney unattended is what will accomplish this - matter of fact, I'm quite certain there are many other, successful ways of accomplishing this and as I've said in a previous post, I do allow my child certain freedoms that are, IMO, age appropriate.

On our local news channel - there was a segment recently about how children react when put in certain situations - A Mom is in a room watching as they are taping this and they have her son, about 10 years old, at a park and this guy walks up with a cute dog which the boy goes crazy over, petting him and playing with him - and then the guy asks him if he wants to take him for a walk and the boy takes off with the guy. The guy with the dog was an actor working for the news channel - anyway, the Mom was shocked - she said they had talked about this type of stuff many times and she was completely convinced he would know how to handle this...

Listen, it's obvious I am not with the majority here, and I'm perfectly fine with that - I'm comfortable with the way I raise my child and feel like I can be successful at a balance of safety and independence.

I appreciate the honest answer. Raising kids that are safe from crackheads, perverts, meanies and all that jazz and still preparing them to deal with all that when they've left us is a hard job. We all do it the best way we can.

NJ does not issue a license at 16, only a permit. A probationary license at 17, and at 18, a basic driver's license.

How do those kids go on dates?!

 

[msmith07101]

Thank you everyone for all of your replies! I like the suggestion of fast pass runners 2 years ago my oldest sons high school marching band went to WDW and Universal for a week...and the kids were allowed to roam the parks. The only rule is that they had to travel in groups of 2, minimum. And if any of the chaperones spotted anyone by themselves, then that student had to hang out with the chaperone until they found some other students. So I guess I am comfortable with it as long as there are at least 2 of them together and we check in often. They are good kids...responsible and well behaved.

 

[MSSANDRA]

We vacationed at WDW quite often as our DS now 20 was growing up and sometimes went with my sisters family that goes to WDW VERY often. Our boys knew the parks well from an early age. About age 11 we started by letting them head to a ride while we waited on a near by beach, or to grab a snack near by. They were out of our site but not for long except in line and we went when lines were not very long. By 13 we would let them explore one area of the park with us in that same area, then a little later the whole park we were in. I would have been ok with out of the park freedom by age 16 but we did not vacation together much after that and reality is we all just pretty much stuck together. Guess we are the cool parents, kid never really cared to go off much on their own. My very mature DS was 19 on our trip this year and he a few times took our 5 year old off on his own in the parks and I never even questioned it!

 

[djp0630]

At the end of my 8th grade year, we had a school trip to WDW. I guess I was 13 and we roamed around by ourselves. It was fine and fun, but again in the 90s.

My kids are young so not sure how I will feel, but I think around 14 would be a good age. DD is extremely responsible at 6 so it might change and especially if DS would want to go. I don't think I would want to spend the entire trip away from them though.

 

[goofy4tink]

There's a state that doesn't grant a driver's license at age 16?

Anyways, I think that the answer isn't going to be the same for every family. I wouldn't have a problem with a 13-14 year old hanging out in the parks during the day with friends, and I wouldn't have a problem with a 16 year old hanging out in the parks alone. Although...I'm not sure why a 16 year old would want to hang out in the parks alone.

In Mass, you get a learner's permit at 16, you can get a junior operator's license at 16.5 and then a full license at 18.

I guess parents have to know their kids. There are 16 y/o's that are probably not ready to be in the parks by themselves. On the other hand, there are going to be 12 y/o's that are. I figure that if you allow your child to go to the area mall on their own, they should be okay at a WDW park. And I've seen some pretty young kids, running in packs, at the malls!!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Like others have said, this is a subjective (and possibly emotive) subject. My DS is very independent and is allowed out to play on his own when we are at home and has done this since he was about 6 or 7. However, he has to check in regularly (every couple of hours or so) and we have to always know where he is going to be, i.e. at a friend's or at the park.

He is only 9, though, so the rules he has at home would not apply when in a strange place (and strange country). We do try to give him a little freedom while away - as a PP (back on page 1) said, on or last trip he was allowed down to the food court to refill the mug/get a snack. Having said that, the first time he went on his own, he was adamant that he could manage fine on his own and made a big fuss about doing it but he ended up getting lost on the way back to the room (we were staying at VWL and he inadvertently got out of the lift on the wrong floor). When he wasn't back after a reasonable time, I went looking for him and found him wandering around the lobby area of VWL completley disorientated. He had done the sensible thing and gone back to the lobby at least but it prompted him to admit that he wasn't quite ready. After another few days, he tried going again on his own and made it back with no problems

I guess what I'm really trying to say is you know your own kids and how they would react in a certain situation and whether they are savvy enough to handle being approached by strangers/finding themselves lost. As long as they have a cell phone and would be able to contact you if anything did go wrong, I wouldn't have a problem with an older teen exploring the parks alone. My daughter (who was 14 at the time) didn't ride some of the thrill rides at certain parks and I had no problem with her going off to get fastpasses for another ride or exploring the shops. She didn't want to explore on her own for more than a few minutes but, if she had, I don't think I would have had an issue with it.

