Would you leave a 9-year-old while you go on a ride?

[famy27]

Risk reduction is far more complicated than that. Yes, people who cancelled (or thought about cancelling) trips to WDW because of ebola were acting irrationally. But people who cancelled trips to West Africa were not. Just because I am far more likely to die in a car crash than get hit by lightning is not a good reason to run out onto a golf course during a thunderstorm waving a 4 iron around like a lunatic. There are many things that are more risky than letting a young child sit all by themselves on a bench in an amusement park filled with 40,000 people that he does not know. But rattling off a list of the things that are more dangerous is not justification for leaving a child alone on the bench. At that very moment when the child is on the bench and the parent is on a ride, at that precise moment, the child has a greater risk of harm at the hand of strangers than any other risk that can be conjured up. And when the parent and the child are on the Disney Bus back to the resort, at that precise moment, the risk of injury from a bus accident is the single greatest risk that the child faces. Risks change with each passing minute. Just because one can list 999 other things that are statistically more dangerous is not a valid basis to continue the 1,000th most risky behavior if the 1,000th most risky behavior can be easily avoided. (None of this answers the OP's question, or is in anyway suggestive of leaving a child unattended, or refusing to ride buses. It is simply an explanation that quoting statistics and placing risky behaviors in some ordinal listing is rather pointless. At any given moment, one confronts the risks that are in front of them, and all other risks, greater or not, are irrelevant.)

My contention is still that there is virtually no risk to the child. There is still no REAL risk to be confronted here.

And I don't run around with an iron on a golf course in a thunderstorm either. I try to sensibly manage risk. I also don't want my children growing up imagining risk where it really doesn't exist. I would hate for them to be afraid to sit on a park bench and enjoy a beautiful day at Disney. I'd want them to enjoy themselves and not live in fear.

 

[aaarcher86]

Worth a child being lured by a pedophile in a moment! Go on the sex offender registry of every town in this country and there's plenty of them!

Is there an even a single, documented incident of a child being lured away by a pedophile at Disney? Particularly, from a populated, well staffed gift shop?

 

[Magpie]

Now you are just being contrarian for sport. Go ahead and start a poll, if you wish, and ask the audience if a child sitting alone on a bench is more at risk from foul play by a stranger or by choking on their own tongue and see what sort of results you get. But you already know the answer to that.

Okay, to be fair, pretty much the only way a child will choke on their tongue is if they suffer an anaphylactic reaction to something (ie, a bee sting, exposure to peanuts, etc).

So! Let's go with that one.

The US population is 318.9 million.

Between 186 and 225 people die of anaphylaxis each year in the US (representing about 0.25 percent of all cases of anaphylaxis leading to hospitalization).

Approximately 100 children suffer a "stereotypical kidnapping" each year in the US. About sixty percent of these children are recovered alive.

Which means you're looking at 200 tongue-choking deaths to 40 child-murders. Out of a population of over 300 million.

Yes, I'd argue that your child really IS at more risk of choking on their own tongue while sitting on that park bench, than of being harmed by a stranger. I'm really not just being "contrarian for sport".

 

[Magpie]

Is there an even a single, documented incident of a child being lured away by a pedophile at Disney? Particularly, from a populated, well staffed gift shop?

Nope, it's never happened. http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

 

[allysetraskos]

Planning a trip for me and my two kids. My 9 year old does not do any big rides - like not even Splash or 7DMT. My 13 year old loves them, and I feel bad thinking about him ride them all by himself. I was thinking maybe for some rides I could go on with him and leave my daughter at the exit of the ride where we will be coming out? Obviously not if it's a long wait, but say 10-15 min. Max. What do you think??

If you feel your child is mature enough, I would say go with your gut.
My niece is 9 and her parents leave her home alone when she comes home from school each day until they get home from work, she's very responsible. My son is 7 now but judging on his behavior he will never be left alone until he's 18.
I would leave him with a cell phone and tell him to stay put. There is only 1 way out of the park so the likelyhood of a kidnapping with a 9yr old who can stand up for himself is slim.

 

[aaarcher86]

Nope, it's never happened. http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.asp

 

[allysetraskos]

Also keep in mind there are people with children from all over the world there who have different standards or normal age to be left alone. I actually saw a family leave their sleeping toddler outside of a resteraunt in its stroller... When the CMS realized and made a huge commotion the family had really thick accents and said that was common to do where they come from.

 

[mjkacmom]

Now you are just being contrarian for sport. Go ahead and start a poll, if you wish, and ask the audience if a child sitting alone on a bench is more at risk from foul play by a stranger or by choking on their own tongue and see what sort of results you get. But you already know the answer to that.

Definitely more at risk of choking.

 

[Alesia]

Is there an even a single, documented incident of a child being lured away by a pedophile at Disney? Particularly, from a populated, well staffed gift shop?

Nope.

 

[Pixie Dust ✨]

Also keep in mind there are people with children from all over the world there who have different standards or normal age to be left alone. I actually saw a family leave their sleeping toddler outside of a resteraunt in its stroller... When the CMS realized and made a huge commotion the family had really thick accents and said that was common to do where they come from.

It's very common in Scandinavia.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Planning a trip for me and my two kids. My 9 year old does not do any big rides - like not even Splash or 7DMT. My 13 year old loves them, and I feel bad thinking about him ride them all by himself. I was thinking maybe for some rides I could go on with him and leave my daughter at the exit of the ride where we will be coming out? Obviously not if it's a long wait, but say 10-15 min. Max. What do you think??

