Would you? Be the deciding vote please!

[alicenwonder99]

5 children are alot for a 17 year old to be responsible for at WDW. Why not separate the children? Maybe the 17 year old can group off with the 2 younger children, then the 3 other children can stick together. You're just planning to be away for a couple of hours, right? I think if the whole family stays in the same park for the night, and plans on meeting up at certain times for check-in, you should be fine. Tell the kids if they are late even 5 minutes when it's check-in, then they can't go off on their own again. Make sure all of the kids know your cell phone number by heart, and they could call if there is a problem.

Let us know what you decide to do.

Mary

 

[mickeyfan2]

I am guessing you are staying on site: I would leave the kids and tell them not to leave the room (except for an emergency) and go out with you DH.

 

[Uuaww]

wow ok, lets have stick them in a damn hotel room for 5 hours while on there vacation. if your kids are that good, then they have earned the right to enjoy themselves on there own. and its not the 17 year old taking care of 5 kids, im pretty sure a 14 and 13 year old have common sense, so they are voided out imo. let them have fun, remember they won't be looking for stuff to do wrong, they will most likely spend like 2 hours of your time just waiting in lines. im also pretty sure that if you tell your kids that they have to stay in a hotel room one night while on vacation they will get pissed and bring down a day or so. remember this is all of your vacation, having freedom would be one of the best experiences for these kids.
remember folks families as big as this usually are more mature, the middle kids always act more mature in these families to show that they are older than there younger siblings. only the 9 year old probably is immature in this family just b.c they are the youngest and well 9 years old. this isn't a family with 1 kids whos immature and spoiled.
i say let the kids have fun, drop them off in the park, tell them not to leave, give them money for dinner, and theyll basically just lose track of time, again they won't be bored and cause mischief here.

 

[Uuaww]

also on my last trip to disneyland me and my gf took my cousins for a night, we were both 18, with cousins 11, 8, 6, 6. it really isn't that hard folks to look after kids, i know parents all are protecting, but trust is a big issue for kids, if my aunt and uncle had told me i had to stay inside with them, i would have shown mutiny towards them.

 

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

Part of my troubles with the situation is not that I don't trust my 17 year old. She is mature, babysits for me and for others and has not had a problem. The younger children are good kids and know the consequences for their actions when I get home and the babysitter is not happy. That being said my paranioa stems from being in strange place more than anything. At home if there is trouble, my daughter has neighbors and a plan to get out, where to meet etc. At Disney she doesn't. She probably would still handle it well even in Disney but I would hate for something to happen and she not know anyone to help her until I can get there. DH doesn't understand this concept. My comfort level. That if I am not comfortable I won't have a good time and we might as well have not gone! It feels like such a responsibility to place on her AWAY from home! I have no idea if I am making any sense but that is how I am looking at things. We have agreed to a middle of the road. If we get there, and once I see how things are and we don't have strange hotel neighbors I will see what we can do. But right now, I can't make a decision!

Kelly

Well, if your problem is a plan, come up with one. Instead of neighbors you have CMs. A locked hotel room isn't much different than a locked house. You still have a phone. You still have 911. You can use the preschool technique of a password for people who come to the door. The "mother is the bathroom" phrase if anyone strange calls. Use the check ID and call the front desk if it is a CM. You can call and check in with the kids.

Personally, at those ages (the littler two because of the older 3), I'd be scared for my kids if I couldn't leave them for a couple of hours--and you say they are trustworthy. Face it, we spend the early years instilling our authority and their later childhood years teaching them how to think and act for themselves and their teen years letting them practice so when in just a couple of years when they are out on their own, you don't have to worry as much and they can grow into responsible adults.

 

[bopper]

How about taking them to DisneyQuest in downtown disney. It is a self-contained building. You and your husband have dinner somewhere in downtown disney. The kids have to buddy up and stay with their buddy all night. If anybody gets lost, have them go to a cast member.

 

[MrsPete]

wow ok, lets have stick them in a damn hotel room for 5 hours while on there vacation. if your kids are that good, then they have earned the right to enjoy themselves on there own.

If they've been walking in the parks all day, the younger ones especially will NEED to be in the room resting up for the next day. I don't think it's a punishment to stay in the room eating pizza and watching movies. We're talking about the evening, not mid-day.

 

[Uuaww]

heh, kids have so much energy, i seriously doubt theyll need a break.

 

[VSL]

I can understand your need for time alone, but I can't imagine that the 17yr old will be all that impressed with having to babysit while on holiday..

 

[alicenwonder99]

wow ok, lets have stick them in a damn hotel room for 5 hours while on there vacation...
i say let the kids have fun, drop them off in the park, tell them not to leave, give them money for dinner, and theyll basically just lose track of time, again they won't be bored and cause mischief here.

Yeah, I wanted to say this, too. Don't stick 6 kids in a hotel room for a few hours and expect them to have "fun" when they could be at the parks. I think that's a disaster waiting to happen. I can't imagine the kids sitting quietly watching tv for a few hours, or even sleeping for the night (at that age). I understand your want/need for private time with dh, but it's the family's vacation, too.

 

[adisneymama]

Ok, I don't agree with that at all. 5 kids in the parks at Disney is a lot for a 17 yo to handle. I also don't think the OP is looking for 5 hrs either. I think just maybe an hour or two for dinner. Yes the kids are on vacation too, but they wouldn't be there without the parents. It is up to the parents to decide what they get to do while on that vacation. Ya know when I was 17, if all I had to do was babysit my brother for a couple of hours while at Disney I would have been over the moon! The kids aren't going to be bored in that time frame. Good Luck OP. It sounds like you have very well behaved children and you know what is best for them. I hope you and your children have a great time!