14yo alone for a while at WDW

[maggiegrace1]

Good lord you people are paranoid!
She's 14, that's high school right? She's firmly a teenager. In another 2 years she'll be able to DRIVE. Good grief, let her have some fun at Disney World for crying out loud.
DTD? Ok, sure, there are drunken idiots there. But what in the world is wrong with the theme parks?!?

People are so paranoid about their kids nowadays. I was just talking to a coworker about this. She won't let her 9 year old out of the house in the summer time while she's at work. I remember being 9, and I wasn't allowed INSIDE the house during summer. We had bikes and a creek and woods to explore. The worst part is, she had a similar experience growing up, yet could not justify why her son is denied the same joy.

I saw a graph recently about the "roaming area" of the average kid by generation. It shrank consistently over the decades. This is incredibly sad IMHO. Don't give in to the media hype about everyone out to get your children. Let them have unstructured play time outside in the world, its GOOD for them.

It is sad..but the thing is that things are worse then they used to be and if you can do anything else to protect your child then I say do it.

I would rather be an over protective parent then a parent who either loses their child or has something horrible happen to their child because someone kidnapped them or worse.:shrug:

I understand that it can happen when they are older also but if I can do my best to make sure they are safe and not left alone then I will...and I will do it as long as I can.


There are some bad people in this world...so I will do whatever it takes to make sure my child is not put in a position where they are vulnerable to these creeps..

Just my thoughts..:wave:

 

[RiversideBunny]

Magic Kindgom - yes.

Downtown Disney - no.

IMHO

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Like I said, time and place that's comfortable for the parent. Again, I grew up in the greater Orlando area. I walked the parks alone with my younger sister at age 11-12. When I got my drivers license there were limitations (like not going downtown, not driving on I-4 without a parent, etc). That didn't mean I couldn't handle it or my parents didn't have faith in me and what they taught me. That meant they didn't trust the rest of the nuts out there. Part of giving a teen their "wings" is teaching them to be aware and be safe. It's not for me to decide what's right for any kid/teen besides my own. If something happened to one of my sons I would have to live with that, nobody else. It's for me to decide what's okay and what's not. That's all.

 

[Laura]

This is a tough call. If it were me I'd skip the dinner for when I was back home and could leave the 14 year old alone at home.

If you're really needing the dinner alone and your daughter is really wanting to have some alone time too, arm her at least with a cell phone and check in frequently.

I wouldn't leave her alone at the resort. More than likely she'd get bored and want to leave the room and could get herself in trouble.

Really, I just don't think it's worth the risk. Certainly with your children being the ages they are you often get chances while at home to have alone time?

 

[mickey&me]

When in doubt, don't.

If you have doubts about your child's safety, then definitely find some other alternative than leaving her alone forany length of time anywhere. Have you talked to her about what she'd like to do instead of the kids' club? She might enjoy relaxing by herself (or catching up on her sleep) in the room with "Do Not Disturb" out and a codeword to use if you actually send someone to the room for her. Many 14yo's are...skittish about being alone in public anyway.

As others have said, it's not really an issue of your dd's maturity or of your trust of her, but of the state of the world in general. When I was younger, you were much more likely to be involved in some activity with people you knew (family members, family friends, authority figures from scouts, etc.) whereas now the crimes are more "general population" (someone who follows you home, for example).

I don't think it's paranoid to protect your child (and 14 IS a child--legally, emotionally, and physically); it's smart.

Hope you guys can work something out and have a great trip!

 

[BuzzLite_Fran]

Two examples: Madeline Mcann, and Natalie Holloway.......

Disney is no exception and children are not any safer than anywhere else in the world. I would not let my 14 year old daughter or son for that matter stay by themselves even in a hotel room. There will be plenty of time to allow your children to grow up and learn independence. 14 is just a little too young to take a chance. To me a steak dinner is not worth the risk of something happening, because if something does bad does happen, you only get one chance, and if it occurrs then you might never get another chance to rethink your decision. I know bad things can happen anywhere, its just 14......nah if it was me I wouldnt, and I wont with my kids.

just my humble opinion for what its worth

 

[mary219]

I think you will not be able to enjoy your alone time worrying if your children are ok.When your home,plan alone time with your husband.This is easier knowing your 9 and 14 yr old are home together and safe.Assuming you can trust your 14 yr old which i would think is the case because of the very nature of your post.Believe me,i understand fully feeling like you want to do something just as adults while in wdw.
Its just hard to do funthings if your worried about getting back to make sure everything is ok.That being said,if you are ok with it and she is ok with it and you have a way for her to reach you immediately,and you feel you will be able to have a nice evening and not worry,then i think she will be fine hanging around the resort,14 is just on the brink of the time when you have to decide where to let loose a little and with what in regards to your kids(imho).Its just such a scary world at times and you never can be 100% sure.

