14yo alone for a while at WDW

[ScrappyTam]

We are heading down to WDW in Nov, and I'm thinking about having a nice meal with my hubby without the kids. My youngest is 9 and she's interested in doing one of the kids clubs. However, I've got a DD14 and not so sure about her. I don't know that she would enjoy sitting alone in the room for several hours, but not sure if someplace like DisneyQuest would be a good place for her to be alone either.

Any thoughts?

 

[happymom52003]

I may be paranoid, but I would not leave a fourteen year old (especially a girl) alone at Disney Quest for that long. This day and age there are too many wackos out there, and WDW is not immune to them, unfortuntatly. I think she would be safer in the room...maybe she could watch a movie?

 

[Tim G]

I may be paranoid, but I would not leave a fourteen year old (especially a girl) alone at Disney Quest for that long. This day and age there are too many wackos out there, and WDW is not immune to them, unfortuntatly. I think she would be safer in the room...maybe she could watch a movie?

I wouldn't either... No really, I certainly wouldn't...

 

[ScrappyTam]

That's my concern as well....

Yeah....I have concerns about letting my dd out and about like that as well. It would be nice if there was something around for that age group that would be considered safe, yet age appropriate.

 

[bryPOD]

When I was 14 my parents would let me take my sister (then 12) to any of the parks by ourselves at night. We always had a ton of fun doing this.

I don't know if sending her to DtD by herself at night would be a great idea,
but going to Magic Kingdom or Epcot by herself shouldn't be too bad.

She could also go to the pool, and maybe meet other teens her age at the resort (my sis always would make a million new friends on vacations).

I know all parents are different, and I could totally understand if you don't want the 9 year old tagging along with her ( 9 year olds are hard to keep track of I know).....

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[happymom52003]

When I was 14 my parents would let me take my sister (then 12) to any of the parks by ourselves at night. We always had a ton of fun doing this.

I don't know if sending her to DtD by herself at night would be a great idea,
but going to Magic Kingdom or Epcot by herself shouldn't be too bad.

She could also go to the pool, and maybe meet other teens her age at the resort (my sis always would make a million new friends on vacations).

I know all parents are different, and I could totally understand if you don't want the 9 year old tagging along with her ( 9 year olds are hard to keep track of I know).....

Hope you have a great trip!

I would not let her go to the pool. http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=176541&highlight=swan+arrested

 

[sweetpee_1993]

In this day and age, I wouldn't do it. When I was 11/12 and my step-sister was 9 my parents used to let us stay together and go off on our own at MK and meet back at a disignated time/place. Mind you, we're talking 20+ years ago. This was when off-seasons were truly off-seasons and it was not insane with people in the parks either. This was back when characters could walk around without forming lines for pics because people were considerate of them and each other and it wasn't such a big deal. We had to stay together which we did. We lived in Central Florida then and went so often that I recall walking off from my parents with my sister and us trying to decide what we wanted to do in the MK because nothing really appealed anymore. LOL! Would I do the same with my sons now? Not a chance! Today is different from back when we could walk to the corner store to cash in coke bottles for the nickles and buy bubblegum without being afraid of psychos stalking us. LOL!

Maybe she'd like to stay at the room and watch a movie or order pizza? Maybe she could have a journal or some cool stationary or post cards to write to friends back home. There's also the mini-scrapbook kits she could start laying out some cool memories of her trip thus far. Give her some choices and see what she'd like to have for her own private time. If I was her age, that's what I'd like best.

 

[MicheleK]

I wouldn't. My DD is 12 and my DS is 17. If they got a long better, I'd let my DS take my DD to a park (but only for a couple of hours tops. It's not fair for him to have to "watch" her while we're off having fun). Anyway, I'm not even sure about leaving her in the room, unless you make sure she deadbolts the door from the inside and doesn't open it for ANYBODY but you guys. Any pervert could see you and your husband leave and know she's in the room by herself, if they know what they're looking for.

My brother used to teach woman's self defense and you'd be HORIFIED to hear the stories he would tell me of these poor women.............even in their own homes! Needless to say, he bought me three cans of mace (sp?) to be strategically placed in my house and made me promise to keep my doors locked at all times. And I live in a very wonderful, safe community.

I love Disney, but think about it, wouldn't that be the perfect place for a "sicko" to look for kids??? Just something to think about.

Have a wonderful time whatever you decide. :wave:

 

[michelek73]

14 yr old alone

I think a lot of it depends on the maturity of the 14 yr old and how long you're talking. My daughter will be 13 in Oct. We just left Pop Century on August 21. I had no problem letting her go to the Arcade and swimming without me. Luckily our room was pretty close to the lobby but I think it also depends on where you are having dinner. If it is in your hotel, then why not let her explore a little. If it's at one of the park's then again, if she is mature..she could have a little alone time as well. I also made sure my daughter had her cell phone on her so I could check in with her every so often. She knew how to reach me if she needed me and also how to get to a hotel employee if she had a problem.

 

[disneydudette]

You will always get mixed posts on this forums. We all have different opinions and views, especially when it comes to children.

I would personally avoid a place like Downtown Disney. In my opinion it's easier to find a CM/help at a disney park/resort if you need it.

I feel that a resort is one of the safest places for a child to be left alone if need be. When I was 14 I was able to swim/stand in the pool with no issue or danger compared to a younger child. She would also have easy access to the room and anything the resort has to offer like an arcade.

