Would you let your child wait for you outside of ride???

[cheer25mom]

Wow. I can't imagine being that suspicious of everyone with whom I come in contact.

I couldn't live my life in that kind of constant fear either. I cannot imagine being that paranoid.

 

[Gracie09]

But you let them go right? They might get struck by lightening, or a car might crash into the house and hit them, or the parent might not be telling the truth about what is in thier home, or they might have a friend or relative stop by who is a criminal. Juvenille records don't show up on backgroud checks, and not everyone who would harm a child has a record. No situation is completely safe. At some point you either accept some risk with your kids, or never allow them to do anything for themselves.

Don't forget a meteor could hit the house or wdw! It happened in Russia.

 

[mjkacmom]

This thread is a mess tbh.
Use a little common sense. Yes, it is WDW, and chances are low, but this is your child we're discussing here. Anything is possible unfortunately. If I were a parent, I would never leave them alone like that. I would never risk my child getting hurt or abducted, etc. Call me overprotective, but being a New Yorker and seeing how absolute flop the world is, I'd never risk it.

Interesting - you are on LI. I have friends who live in the city, and their kids have way more freedom than most.

 

[mom2rtk]

I couldn't live my life in that kind of constant fear either. I cannot imagine being that paranoid.

I'm still speechless.

And that doesn't happen often. Just ask my kids.

 

[kris4360]

Wow. I can't imagine being that suspicious of everyone with whom I come in contact.

Do you have something to worry about? Why are they beefing up security at our marathon this weekend? It only happened once! What are the chances it will happen again? Paranoid people!

 

[Steven41782]

At 10, unless they are immature for that age, yeah, let them hang out at the end of the ride on their own. I think it would build independence. Clip the wings. Make sure they are aware of where the ride dumps people out and give them their DS2 or an Ipad.

I do agree with the folks that say your know your kid though. We all mature at different ages.

 

[fitzperry]

Use a little common sense. Yes, it is WDW, and chances are low, but this is your child we're discussing here. Anything is possible unfortunately. If I were a parent, I would never leave them alone like that. I would never risk my child getting hurt or abducted, etc. Call me overprotective, but being a New Yorker and seeing how absolute flop the world is, I'd never risk it.

What you are describing is most definitely not common sense. When you refuse to take any risk, you are teaching your child to fear the world when you should be teaching him to navigate it. When you go to such lengths to protect him from even the most minimal risk that you won't leave him unsupervised for 10 minutes in a very, very safe place, you are providing no real benefit but are doing him a huge disservice.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

Let's look at some facts

Missing and exploited children has published these stats
800,000 kids are reported missing each year.
200,000 are abducted by family (so things like custody disputes)
58,000 are abducted by people they know ( so coaches, teachers, neighbors etc)
115 are typical stranger abductions

Even in the case in cleveland there are reports that the victims may have known the abductor. One was hid daughters best friend and the other worked with his son.

Do I teach my kids what to do if a stranger approaches them and tries to take them, sure but I don't hide them away in a tower until they are 18.

Who said anything about hiding them in a tower until they are 18? The question from the OP was "Would you let your child wait for you outside of ride???" and my answer remains "no."

I remember once in a store (yes with cameras) my child separated himself from us in a matter of seconds. I had sheer panic in my body until I found him within a minute. Normally one of us kept an eye on him at all times in places like that, but that one and only time he got away and it was terror, believe me.

The OP and each of us can do as we please. She asked opinions and I gave mine.

 

[cheer25mom]

This thread is a mess tbh.
Use a little common sense. Yes, it is WDW, and chances are low, but this is your child we're discussing here. Anything is possible unfortunately. If I were a parent, I would never leave them alone like that. I would never risk my child getting hurt or abducted, etc. Call me overprotective, but being a New Yorker and seeing how absolute flop the world is, I'd never risk it.

And you would have a child who would forever be dependent on you and unable to cope with their own life.

Trying to reason with the people who feel they shouldn't allow an older child some freedom at WDW is pointless. In the years I have been reading these kinds of threads about allowing an older child to wait alone at WDW (or being able to use a potty on their own, etc) I have come to the conclusion that the parents suffer some form of anxiety. They need to be in control and if they are not in control they believe that something terribly bad might happen to their children. Their anxiety exaggerates the risk. I personally don't understand people who are afraid to let their older children stretch their wings at WDW any more than I understand people who are afraid to fly in an airplane, but I believe the root of the fear is the same.

