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

[RedHeadedFairy]

My 13 year old ds cooks, does laundry, mows and uses the weedeater. He helped his grandfather rebuild the lawn mower. He helped his dad fence the garden and his uncle with building herb planter window boxes. He can erect a 3 room family tent unassisted. He can start a fire & use a compass. He can navigate using a map or a gps. He can handle a Disney park he's grown up in. He didn't learn these skills overnight. They took time. Patience. Effort. On his part & ours. I can't imagine waiting until he's 15 or 16 to try to cram in as many basic life skills as I can.

There is a little bit of "mommy wars" at play too. I worry about my kid too, but I let her do what is best for HER not best for ME. I see that as our job as aparetns more than anything else.

I also agree with this.

It DOES depend on the child.

MY DD is uber-responsible & mature for her age. While neither she NOR I would be comfortable with her being left alone for a lengthy amount of time, she had zero problems waiting in the giftshop at EE while DH & I rode SR with a short line. We planned on taking turns in the SR line, but she really didn't want to miss FOTLK show & pushed us to get in line together so that we could be done faster & have time to race back across the park in time for the next performance. She had my phone & a complete understanding of the the area she was in because we've been there so many times. She knows how to locate a CM if necessary & to stick close to the designated areas. She's aware of ride breakdowns & how while unlikely, would be possible.

I refuse to buy into the judgement that it makes me a bad mom because I let her wait in a gift shop for about 10 mins when she was perfectly capable of doing so.

 

[mjkacmom]

In the SMALL town we used to live, 2 girls 8 and 9 were at the library and a man there pulled down his pants and was doing things that I dont need to go into here. Those poor girls were traumatized after. I couldnt believe it. This is a SMALL town! He was a resident of the town. It was just crazy..

This happened in a coffee shop in my small town. The kids were in middle school, and called the cops. My kids have been taught about incidents like this, and know to get up and walk away if someone is being inappropriate.

Looks like those middle schoolers were taught, as well.

 

[cheer25mom]

I look at those things as learning experiences. Kids need to learn to find a restroom and find their way back to you. If they have trouble, they ask a castmember how to get back to HM or wherever they were supposed to meet you. Those scenarios are far more likely than the stranger ones, and, even if stressful for a few minutes, they are good, not bad.

ITA, nad if they have been allowed to cope on thier own previously, chances are they have a good idea how to handle them already. Coping skills!!

 

[fitzperry]

ITA, nad if they have been allowed to cope on thier own previously, chances are they have a good idea how to handle them already. Coping skills!!

 

[CatelynnMarie]

But if you have taught them to be independent up to this point then this is not a new or out of the ordiary situation for them and there is no reason NOT to allow them that freedom in a safe place like WDW. They already know how to handle it. It wouldn't be some huge ordeal, but a normal part of everyday life they have experienced many times before.

Even if it were an ordinary situation, you should still as a parent be wary of the surroundings. People think OHMYGOD WDW THAT MEANS WE ARE SAFE ALWAYS. Yes WDW is extremely safe, we all know that, but that doesn't mean you should ***.u.me and be delusional either.
I'm never going to change my mind about the subject and neither are the people who disagree with me. That is why opinions are opinions and that's that.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I see it as balancing two scales. On one end, everyone wants to keep their children safe. On the other, everyone wants their children to grow up to be capable, independent adults. We're always performing a balancing act between these two issues. Some of us feel that it's better to tip the scales one way or the other; NONE of us know what the best answer is.

I get that some of you have stories of horrible things that happened to unsupervised children in your areas, and I understand how that could make you more nervous about allowing your own children some freedoms. My stories of tragedies involving children (and there were a few) in my own hometown involved situations where the parents were either right there at the time, or when the kids were in their own house. These kids were as "safe" as could be, and they still died. Meanwhile, I have awesome, life-changing memories from my own childhood, many of which occurred when my parents were nowhere to be found. I would consider myself a bad parent if I didn't let my child have similar parent-free experiences. So, you can understand why I might be willing to tip the scales a bit back in the other direction.

Regardless, we should all respect that everyone's children are different, everyone's experiences are different, and that someone who sees the world differently than you do, is not necessarily wrong.

 

[fitzperry]

Even if it were an ordinary situation, you should still as a parent be wary of the surroundings. People think OHMYGOD WDW THAT MEANS WE ARE SAFE ALWAYS. Yes WDW is extremely safe, we all know that, but that doesn't mean you should ***.u.me and be delusional either.

What's delusional is thinking that there's a child snatcher lurking around every corner. I'm not saying there is NO risk, but absolutely everything we do involves some risk. And the risk of a child being abducted by a stranger is much, much smaller than any number of situations we subject our kids to every day. People seem to think there's no harm in taking every precaution to protect kids from strangers, but that is simply incorrect.

I'm never going to change my mind about the subject and neither are the people who disagree with me. That is why opinions are opinions and that's that.

Don't be so sure. Before I had kids, I'm sure I'd have felt the same way you do. I even felt that way when mine were very small. But now that I've seen the benefits of empowering them to become independent, I'm singing an entirely different tune. Kids are much more capable than we give them credit for, and watching them develop is an endless source of amazement for me. Keep an open mind.

 

[kris4360]

Well, that's my point. I can explain to you how safe flying is, how the aircraft are designed and how the Bernoulli effect keeps them in the air but you will still be terrified to fly. You "suck it up" for your kids and you are rewarded with a vacation at WDW. I can tell anxious parents that WDW is a safe place with plenty of security, that there has never been an abduction or sexual assault and that it's a great place to let their kids stretch their wings and they are still terrified to let go. There is no reason for them to "suck it up" because their behavior is for their kids ans they are rewarded with a safe child.

Really?? Never an abduction or sexual assault?

