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

[oneplustwo11]

I would not let my 10 year old wait alone at a theme park for that long, no. There are just so many variables-wait time, what if he needs to use the bathroom, what if he gets thirsty or overheated, what about predators (of the human kind), what if the ride breaks down and you're stuck on it, etc. Too many what ifs.

That said, if your husband is on the trip, there's no reason your 10 year old should have to or that you should have to make that decision. I realize he wants to relax-we all do-but when it gets in the way of your kids' good time and, potentially, safety, I believe he loses the option to spend days alone in the room worry free. Just my thought, although I'm sure there could be extenuating circumstances that require him to have downtime. If not, though, I think Dad needs to get up and get to the parks and do his job. Jmho.

Could not have said it better.

 

[cheer25mom]

Typhoon Lagoon:
http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/crime/WNY_man_arrested_at_Typhoon_Lagoon_20090708

http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/walt...ted-molesting-young-girls-typhoon-lagoon.html

The stories are out there. Im not here to argue a point honestly. I wouldnt do it. But, to each his own.
I know things can happen ANYWHERE but to me, is it worth it to ride the Haunted Mansion? No. I just wouldnt do it. Period.

there are "stories" out there about everything, and until they are proven they are just that, stories.
Any as far as I know the first one never even went to trial because there was no evidence that the groping was intentional. Sometimes, a kid who has been preconditioned to see everyone as threat will see anything in that light however innocent. Not saying that was the case here, but people have had thier lives ruined over the paranoia that parents pass on to their kids. That paranoia also makes it more likely that real threats will be written off as somone too paranoid.

As for the second, he was a family member to the girls he molseted, not some stranger that snatched them.

 

[wdw&sonny]

I know in this day and age we have to ultra-careful with our children but I was just wondering if anyone has ever or would consider letting their child wait outside a ride for them. My son will be 10 years old and he does not like haunted mansion (scares him). I won't force him on it but am wondering if I could leave him right outside the ride on a bench to wait for us. He is very mature and would never leave or go with anyone but I would probably be nervous the whole time I am in the ride. Any thoughts?

I read many of the other posts and while I agree with those who think it would be fine...he's at greater risk of being abducted in his yard than at WDW...you admit you "would probably be nervous the whole time".

You won't enjoy the ride. Find an alternative...don't ride, get dad to join you, but don't leave him alone.

YOU are not ready (even though he may be).

 

[Kristibo42]

They can wait with a cast member. My nephew didn't like rides. He walked up with us then either waited there or a CM took him to the end. The first time he was 9. They were really good about it.

 

[trina830]

I think another PP said something similar, but I want to point out that you don't just wake up one morning feeling comfortable letting your kids be independent. In a case like this where your rational side tells you that your kid is equipped to handle the situation, but you know you will worry anyway, you need to go for it. Watching their pride as they succeed, and feeling your pride in their accomplishments will be your encouragement for next time. And only then will you start to feel comfortable.

Trina

 

[cheer25mom]

i think another pp said something similar, but i want to point out that you don't just wake up one morning feeling comfortable letting your kids be independent. In a case like this where your rational side tells you that your kid is equipped to handle the situation, but you know you will worry anyway, you need to go for it. Watching their pride as they succeed, and feeling your pride in their accomplishments will be your encouragement for next time. And only then will you start to feel comfortable.

Trina

ita

 

[mom2rtk]

I think another PP said something similar, but I want to point out that you don't just wake up one morning feeling comfortable letting your kids be independent. In a case like this where your rational side tells you that your kid is equipped to handle the situation, but you know you will worry anyway, you need to go for it. Watching their pride as they succeed, and feeling your pride in their accomplishments will be your encouragement for next time. And only then will you start to feel comfortable.

Trina

Well said.

If I waited until I was ready, I would be driving my 20 year old son across town every day to college and back. Heck, if I waited until I was ready, I would probably have him taking online classes safely tucked away in his room!