Have not read all this thread. My feeling...if you go as a family you stay together as a family. Easy.

 

[Slapshot1188]

Personally... not a chance in hell.

 

[TJDisneymama]

Have not read all this thread. My feeling...if you go as a family you stay together as a family. Easy.

huh? so all 3 of us have to go on every single ride together? If all 3 dont go on, nobody goes on?

 

[TJDisneymama]

Wow, I am shocked people are really afraid of their kid being lured off by a pedophile at WDW! Not because it's a magical safe haven, but because it's so CROWDED, and probably has the most attentive employees of any corporation ever. You can't walk 10 feet without a CM greeting you. You really think someone can do something untoward to a child and NOBODY will hear/notice? Not to mention what molester is going to choose a place that is wall to wall with parents? And who is going to abduct/molest someone in a huge park, and then have to run 1/2 mile out to the exit and then have to get by 100 security/CMs stationed at the exits (all of whom have been alerted by now) to escape? I mean really, WDW is probably the LAST place on earth a predator is going to look for a victim, it just doesn't make any sense.
When I started this thread it was not even a thought in my head that she could be abducted. I was thinking more along the lines of she falls and scrapes her knee while I'm on the ride, lol.
I agree there is a much higher chance of getting attacked by killer birds than abducted/violated. Or dying in a car accident. Or choking on a grape. Etc. etc. This is just so far out there, IMO.

 

[smiths02]

Ok, I probably shouldn't bring this up, but I go many places with my 9 year old DS and 3 year old twins. There are MANY times when he has to wait outside a restroom in a crowded public place (restaurant, grocery store, etc) Taking two 3 year olds to the bathroom can take 10 minutes. What should I be doing? Never leave the house? Make the 9 year old go in with me (and try to fit 4 people in a stall)? Or is my local Wal-Mart safe and Disneyworld is not?

 

[YawningDodo]

I was 10 or 11 the first time we went to WDW, and my mom was in a similar situation to you -- I was a real chicken about everything, and my brother wanted to go on all the wild rides. Frankly, Mom wanted to go on some of the wild rides. She decided to stay with me and let my brother ride things alone. Sometimes we'd drop him off at the entrance to something, or in the case of things with cool queue areas like Tower of Terror, we'd all go through the line together at least once and she and I would take the chicken exit. Taking the chicken exit is really pretty straightforward; I wouldn't worry too much about the logistics of it if you choose to utilize it. Just ask a cast member for directions.

So Mom missed out on Tower of Terror that visit, and still ribs me about it now that I'm a grown woman and it's my favorite ride in the world (I don't even remember how many times we went on it on our mother-daughter trip this last fall). Her view was that part of being a parent is sometimes sacrificing your fun for the sake of your children. And if you have a kid who wouldn't be able to handle being alone, I'd agree with her.

That being said, my feeling about it is that I would have been perfectly fine hanging out on my own for a little while while Mom and brother rode Tower of Terror without me. If she'd done it constantly I probably would have been pretty unhappy about it, but a few instances of "please wait in the gift shop" while she went off to have fun? That would not have been an issue (we had to wait around in the gift shop for my brother anyway, after all). I was the quiet, obedient kid, too, so I'm guessing her concern was less about me doing something and more about something happening to me. If your kid is an obedient kid and knows to never go with a stranger, I think she'd be okay waiting alone a few times throughout the trip. Just be sure you lay the rules out very clearly, and it's probably better if you restrict it to times you either have a fastpass or plan to bring her through the line with you and have her take the chicken exit, to reduce her time spent alone.

 

[Magpie]

Ok, I probably shouldn't bring this up, but I go many places with my 9 year old DS and 3 year old twins. There are MANY times when he has to wait outside a restroom in a crowded public place (restaurant, grocery store, etc) Taking two 3 year olds to the bathroom can take 10 minutes. What should I be doing? Never leave the house? Make the 9 year old go in with me (and try to fit 3 people in a stall)? Or is my local Wal-Mart safe and Disneyworld is not?

Ah, you just reminded me of the time I came out of the ladies room at a gallery to find my then-14yo son nowhere in sight. Before I could start to worry, a tiny old lady pointed around the corner and said, "He's right over there. Don't be mad at him, mama! He's a good boy. Very polite!" My son had wandered just out of sight, looking at pictures. And no, I wasn't mad at him. Just asked him to let me know, next time, and don't make me rely on the kindness of strangers to locate him.

 

[Maliboo]

If you feel your child is mature enough, I would say go with your gut.
My niece is 9 and her parents leave her home alone when she comes home from school each day until they get home from work, she's very responsible. My son is 7 now but judging on his behavior he will never be left alone until he's 18.
I would leave him with a cell phone and tell him to stay put. There is only 1 way out of the park so the likelyhood of a kidnapping with a 9yr old who can stand up for himself is slim.

There are multiple ways to get out of the parks if he goes through a door marked cast members only.

 

[Magpie]

There are multiple ways to get out of the parks if he goes through a door marked cast members only.

Our hypothetical boogeyman is not going to get very far, trying to smuggle a child through the utilidors!

(I've been down there, as well as backstage - it's not exactly deserted!)

 

[siskaren]

There are multiple ways to get out of the parks if he goes through a door marked cast members only.

You don't think a CM would question why a child was in a CM only area?