Would you do this?

[DepCor0311]

Even though I don't have kids, I will chime in on this one. Alot of posters have expressed that they would not leave him alone because of abduction fears. Believe me, I know that is a reality in the world these days, but I don't think it is the thing to most worry about at a Disney park. More realistically, I think that at the age of 10 he could be pretty easily distracted (there is a lot going on at WDW) and wander off. Which in turn would cause some severe parental distress until everyone got back together.
I think 10 is a little on the young side to be on your own in a Disney park. (IMHO).

 

[cinderella97]

Nope, never would do leave my DD , she'll be 10 in March.

 

[MichelleVW]

Even though I don't have kids, I will chime in on this one. Alot of posters have expressed that they would not leave him alone because of abduction fears. Believe me, I know that is a reality in the world these days, but I don't think it is the thing to most worry about at a Disney park. More realistically, I think that at the age of 10 he could be pretty easily distracted (there is a lot going on at WDW) and wander off. Which in turn would cause some severe parental distress until everyone got back together.
I think 10 is a little on the young side to be on your own in a Disney park. (IMHO).

10 year olds are in 5th grade...that's middle school where I live and I can't imagine not being able to trust a normal 5th grader to stay put for 15 minutes. On their own in a park...yes too young...sitting for 15 minutes, they should be able to do this.

If people are afraid of the abduction issue then fine...that's your own personal comfort level and I won't fault you for that, but at 10 years old a child should be able to sit and wait for 15 minutes without "wandering away".

 

[claytonj20]

Great points from everyone on this thread (With the accusatory rant aside) I am going to venture a guess that parenting ranks right up there with politics and religion where there just isn't a "correct" answer but a "right for you" answer

 

[loriandmatt]

op - to answer your question

Would you allow your 10 year old to sit and wait for you to get off of a ride or I am being too trusting?

yes, i have allowed my 10YO to do just that at that very ride. AND i have even let him at 11 (this past trip) watch his 2 YO sister.

are you being to trusting? am i being too trusting? perhaps, by an others perspective yes. but who i trust, more than the stangers that might pass him, is my son. I have a very mature, world wise son who knows how to protect himself (very alert and aware, without being so scared that he panics) and protects his little sister like a mother wolf.

would i do it if DH and i would be gone longer than 15/20 min? probably not, but with fastpasses and the time of year we visit, that generally isn't a problem. he also has his nextel and we have ours, and we communicate right up until we go into the actual lobby area. we then (quietly) touch base with him once we are in the basement area. (if the line is long and we are delayed getting into our elevator) he generally is annoyed with us by this point and wants us to leave him alone and trust him more.

he gets a soda or snack before hand and if his sister isn't napping in her stroller which he doesn't take his hands off of, he shares with her until we get back.

it may not the the scenario that works for everyone and their children but it works for me and my children.

 

[tjmw2727]

Great points from everyone on this thread (With the accusatory rant aside) I am going to venture a guess that parenting ranks right up there with politics and religion where there just isn't a "correct" answer but a "right for you" answer

Well said - I do agree. Since I travel as the solo adult with my two dd's (10 and 12) there have been times when one wanted to do something the other didn't. So far its been all three of us or nobody but I can imagine at some point depending on the ride and circumstances I may let one of my dd's wait for us.

Talking about the stranger danger specials, I saw one that scared me as much as the shows featuring children and teens. They managed quite easily to lure adult women into a van at a shopping center. Using various tactics like "take a surey and get free products", "help find my lost child" and the ole "we can make you a model trick". A majority of the women got into the van willingly, scary indeed!

TJ

 

[DepCor0311]

10 year olds are in 5th grade...that's middle school where I live

5th grade is Elementary School where I live...and my DGF has a 16 year old son that I sometimes don't trust to sit still for 15 mins. My point was that kids at that age, regardless of how well behaved they are, can be impulsive and typically should be supervised in a "high stimuli" enviornment.

 

[Todd&Copper]

I'd let him sit on the bench for 15 minutes alone. He is old enough to know to cause a scene if anyone tries anything with him. My only issue would be if he has enough patience to actually just wait there until you guys get off the ride and not wander off to look at something.

My DSis and I went around the parks alone (for 2 - 3 hours at a time) a lot when we were 9 & 7 (in the mid 1980's), and my parents never had a problem with it.

 

[MichelleVW]

5th grade is Elementary School where I live...and my DGF has a 16 year old son that I sometimes don't trust to sit still for 15 mins. My point was that kids at that age, regardless of how well behaved they are, can be impulsive and typically should be supervised in a "high stimuli" enviornment.

This is one of those things that goes back to the Parents comfort level. I still believe that most 10 year old should be responsible enough to sit for 15 minutes...Disneyworld or not....my girls knew that "stay right here" means "stay right there and do not move"

 

[orljustin]

Absolutely. Do you think child abductors hang around in the exit area of Tower waiting for someone to leave an unsuspecting 10 year old along?