 

[fitzperry]

I see it as balancing two scales. On one end, everyone wants to keep their children safe. On the other, everyone wants their children to grow up to be capable, independent adults. We're always performing a balancing act between these two issues. Some of us feel that it's better to tip the scales one way or the other; NONE of us know what the best answer is.

I get that some of you have stories of horrible things that happened to unsupervised children in your areas, and I understand how that could make you more nervous about allowing your own children some freedoms. My stories of tragedies involving children (and there were a few) in my own hometown involved situations where the parents were either right there at the time, or when the kids were in their own house. These kids were as "safe" as could be, and they still died. Meanwhile, I have awesome, life-changing memories from my own childhood, many of which occurred when my parents were nowhere to be found. I would consider myself a bad parent if I didn't let my child have similar parent-free experiences. So, you can understand why I might be willing to tip the scales a bit back in the other direction.

Regardless, we should all respect that everyone's children are different, everyone's experiences are different, and that someone who sees the world differently than you do, is not necessarily wrong.

Life is one big balancing act!

 

[cheer25mom]

Even if it were an ordinary situation, you should still as a parent be wary of the surroundings. People think OHMYGOD WDW THAT MEANS WE ARE SAFE ALWAYS. Yes WDW is extremely safe, we all know that, but that doesn't mean you should ***.u.me and be delusional either.
I'm never going to change my mind about the subject and neither are the people who disagree with me. That is why opinions are opinions and that's that.

So its delusional to think that it is ok to leave a 10 year old who has been left alone before and knows how to handle most of the probable situations that could arise on a bench for 10 min in what you admit to be a very safe environment because there is a chance that something might happen to them, even though it had never happened before in the 40+ year history of the place? How is that delusional? I call that good, solid parenting. No one is assuming anything. There is a certian amount of risk in everything we allow our kids to do. Our job as parents is not take all risk away, but to teach our kids how to cope with them. If they never get left alone, how do they learn how to be alone?

 

[cheer25mom]

Really?? Never an abduction or sexual assault?

No child has ever been assulated or abudcted from a WDW theme park in 40+ years, ever.

 

[mom2rtk]

What's delusional is thinking that there's a child snatcher lurking around every corner. I'm not saying there is NO risk, but absolutely everything we do involves some risk. And the risk of a child being abducted by a stranger is much, much smaller than any number of situations we subject our kids to every day. People seem to think there's no harm in taking every precaution to protect kids from strangers, but that is simply incorrect.

Well said. Many wrap their kid in a plastic bubble then pat themselves on the back for a job well done. I didn't do that, but I certainly skewed in that direction. Then at age 18 I had to unwrap him and send him out in the world. That was my "OH CRUD" moment where I knew I had to adjust what I was doing with my others.

Don't be so sure. Before I had kids, I'm sure I'd have felt the same way you do. I even felt that way when mine were very small. But now that I've seen the benefits of empowering them to become independent, I'm singing an entirely different tune. Kids are much more capable than we give them credit for, and watching them develop is an endless source of amazement for me. Keep an open mind.

Yep. Sometime we grow up right along with our kids.

 

[cheer25mom]

Well said. Many wrap their kid in a plastic bubble then pat themselves on the back for a job well done. I didn't do that, but I certainly skewed in that direction. Then at age 18 I had to unwrap him and send him out in the world. That was my "OH CRUD" moment where I knew I had to adjust what I was doing with my others.




Yep. Sometime we grow up right along with our kids.

I know this is true for me. I had to stop myself from doing what my parents did and locking DD away from the world. I was motivated by the fact that a lot of the mistakes I made as a young adult could have ben avoided if I was allowed to spread my wings a little as a kids and teen and gain some life skills. I ahd precious few going into college and had to learn the hard way on a lot of things.

 

[MsKitty77]

Speaking as a kid that did get left at a ride exit at age 10, it really does depend on your child. My parents gave me the option to ride Body Wars I chose not too, so I queued with them and when the time came I was able to walk straight to the exit and sat on a bench there with the exit CM. It was never scary for me the CM was great and gave me a certificate to say that I had ridden. Talk to a CM before riding they may be able to have someone keep an eye on your child like they did with me

 

[CatelynnMarie]

opinions are opinions

 

[klangkat]

I haven't read through all the pages in this thread, but in answer to your original question OP, I think you know your child and you'll know what's right.
My parents left me to do rides I wouldn't (ITTBAB and HISTA) when I was 10 years old. They didn't leave me on a bench or busy area - they always took me to the nearest shop and made sure I was aware of where the register/CM was based. I had a blast looking around the shop and felt so grown up.
Realistically of course there are risks, but at 10 I walked to and from school every day alone and was allowed to go shopping unescorted with my friend at the weekends - getting the bus to and from the shops on our own.
So it depends on your child - you know him best. Though I think waiting in a shop is maybe a better idea - it's a set space with clear boundaries, less distraction from outside too. I'd wait and see how you both feel on the day

 

[cheer25mom]

opinions are opinions

And facts are facts. No child has ever been abducted from WDW. On average there are only 115 stranger abductions per year in the US. Somewhere close to half of those are found alive and unharmed so less than 60 kids a year are harmed by a stranger out of the hundereds of millions. It is more statistically probable to win the lottery. There are many more things our there that carry orders of maginitude more risk with them, but we never thinktwice about them. Why is the least liekly scenario thing we are afraid of?

 

[mom2rtk]

opinions are opinions

So if opinions are opinions, why all the talk about others being delusional haters?

 

[maxiesmom]

And facts are facts. No child has ever been abducted from WDW.

 

[mom2rtk]

It is more statistically probable to win the lottery.

Yeah, I'm good at math. So I would leave my 10 year old on a bench outside Haunted Mansion. And I don't play the lottery.