 

[clr055]

My 9 year old doesn't go in the front yard without someone watching her. Ugh.

My 10 year old is the same way!! That made me lol when I read that, at least I am not the only one who raised a cautious child. I don't let my child walk down the street by herself but I am trying to learn how to relax a little.

I think that since they are in a pair and if they are reasonably responsible AND swear to carry and answer the cell phone that they should be just fine. As long as they are in the same park as you. I pity the fool who would mess with any child at Disney, with so many momma bears there it would be a death sentence!

 

[mjkacmom]

I appreciate the honest answer. Raising kids that are safe from crackheads, perverts, meanies and all that jazz and still preparing them to deal with all that when they've left us is a hard job. We all do it the best way we can.

How do those kids go on dates?!

Dd15 dates an older guy! I'm so glad they finally get out of my house now.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

Holy Cow! I am really, truly in the minority here - I would absolutely never let my young child roam around WDW or any amusement park with or without a phone. I might consider at 16 or 17 if she were buddied up, but certainly not younger than that.

Am I the only person aware that pedophiles spend their time at amusement parks - this is like a candy store for them - hence the two recent issues at resort pools where creepy men exposed themselves to young girls under the water. I won't even go into the 20/20 show I just watched last weekend about people looking exactly for this scenario to snatch young pretty girls and sell them on the internet as sex slaves

If anyone thinks WDW is safer, that is a huge misconception. I also do not understand how anyone believes sending them off with a cell phone will do one thing to help if something awful like the above were to happen.

I'm sure that I will be considered overprotective and that is perfectly fine - I will accept that - we all do have different parenting styles.

I agree with you, that is why I always tell my kiddos that I trust them but not other people. We actually talk about the freaks in the world. I tell them not to be afraid of them but to learn to protect themselves and be aware of the people around you. I also tell them it can happen anywhere in any situation. It is the way of this world. I do not want to throw them into this world without being aware of it. My goal is to raise well rounded adults that can function in reality of todays world and be successful in the adventures of life. There is nothing wrong with being careful with your children. I know that I will not be able to protect them in all situations but I am going to do my best.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

Thank you everyone for all of your replies! I like the suggestion of fast pass runners 2 years ago my oldest sons high school marching band went to WDW and Universal for a week...and the kids were allowed to roam the parks. The only rule is that they had to travel in groups of 2, minimum. And if any of the chaperones spotted anyone by themselves, then that student had to hang out with the chaperone until they found some other students. So I guess I am comfortable with it as long as there are at least 2 of them together and we check in often. They are good kids...responsible and well behaved.

I agree with this, stay in groups. I will be using our son & daughter as fastpass runners on our next trip in June 2013. It will be nice, this will be the first year I am going to do this, they will be 11 & 16 - 7th grade middle school & Junior in High School. I am looking forward to letting them have freedom.

 

[kohlby]

On a boyscout trip, a friend and I roamed together without an adult almost every day. We were 13 and 14. We did not have a cell phone. I would definately think most boys are mature enough by 16 - and most girls by 13.

I would likely even let a 16 year old roam around by himself if I thought he could handle it and if there wasn't another teen for him to roam with. I would not let a 9 year old roam Disney. Buddied up, I'd think my oldest would definately be fine by 13, maybe even 11 or 12. (My daughter may not be ready at that age. She's a rule-follower but panics and freezes when things go wrong while ODS is a take-action sort of guy and could handle himself much better if anything did not go according to plan).

*I don't think Disney is a place where nothing could go wrong. I let my 9 year old go to the other side of the store to get something if I forget. I started that when he was 8. I started letting him stay home alone for about an hour when he turned 9 as well. (Just 15 minutes at 8). Through these smaller experiences, I can decide when I think he's ready for larger responsibilities. I do my best to be protective without being over-protective. My gut wants to put them all in bubblewrap (except for their mouths!) and hold their hands and keep them like that forever. But I realize that won't help them function in the real world. So it's a little freedom from my protection at a time.