ITA. I don't think it is really about the kid at all but about Mommy's anxiety and inability to let go of that control. The KID would be fine MOM is the one that cannot handle it. Fear of planes tends to stem from control issues as well.

 

[mjkacmom]

Trying to reason with the people who feel they shouldn't allow an older child some freedom at WDW is pointless. In the years I have been reading these kinds of threads about allowing an older child to wait alone at WDW (or being able to use a potty on their own, etc) I have come to the conclusion that the parents suffer some form of anxiety. They need to be in control and if they are not in control they believe that something terribly bad might happen to their children. Their anxiety exaggerates the risk. I personally don't understand people who are afraid to let their older children stretch their wings at WDW any more than I understand people who are afraid to fly in an airplane, but I believe the root of the fear is the same.

I admit it - I'm terrified of flying. Do I travel in airplanes? Of course - I know my fear is irrational. The fear is real - I can't sleep nights before my flight, I spend the entire flight trying to mentally keep the plane in the air, I'm giddy when we land. I know I don't have anything to be afraid of, and yet I'm terrified. I suck it up, because of my family.

 

[cheer25mom]

Do you have something to worry about? Why are they beefing up security at our marathon this weekend? It only happened once! What are the chances it will happen again? Paranoid people!

It is paranoia to beef up security around runs because of Boston. There is next to no chance antoher run will be targeted BECUASE people are paranoid now. The smart thing to do would be to target something else they are not freaking out about.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

And you would have a child who would forever be dependent on you and unable to cope with their own life.

Didn't happen with our son. He is very independent and copes with life very well.

 

[kris4360]

Didn't happen with our son. He is very independent and copes with life very well.

Mine too!

 

[kris4360]

Trying to reason with the people who feel they shouldn't allow an older child some freedom at WDW is pointless. In the years I have been reading these kinds of threads about allowing an older child to wait alone at WDW (or being able to use a potty on their own, etc) I have come to the conclusion that the parents suffer some form of anxiety. They need to be in control and if they are not in control they believe that something terribly bad might happen to their children. Their anxiety exaggerates the risk. I personally don't understand people who are afraid to let their older children stretch their wings at WDW any more than I understand people who are afraid to fly in an airplane, but I believe the root of the fear is the same.

And vice versa

 

[fitzperry]

I remember once in a store (yes with cameras) my child separated himself from us in a matter of seconds. I had sheer panic in my body until I found him within a minute. Normally one of us kept an eye on him at all times in places like that, but that one and only time he got away and it was terror, believe me.

There can't be many parents who've never been in that situation, and the vast majority of those scenes play out with the child being located safe and sound. The trick is not to let fear of the worst case scenario prevent parents from allowing their kids to become independent. It's clear to me that many parents are doing just that.

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

How do you do a valid thorough background check without a social?

 

[momofboyz3]

Yes I am aware of the surroundings before my child goes to someones house. Pool, lake, guns, trampolines, drugs? I even do a criminal background check.

I give you credit, you do what you feel is best for your family! It might not be what the majority does. But, really who cares what everyone else does? Last summer my then 8yr old spent the day at a friends house. Two hours after my son left the father shot himself. So this is an extreme, the exception, the one in a million! But, even to this day I think "what if". I know this whole thing has gotten off topic. I just wanted to let you know that although we all feel differently, we just want whats best for our own individual families.

 

[cheer25mom]

Didn't happen with our son. He is very independent and copes with life very well.

Then you must have let him have some freedom and cope with life on his own at some point before you set him free.

 

[fitzperry]

Do you have something to worry about? Why are they beefing up security at our marathon this weekend? It only happened once! What are the chances it will happen again? Paranoid people!

"Do have something to worry about?" I don't understand--I have two kids, if that's what you mean, and yes, I worry about them. But I also let them go out into the world on their own and would have no problem letting my 10 year old wait for us in a gift shop or go get a snack if she didn't want to ride a ride the rest of us were doing.

 

[PrincessJo]

I'm really surprised by all of the insulting, snarky and rude comments I've seen here.

Who the heck are any of YOU to try and convince someone else what they should or shouldn't do in parenting their own child? Seriously?

There are personal reasons why I would not have left my child alone at 10. Reasons that are frankly NONE of your business. My family has been through things that you would NEVER be able to wrap your head around. If you have no fears about leaving your child alone...

MY MY HOW LUCKY YOU ARE.

NEVER judge others whose shoes you have NEVER walked in. This thread is disappointing and I'm shocked by many so-called Disney lovers. Just wow.