 

[mouselvrmom]

When I was 14 I was going to dance clubs in Mexico alone with a friend. However, I have a 13 year old daughter who is no where near as mature as I was at her age. I don't think we would leave her alone in disney for quite awhile yet.

I guess it just depends on the maturity level of your daughter and what you and she are comfortable with, I would think the room might be ok if you are both ok with it.

 

[OneLuckyMom]

It is sad..but the thing is that things are worse then they used to be and if you can do anything else to protect your child then I say do it.

Actually, no they're not. According to the US Department of Justice, violent crime rates have dropped 26% since 1996. Murder rates are about the same as they were in the 1960s. Rape rates are about 1/5 of what they were in 1973.

We are just more aware - that doesn't mean that things are actually worse.

Other things to keep in mind:
- 2/3s of children murdered are murdered by a family member or acquaintance.
- 80% of girls that are sexually victimized are abused by someone they know.

If you are not comfortable letting your child out at 14, then fine. That's your call. But it's not any worse than it was when (most of us) were kids.

 

[bryPOD]

Any one who thinks that the world is "more dangerous" now than it has ever been is out of their mind. The world is just as dangerous, maybe less so(see post above^). The difference is that we are such a communication based society that we hear more about the danger out in the world now more than ever.

A 14 year old is safer out in the "real" world then they would be chatting online in the comfort of their own home...

 

[t3techcom18]

Like some have said before, it all depends on the maturity of your daughter. I agree especially with bryPOD said, that basically it's just for the fact that the information you see and hear are a lot more than how they were before.

If you would want to leave her alone, I say stick with either the parks or back at the resort. If it's at night, like in this case, then I should suggest just free roaming around the resort where you're staying at, but over at DTD is not a good idea. If it were like her and another friend of her's at her own age level or older, that would be okay, or like in a group of 3 or more. DTD is not a place to be at that time of night, not only cause of the fact that locals can get in there, and all the crazy wackos can show up, but more importantly, you got the risk of her encountering people who are drunk strolling through PI (yes, I've seen drunk people hanging around PI starting at about 7 or 8pm), and the fact of the matter is that if you're there and you don't know the surrondings well, that's gunna add to more of the trouble of trying to get around there. I wouldn't say to leave her alone at PI til she's about 3 years older or so.

Now, if it's parks, let her. Just let her know the usual stuff, but be aware, bus schedules and Monorails can be a big pain and can cause a LOT of time to get from one place to another, and I say that from experience, haha. I'm 17, and I've been to the parks lots of times by myself, even during night, and while I'm a guy, I know for sure that it's a LOT safer and a LOT less worrisome if she's gunna be there in the parks at night.

Hope this helps! :wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. How about making this a special date night with your daughter? How totally special would she feel if she was included in the grown-up stuff? It would be a great opportunity to bond and spend some good quality time with your DD. When I was a teenager I would've loved to have that special time with a parent or parents.

 

[maggiegrace1]

Well no matter if it is better then it was or worse..yes..we are more aware and because of that and what I do know goes on.. I would not be comfortable leaving my child that age alone..anywhere.

 

[sbkline]

The first time I ever went to WDW was in 1987 when I was 11 or 12 years old. My brother is 3 years older than me and my cousin (who may parents took along as well) is about a year older than him. So, we had roughly a 15 year old, 14 year old and a 12 year old, and Mom & Dad let the three of us take off our own way while they went off together and everything was just fine. Of course there was three of us as opposed to one of us on our own. But I wouldn't think a 14 year old alone at a Disney park would be all that dangerous.

 

[wdwmomof3]

I didn't have time to read all of this but there is no way that I would leave my 14 year old alone... anywhere.

 

[kirst_al UK]

Two examples: Madeline Mcann, and Natalie Holloway.......

Disney is no exception and children are not any safer than anywhere else in the world. I would not let my 14 year old daughter or son for that matter stay by themselves even in a hotel room. There will be plenty of time to allow your children to grow up and learn independence. 14 is just a little too young to take a chance. To me a steak dinner is not worth the risk of something happening, because if something does bad does happen, you only get one chance, and if it occurrs then you might never get another chance to rethink your decision. I know bad things can happen anywhere, its just 14......nah if it was me I wouldnt, and I wont with my kids.

just my humble opinion for what its worth

I'm glad someone brought this up.........godforbid if anything was to happen to your daughter after leaving her alone either in your room or in a park you would never forgive yourselves. As much as you would like an adult meal with your hubby you both have the rest of your lives to do this rather than (bit strong but true....) having to put your daughters life at risk.