I will admit that I went with my gut way too much when he was younger. And the transition was far harder since we had to squeeze it all into a much shorter period of time. Every day as I make decisions about what I will and won't let my kids do I have to push away feelings of wanting to just choose the "safest" option. I want them to be independent capable adults. And that means sometimes squashing down my own feelings of wanting to hold them close and "safe".

The end result for me has now been to purposely start my youngest off at younger ages doing things than I did with her older brothers. Because I don't want to squeeze all that "training" into a short time as gets ready to leave for college. I learned the hard way. Small doses of age-appropriate independence at Disney have been a great way to start.

 

[Bullseye]

Even though MK is one place I would feel safe doing it, I wouldn't feel right about it. "People are strange when you're a stranger, faces look ugly when your alone."

Couldn't he just put his ear buds on and close his eyes until the ride is over?

 

[luvmy2babies]

I have a question. This is one ride we are talking about right? Is your husband going to be in the room relaxing that much that this one ride can’t be done while he is with you?

I travel alone with my two children so there are a significant number of rides we don’t do. My son is 3 and not close to 40 inches tall and my daughter is 10, but with ADHD and an anxiety issue so there are even some rides my son is tall enough for that we don’t do.

There is one ride where I am considering having her wait for us. The boat ride in Mexico with the 3 ducks is a favorite of mine, but after riding it on our first trip, my daughter now has an issue with it. On our 2nd trip, she sat down at the kidcot fun stop, which is in sight of the ride’s queue and I was going to ride with ds, but she said to wait because she felt she wanted to go on. Ds had fallen asleep anyway so I waited for her to color Duffy.

She colored and ds slept for the next hour. When she was done and he was up, we went to the line only to have her run out half way through. So, as long as she doesn’t take issue with it, on the trip coming up I plan to ride while she colors Duffy at a table with the Mexico CM’s and other children since I already know she can make that coloring task last a while. That’s the only place I would leave her though due to her challenges.

 

[Magpie]

Well, you should live your life your way and others will live our life our way. If you are comfortable letting your 9 or 10 year old wait alone for you in a crowded, public place, have at it. That's your business. Just as it is my business to believe that leaving a young child alone in a public place, regardless of how responsible, is a dangerous thing to do. I would not even consider leaving my son alone in a public place. And as for the ridiculous statement of not letting your child go to school or stay with a babysitter...these are controlled environments where a responsible parent easily can and should investigate the background of any individual who will be spending time with his or her child. Not possible in a public place with thousands of strangers.

Actually, I'd feel a lot safer leaving my child in a public place with thousands of strangers, than leaving my child alone in an abandoned isolated place with no one around to help them.

But then, I've taught my kids from the time they were toddlers that strangers are their first line of defence against people who would do them harm. The trick is picking the right stranger and give that 99 plus percent of strangers mean us no harm, pretty much anyone a child deliberately picks (versus a stranger who picks the child) is almost guaranteed to be someone who will want to help them.

Typhoon Lagoon:
http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/crime/WNY_man_arrested_at_Typhoon_Lagoon_20090708

http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/walt...ted-molesting-young-girls-typhoon-lagoon.html

The stories are out there. Im not here to argue a point honestly. I wouldnt do it. But, to each his own.
I know things can happen ANYWHERE but to me, is it worth it to ride the Haunted Mansion? No. I just wouldnt do it. Period.

When my daughter started riding public transit to school every day, I discussed with her what to do if she was ever groped. We settled on a firm, loud, "HEY!" to attract attention, followed by something such as, "Hands off my butt!" Fortunately, it's basically the same approach she used with her middle-school bullies, so she's comfortable with it and knows it works.

I think another PP said something similar, but I want to point out that you don't just wake up one morning feeling comfortable letting your kids be independent. In a case like this where your rational side tells you that your kid is equipped to handle the situation, but you know you will worry anyway, you need to go for it. Watching their pride as they succeed, and feeling your pride in their accomplishments will be your encouragement for next time. And only then will you start to feel comfortable.