I'm not sure what resort your staying at but I would suggest leaving her at the hotel with a cell phone and having her check in with you. Leave her with an arcade card, movie (some rooms have DVD players, or bring a portable DVD player), and a couple of bucks for dinner/snacks. Set strict guidlines about where she can be at what time, etc. You could even give her a disney gift card to go on a little shopping spree at the resort gift shop.

Most imporantly do what your most comfortable with, but also your daughter. I'm a believer that "bad things" can happen anywhere, not just Disney. I would love to believe that Disney is the "safest" place in the world, but we all know there is no such thing. Be cautious and prepared.

 

[2excitedkids]

dtd at night? not a good idea in my opinion. staying in the room, while you may trust your daughter, like the other posters stated people "lurk" and wait for this opportunity. how much fun could you have at dinner anyway if you are thinking about your daughters and worrying about them the entire time? i would just make hubby take me somewhere special when we got back home. i have heard that there our some private babysitting options around wdw, you could call one of those and they could send someone out that your daughter could possibly have fun with and make a new friend.

good luck with your decision

 

[happymom52003]

It does not matter how trustworthy a child or teenager is....it is the untrustworthy crazy pedophiles (sp?) that you have to worry about. A trustworthy child may be able to do what you tell them and stay where you tell them and not go looking for trouble, but they can't get away from someone who is determined to cause them harm. And sadly these crazy people are everywhere....try doing a search of your zipcode on the registered -ex offenders website and you will be SHOCKED! Even a few WDW employees have been found out to be pedophiles, I think even recently one was arrested.

 

[Jesùs_Carioca]

If i do remember the age of 14 any well, I would say that going to the pool at the hotel wouldn't be a bad idea. In fact, if i do recall very long ago, I have memories of me hitting up the Pop century arcade place one night where my mother let me with her consent.


But, the thing being that I was a boy...a fairly big one, at that. I'm not sure how parents are with their daughters over things like that, i'd assume much much harsher.


Will the meal be a night event? 14...that's around the ninth grade, no? Hm... I wanna say yes. See if she even likes the idea of staying at the resort. Personally... recalling my childhood again, I was one of those kids in which the room itself fascinated me enough to find entertainment for a night if i needed to.


Oh! Or what you could do maybe is.... set some rules down if you don't want her just wandering around at night? Like....let her go around to the pool or lobby or the hotel, just so long as the sun is up, but come nightfall, she's to go back indoors and hopefully have found something good enough to do for the night?

 

[OneLuckyMom]

The world wasn't all that much safer when we were kids - just ask anyone molested by a priest or a boy scout leader. The difference was that people just didn't talk about it back then.

I guess I'm a bit radical in that I think at 14 a child can handle themselves independantly for a bit. Yes, there are prevs out there - but you have to allow your kids to grow up too. I don't know that I'd send my child out on the Disney bus system by herself to a park at night, but letting her hang out by the pool for a bit should be fine. (Yes, a child was molested at a pool in the area not too long ago, but that child was much younger. I assume your daughter would be much more capable of identifying inappropriate activities and has been taught what to do if the situation arises.)

Other ideas: there are arcades at many hotels that are good for killing some time. Or how about giving her some cash and the job of picking out souveniers for friends or family at the store in the hotel? That could keep most teenage girls I know occupied for quite awhile :lol:

 

[Nemo14]

Absolutely not!!!!

 

[doop]

When I was 14, my parents would allow my brother and I, who was 12 at the time, to roam the parks while they went and had lunch or wanted to see a different attraction. Then again I guess it depends on how mature the child is at 14.

 

[Nemo14]

When I was 14, my parents would allow my brother and I, who was 12 at the time, to roam the parks while they went and had lunch or wanted to see a different attraction. Then again I guess it depends on how mature the child is at 14.

The parks perhaps, but definitely not DTD.

 

[bluefaery]

I agree with everyone that says have her stay in the room and order pizza and watch a movie. IMO that is the saftest thing you can do. Also if you do decide on that, make dure you put the DND sign out.

 

[magic cait ball]

wow...when I was fourteen, all of 5 years ago, my parents were putting me on the Long Island Railroad into Jamaica Queens (anyone not familiar with the area, it's "fiddy" cent's hometown, where he got shot as many times as he brags) where i would then wait on a street corner for an MTA bus, across the stree from a meth clinic every day to get to school....all of this is my catholic school uniform. and my parents are both retired from the NYPD so they've pretty much seen the worse. at t 14 i was also allowed to go into manhattan with friends to hang out. I guess opinions on this stuff varies a lot...:lookaroun


i think disney is a fine place to let her explore some independence

 

[happymom52003]

wow...when I was fourteen, all of 5 years ago, my parents were putting me on the Long Island Railroad into Jamaica Queens (anyone not familiar with the area, it's "fiddy" cent's hometown, where he got shot as many times as he brags) where i would then wait on a street corner for an MTA bus, across the stree from a meth clinic every day to get to school....all of this is my catholic school uniform. and my parents are both retired from the NYPD so they've pretty much seen the worse. at t 14 i was also allowed to go into manhattan with friends to hang out. I guess opinions on this stuff varies a lot...:lookaroun


i think disney is a fine place to let her explore some independence

All I can say is.....