Originally Posted By mineeey Hi there! Just taking a poll... what age do you feel it is safe to let your kids roam around DL without adult supervision? I remember my parents letting me go with my friends around age 10 or so (that was in the '70's), but in this day and age, that seems young, even with a cell phone. I guess it also depends on the maturity of the child. Opinions? TIA!
Originally Posted By Moon Waffle There is no magical age. It all depends on the kid. The parent will know best when they are mature enough to be on their own.
Originally Posted By TXDISNEYNERD It definitely depends on the kid. I would hesitate to let my DS13 roam around freely as he always seems to find trouble, but my DD17 has always been so mature for her age, that I would not have hesistated for her to roam around freely at 10.
Originally Posted By Zwitek As a teen, I was never allowed to "roam" freely, not because I was a menace, but for safety and the lack of cell phones at that time. However, I was allowed to spend plenty of alone time in TomorrowLand, because I never wanted to leave it. Mom always knew where I was because I was hooked on that land. So I guess, at age 13 I was permitted to roam freely around TomorrowLand.
Originally Posted By rockcow1 We just went to WDW in June and Disneyland for Halloween. I have a 16, 14 and 12 year old. It would have been the 14 year olds first time.( My 12 year old always wants to be with her dad.) But when I made the offer both older kids said it was more fun to be with the family than to go off alone! So you never know. Maturity is the key, but 13 is a good guide.
Originally Posted By danyoung I'm pretty sure I was on my own in the fifth grade, which would be around 11 or so. I think a Disney park is one of the safest places for a kid to roam free, as long as you have firm rules for when to meet up, never leave the park on your own, etc.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros As far as I can remember, my parents never really let me roam by myself. I think the farthest away I would go would be to the bathroom while someone is getting a churro or something little like that. If you are unsure of whether or not you want to do it with your kids, let them roam in a certain area for a while (limit it to a couple lands so they can't get too far away), and see how it works out. My first time in the parks alone was really nice to have all that freedom, but it got boring pretty quickly. Come to think of it, when my family went to WDW and met up with another family, all the kids were allowed to go off together. We were probably 11-14 at the time (4 all togehter, one each age), and it was pretty good. We had times when we were scheduled to meet up with our parents just to make sure everything was alright (maybe get money for lunch or something too). Depending on how many kids you have, this may work better too.
Originally Posted By jdub Last year I went w/2 13-year-olds... I let them roam a bit--with phones--but they were to stay together. If it were just kid? 24. Which is a couple of years BEFORE I'll allow driving a car!
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains We have let son11 and niece12 or niece11 go together and get fastpasses - but not for more than 45 min without phone or physical contact.
Originally Posted By BoyStory Oh boy, this is a good topic- and discussed on occasion in our family (rarely without an argument, LOL). The first time I ever roamed free for any length of time at Disneyland I was 19...nearly 20, LOL!This is particularly funny when you consider I was married a year later. But like others have said, it wasn't b/c I was a behaviorial risk; in fact I was not only extremely mature for my age as a teen, but very trustworthy. I just had absolutely no interest in wandering away from my family- maybe b/c we were a small family of 4. However, the first time I was allowed to go off by myself at an amusment park (Great America) was on my 15th birthday with my cousin, DyGDisney. Again, this had nothing to do with my own maturity, rather my very wise and protective dad, LOL. Now my family , which includes our 5 sons ages 2 1/2- 13 are getting ready to go to Disneyland in 11 days and I've had several comments from family members insinuating that my cell phone toting 13 yr old ds should be allowed some occasional space at the park. My main question, is "why?". The whole purpose of the trip is to spend time as a family b/c that is rarely afforded to us with our crazy daily schedules. I also have heard way too many stories right here on this board of children being harrassed while on their own at Disneyland, or forgetting what time it was, ect, ect- all of which would send this worry-wort mom into V-Fib! Perhaps in a few years when I have two teens in the mix I can trust that the pair would be okay by themselves....for short periods of time.................in good weather..........................................armed with pepper spray...;P
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains BoyStory - I would let DS13 with a phone to go do some stuff while you are in areas that he will not enjoy (Playhouse Disney)- Your kids seem very well behaved and I could see you letting the older two do say TOT or such while you are in PHD) Same would be true for you and the babe while the older boys are on some of the more intense rides (screamin,space)- Even with my two older boys they want to do some things off on their own - but after an hour or two they are back with me!!