Trina

Very true! Parenting is not for the faint of heart. It takes real courage sometimes to let your children go, whether you're letting them take their first steps on their own, or letting them ride a bus alone for the first time, or letting them go to an outdoor concert with friends.

 

[kris4360]

I know in this day and age we have to ultra-careful with our children but I was just wondering if anyone has ever or would consider letting their child wait outside a ride for them. My son will be 10 years old and he does not like haunted mansion (scares him). I won't force him on it but am wondering if I could leave him right outside the ride on a bench to wait for us. He is very mature and would never leave or go with anyone but I would probably be nervous the whole time I am in the ride. Any thoughts?

I a ten year old sitting outside a ride by him/her self is scarier than hainted mansion

 

[gwmort]

Don't waste time with them sitting idle, send them for more fastpasses

 

[KimK2006]

I wouldn't have a problem with it. I would feel more comfortable with it if he had a cell phone. It depends on the maturity of the kid, too. I would never do it unless he was 100% comfortable with it. This is a great way to for you to give him a little independence. He is 10!

 

[Magpie]

Don't waste time with them sitting idle, send them for more fastpasses

Great idea!

 

[dansamy]

Don't waste time with them sitting idle, send them for more fastpasses

This! :-D

 

[JustAKid]

I really don't understand this, and here's why: hubby will be there for other days so the other kids will get to ride HM, why not just skip the one ride that the 10 year old doesn't like for this day?

In general would I leave *A* 10 year old outside of a ride? I don't know. Would I leave my oldest (almost 10) year old outside of a ride? Yes. Without hesitation, because I know *her* specficially. I would NOT do this will my other two children at that age because they do not have the right personalities for it. However, there will ALWAYS be paranoia so I will ALWAYS take precautions. I would ask if she could stand in line with us until we all get on the ride and then have her waiting at the exit. I would ask a CM if they mind checking on her. I would give her a cell phone. I would skip the ride if when I got there I felt uncomfortable.

Also, I give my kids a code word. This is something my parents did for me when I was a child. If someone, ANYONE, including grandparents, etc come to take my child I give them our code word. If the person does not have the correct code word my kids are not to go with them, no matter who it is, or what they say. Without the code word my kids know mom and dad did not authorize the transaction. Family knows about it so they know to automatically tell them what the code word is, "Chester" doesn't know about it so they don't know to give it, and when asked, won't know what it is.

 

[fitzperry]

Don't waste time with them sitting idle, send them for more fastpasses

We have a winner! Actually, for those worried about child snatchers, this should make the already very safe situation even safer.

I get nervous when I let my kids (10 and 13) take these steps toward independence too, but letting them do it is best for everyone. I want my children to live in the world, not be fearful of it, and the harm we cause by over-protecting them far outweighs the minuscule risk of a situation like the one described by the OP.

Sending the kid for more fast passes or maybe some snacks for everyone is a brilliant solution.

 

[DizBelle]

During our February trip, our 13 & 12 year olds toured without us. The 11 year old stayed with us. He waited for us at RNRC, EE, ToT & SM. He went through the line each time & used the chicken exit. So he was only apart for the time it took to load, ride, unload. For most rides, that's 3-5 minutes. A bathroom trip. If you let him go into public bathrooms alone, he can handle browsing a nearby gift shop.

Oh Lord, here we go.......

 

[bdklein]

And I was vilified by many for letting my 2 daughters (12 and 9 at the time):

1. Go to the CL together in the GF Sugarloaf building (not the more spacious Main Building) a few minutes ahead of wife and I. One had a cell phone and the other a walkie talkie (we had the other walkie talkie). If one of them yelled we would have heard them from our 2nd floor room.
2. Go back to CL from the Courtyard Pool for a snack/drink. I was able to see them from our chairs almost to the entrance of the CL building. They had walkie talkie and cell phone.

But not sure I would leave 10 year old alone. Would depend on the child.

 

[bdklein]

My husband will probably stay at the resort to relax some days. Maybe I will guilt my husband into coming with us more often to the parks.

This seems like a family where the wife wants Disney, the husband doesn't.