Anyhoo, you could keep him with you until you get in line at the elevator, then send him down the chicken elevator. The CM will know where you'll come out and put him right by the exit door.

 

[MJMcBride]

I would not leave him.

 

[Skylarr29]

I think I would leave a 10yr old boy alone for all of 5 minutes. I can see both sides of the story but I think he would have been fine.

 

[hsmamato2]

child endangerment is true danger..... I think,sometimes,we're being 'taught' by the media to overprotect our little 'babies' to the point of foolishness....I say this coming from a mother hen standpoint too....
I am totally a mother hen about true danger,and protecting kids,but i also know that if at 10 he can't be trusted for 15 mins.-what's wrong with my kid? I wouldn't leave my 7 year old alone, but cognitive reasoning and maturity levels are different for a 7 year old-
it just seems to me that more and more kids are treated as if they're younger than they actually are......
For the record, I didn't let ds enter a public mens room alone till he was 10 1/2 - now that is a place where nasty things can and do happen on a regular basis...even now, he's 13, and if I see a reason, I'll open the door and holler in for him and his friends, just to let anyone who cares know that my kids won't be 'endangered"....any reason might be taking a really long time, or a lot of men going in....etc.....
But I'm also a big proponent of the "Gift of Fear" books, and I try my best to instill this in my kids,and I even encourage them to talk to strangers many times!(gasp)
Sorry, I guess i have about 32 cents to add.....

 

[MichelleVW]

child endangerment is true danger..... I think,sometimes,we're being 'taught' by the media to overprotect our little 'babies' to the point of foolishness....I say this coming from a mother hen standpoint too....
I am totally a mother hen about true danger,and protecting kids,but i also know that if at 10 he can't be trusted for 15 mins.-what's wrong with my kid? I wouldn't leave my 7 year old alone, but cognitive reasoning and maturity levels are different for a 7 year old-
it just seems to me that more and more kids are treated as if they're younger than they actually are......

I totally agree....

 

[cleo]

I'm not sure it's as much about trusting your CHILD as it is about trusting the people he or she might come in contact with. I trust my son, but I'm not (insert whatever word won't offend you here, since the word I would choose is 'stupid' but I don't mean to offend anyone) enough to trust thousands of strangers, even in the Happiest Place on Earth. Things happen. I don't THINK anything bad would happen if he waited 10 minutes in the TOT lobby, but I'm not prepared to take that chance with a 10 year old.

Some are, some aren't. Frankly, I'm watching out for your children when you do leave them alone, just as much as you'd be watching out for them if you were there.

 

[annakris1973]

Ok, my $.02....Do I trust my 10 year old daughter to be responsible enough to take care of herself? YES! Would I leave her alone, in any capacity or situation, at WDW? NO, NO, NO! I trust my daughter....its everyone else I don't trust.



We all feel safe at WDW because it is a place we love, and it is magical. But please don't forget that bad things DO happen everywhere!

 

[Peri]

check out this snopes site on children being kidnapped and having their appearance altered.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

 

[SunshineOR]

I'm in the 'I'd do it, but it depends on the kid' camp. My 9 yo dd loves to sit and observe and likes to be independent and I know would enjoy the sitting on a bench and would easily say no to anyone who asked her to go anywhere. If she was ten, I'd do it. My younger dd, unless she dramatically changes by the time she's 10, gets really nervous if she's by herself at all and is too polite to say no to anyone. I'd probably wait until she was a little older. I also agree with those who have stated that the media has overly freaked us out about stranger danger. I agree in teaching my children safety and being cautious in public settings, but I can't see how I'm helping them if I'm holding their hand until they're fully-grown. Unfortunately, bad things happen sometimes, even to children of parents who are good parents and have done everything correctly. However, I try to stay reasonable about it. Am I to believe someone's lurking at ToT waiting for 10 year old to entice all the way through the park to a parking lot? I don't see the world that way, I guess.

 

[honeybee30]

Would you allow your 10 year old to sit and wait for you to get off of a ride or I am being too trusting?

If it were a child under 8, maybe not, but I think a 9 or 10 year old is aware enough of his or her surroundings to sit on a bench by themselves for 10 minutes, especially if you find your child to be trust worthy and responsible under normal circumstances. So no I don't think you are too trusting. I think your DH was over-reacting just a little bit...

 

[cleo]

check out this snopes site on children being kidnapped and having their appearance altered.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

You beat me to it, Peri.

Sorry, but that one's a bit old, annakris1973.

EDITED TO ADD: In case anyone jumps on Peri for having brought up the 'abduction' info from Snopes, please note a previous poster's post was edited to remove comments about a 'freind who knows someone whose child was abducted', which is actually an urban myth on Snopes. Peri was simply pointing it out. And I'm pointing it out here because it looks odd now that the orignial post about the 'abduction' was edited and Peri has been left swinging, so to speak.