Originally Posted By dlkozy >>>"There is no magical age. It all depends on the kid. The parent will know best when they are mature enough to be on their own."<<< AND if I might add, mature enough to not ruin someone else's vacation by being a brat!
Originally Posted By disneymamaof3 I remember going to Disneyland and having free run of the place when I was younger. I agree though, that for us, it's family time. For the most part we stay together. It's rare that we split up when DH is with us. We have a DS - 12, DD - 8 and DD - 5. DS has been gaining more freedoms this last year. His favortie place to be is the magic shop on Main Street, so I'll leave him there while I take the girls to fantsyland. We'll usually meet after an hour at the hub. I also send him to get fastpasses or to get a certain treat that he wants. He knows his freedoms are dependant on how responsible he is. He's always back on time and waiting right where he's supposed to be. I will also let DS and my 8 year old DD go on a ride by themselves. They'll get in line to ride Indy and I'll wait at the exit for them - We only do this if they have fastpasses or the line is only 10 minutes. I can't wait for the day when my 5 year old chicken will ride more than Dumbo & The Tea Cups so we can all ride together.
Originally Posted By JThad I was roaming the park by myself when I was eight. However, that was 30 years ago when the world was much safer...at least at DL. My parents let me roam with my cousin (also 8) because we were the only ones who wanted to go on the brand spankin' new Space Mountain over and over and over and didn't mind the wait. My oldest hasn't expressed a desire to roam around on her own or with her cousins, but I think that 13 is when I would consider it (next year). I DO agree with all those who say that it depends on the child.
Originally Posted By danyoung >The whole purpose of the trip is to spend time as a family b/c that is rarely afforded to us with our crazy daily schedules.< I'm all for family spending time together - there's way too little of that nowadays. But depending on your kids, they may be chomping at the bit to get out and explore on their own. I don't see any problem with a little of both. >I also have heard way too many stories right here on this board of children being harrassed while on their own at Disneyland, or forgetting what time it was...< I'm not sure what those stories are or where you've heard them, but as an avid reader of many online Disney fan sites, I've never once encountered a story of a kid being harassed in a Disney park. Start the kids out with a shorter excursion on their own - maybe 2 hours or so. If they meet up on time, you're building trust between you and them, and can feel comfortable with longer separations. Really, the Disney parks are among the safest places on the planet. Your kids will be fine!
Originally Posted By berol "I've never once encountered a story of a kid being harassed in a Disney park." I read about attempts.
Originally Posted By berol I remember one where a guy grabbed a kid's hand tight and started to walk. I'm hazy on the rest. I think it was the poster who was the grabbee. Nothing came of it, musta yelled or wriggled free after a couple of steps.
Originally Posted By BoyStory "I've never once encountered a story of a kid being harassed in a Disney Park". About a year ago or so ago there was a long thread about a possible attmepted kidnaping of I believe an 11 year old ds of an LPer (sorry, don't remember the name). They initiated the thread and then MANY others had stories of their own. That did it for me! I'm all for kids exploring on their own as they get older. DS13 has been given alot more independence now that he has a cell phone, but I'd save that for our local theme Parks at the very least (and we have many here in the Bay Area) not for our family trip to Disneyland- which is planned for the purpose of uniting our often dislocated family. JMO
Originally Posted By BoyStory Grrrr!....s/b: "about a year or so ago....".. and s/b: "attempted". ....