Yes ok your daughter may be 14 and only you know how mature she is however you must be having doubts as you've posted on here for people to give their views.....i may be wrong and forgive me if i am but you can't be 100% sure you want to leave her alone full stop - whether it be in the room or in a park.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. How about making this a special date night with your daughter? How totally special would she feel if she was included in the grown-up stuff? It would be a great opportunity to bond and spend some good quality time with your DD. When I was a teenager I would've loved to have that special time with a parent or parents.

This is a good idea but there arnt many 14 year olds that would enjoy to have a sit down meal with their parents. Looking back now yes i would've enjoyed it too - but at the time......i couldnt think of anything worse.

 

[bigtotoro]

Two examples: Madeline Mcann, and Natalie Holloway.......

Disney is no exception and children are not any safer than anywhere else in the world. I would not let my 14 year old daughter or son for that matter stay by themselves even in a hotel room. There will be plenty of time to allow your children to grow up and learn independence. 14 is just a little too young to take a chance. To me a steak dinner is not worth the risk of something happening, because if something does bad does happen, you only get one chance, and if it occurrs then you might never get another chance to rethink your decision. I know bad things can happen anywhere, its just 14......nah if it was me I wouldnt, and I wont with my kids.

just my humble opinion for what its worth

Uh...Natalie Holloway is a perfect example of exactly what I am talking about. She was in a foreign country, had too much to drink, and went off (willingly) with strange men she did not know. She made several stupid mistakes and put herself in a bad situation. Take the chains off a little at a time so your child is not so foolish by the time she is 18.

 

[Shere_Khan]

I don't understand the "wait until you get home to go out to eat alone" argument sorry.
I don't feel that your child is any safer in your home when you go out to dinner back home then she would be at a resort.
At a home there are several more places for someone to break in, and not as many people around at night to help her if this did happen.
If you tell her to stay in the room and you trust that she will do just that, I think she would be perfectly safe in the resort room. She should not answer the door for anyone but you.
Now I am not sure if I would let her roam the resort alone at night though. I feel a resort is less safe then a park like MK. At a resort you most of the time walk past several room doors in which a person could easily grab you when walking by. Even I feel a little uneasy at night in hotels.
I think if you took the bus with her to MK or Epcot and then let her go to the park for a couple hours and pick her up inside the parks to go back to the resort that would be just fine. No one can take her out of the park without her screaming and crying to attract attention. Just do not let her use transportation alone because once outside of the park bad things could easily happen without anyone knowing.
I agree with several of you that safety is best but I also do feel teenagers should be given a little inch. They will be more rebellious when they hit college years and finally get out on their own if they were never given trust.

 

[mgraef]

my opinion is leave the 14 yo in the hotel room. Disney is a big place. and call often...

mg

 

[kirst_al UK]

I don't understand the "wait until you get home to go out to eat alone" argument sorry.
I don't feel that your child is any safer in your home when you go out to dinner back home then she would be at a resort.
At a home there are several more places for someone to break in, and not as many people around at night to help her if this did happen.
If you tell her to stay in the room and you trust that she will do just that, I think she would be perfectly safe in the resort room. She should not answer the door for anyone but you.
Now I am not sure if I would let her roam the resort alone at night though. I feel a resort is less safe then a park like MK. At a resort you most of the time walk past several room doors in which a person could easily grab you when walking by. Even I feel a little uneasy at night in hotels.
I think if you took the bus with her to MK or Epcot and then let her go to the park for a couple hours and pick her up inside the parks to go back to the resort that would be just fine. No one can take her out of the park without her screaming and crying to attract attention. Just do not let her use transportation alone because once outside of the park bad things could easily happen without anyone knowing.
I agree with several of you that safety is best but I also do feel teenagers should be given a little inch. They will be more rebellious when they hit college years and finally get out on their own if they were never given trust.

I think that the people saying this is on the basis that they have a babysitter or a friend to stay with them when back home. I certainly wouldnt leave my 14 year old alone back here in the UK.

I think that if you are going to do anything other than taking her with you they letting her roam the park is probably the second in line - however if some wierdo also roaming the park was to spot her wondering here there and everywhere, ALONE, yes ok if shes kicking and screaming as hes/shes trying to take her out of the park folk would notice but whos to say they dont drag her in to the toilet, behind some bushes and/or a wall and commit some horrific crime? As much as i dont like to talk about this kinda stuff - this is what the worlds coming too.