14yo alone for a while at WDW

[happymom52003]

For those of you who are arguing that you need to teach your teenager to be responsible and have independence, I agree... but there are PLENTY of ways to do this without leaving a 14 year old girl alone at NIGHT somewhere in WDW for several hours.

 

[clareita]

I'm also a former high school teacher and that is why I am comfortable letting some 14 year olds babysit my kids. I know from experience that they can be incredibly mature and responsible.

 

[ScrappyTam]

Yikes!

So I'm the OP and have been pulled away from the computer for a few days and came back to this thread. WOW! I didn't realize I would create such controversy.

My original thought was that she might enjoy DQ for what it is. We've never been, so I really wasn't sure about the particulars of the place to help us make that decision. For whatever reason, it didn't dawn on me that it was located at DtD. I guess I was thinking it was it's own thing, not part of the overall mixture of DtD. Once realizing were it was located, that thought was not really what I wanted for her.

I have to admit, I hadn't thought about her attending one of the parks. Ya know...sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. :hammer: For our family, she's at the age, where we are trying to let the apron strings go a little bit...not a great distance, but I do worry about holding on too tightly so that she rebels. We also don't want to be so lenient that she feels like she's 18 already. She stays home alone, she stays home and babysits her younger sister. This summer she flew to training camp at the Olympic Training center, changed planes coming & going, all on her own. So, she has been out some on her own.

With all of that in mind, I think I will talk to her to see if she would like to stay in the room or go to park that's close to the restaurant we have ressies for. And then go from there. You know it would be cool if they had a place similar to what they have on the cruise lines for the older kids.

 

[GrowingUpDisney]

Hey Scrappy.

I have two young boys, but I own a cheerleading gym and work teenage girls everyday. I think you have to decide if you feel your 14 yr old is responsible enough to know what to do in the event that something happen. I know that 14 yr old girls can be extremely reponsible. We actually just took one of our 14 yr old cheerleaders to the beach with us to babysit our 4 yr old DS and 6 mo old DS. She was great.

On the other hand, at 14 I would not have wanted to be too far from my mom. I enjoyed the short leash (hypothetically) that she kept me on. If she would have told me could go to a park while her and dad ate dinner, I think I would have asked to do an activity as close to the dinner location as possible. Maybe I am a mommas girls.

I think if she is what you feel responible, then she will be able to tell you what is comfortable for her. I will agree with other posters that DTD would not be safe for a young lady at night.

Good Luck!! You will make the right decision.

Niki

 

[BuzzLite_Fran]

yeah i hate it when these discussions become nasty......It kinda makes the point not even worth following anymore. I try my best just to give my opinion and where I stand on a certain issue......it seems that inevitable someone ALWAYS gets personal or mean.....Oh well its human nature I guess.

:lol:

 

[mary219]

"You know it would be cool if they had a place similar to what they have on the cruise lines for the older kids."

thats what wdw resorts need.a place for older teens to hang out but with a little supervision

 

[bigtotoro]

So I'm the OP and have been pulled away from the computer for a few days and came back to this thread. WOW! I didn't realize I would create such controversy.

My original thought was that she might enjoy DQ for what it is. We've never been, so I really wasn't sure about the particulars of the place to help us make that decision. For whatever reason, it didn't dawn on me that it was located at DtD. I guess I was thinking it was it's own thing, not part of the overall mixture of DtD. Once realizing were it was located, that thought was not really what I wanted for her.

I have to admit, I hadn't thought about her attending one of the parks. Ya know...sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. :hammer: For our family, she's at the age, where we are trying to let the apron strings go a little bit...not a great distance, but I do worry about holding on too tightly so that she rebels. We also don't want to be so lenient that she feels like she's 18 already. She stays home alone, she stays home and babysits her younger sister. This summer she flew to training camp at the Olympic Training center, changed planes coming & going, all on her own. So, she has been out some on her own.

With all of that in mind, I think I will talk to her to see if she would like to stay in the room or go to park that's close to the restaurant we have ressies for. And then go from there. You know it would be cool if they had a place similar to what they have on the cruise lines for the older kids.

I am glad to see that you are reasonable and are able to see things for what they are. It sounds like you have a fairly mature and responsible 14 year old on your hands. And it sounds like you have done a fine job as a parent.

 

[EpcotGrl]

My "I don't have kids so take this with a grain of salt" advice is to only do what you are comfortable with. My parents started me walking home from school & staying by myself at about 10, so I'm surely not the best barometer. Simply put, all of us here can talk (type?) forever, but you know your daughter and you know best what she's capable of. If you've let her off on her own often & know her to be responsible and mature, then I say let her go. Certainly Disney isn't immune to "wackos", but it's safer than most places.

Good luck whatever you decide, and have fun! :wave:

 

[cdunbar]

Well if your daughter was anything like me when I was 14, which in this case if your even thinking about leaving her to her own devices she proably is, she's proably pretty scrapy and not at all afraid to take care of herself! I mean I for one would be ok with letting my 14 yr old, if I had one, run around the resort and maybe swim in the pool and if God forbid someone tried to do something inappropriate she could proably take care of herself. But Im always a better safe than sorry person and think that she could order a movie, maybe let her feel grown-up and let her order a PG-13 or if it is not too bad maybe a rated R. She could order room service I mean it might get kind of expensive but I'm always an advocate of the idea that it's a good idea to spend money if its going to make things safer...:wave:

 

[phenom1307]

shoot!! not with CMs like this around http://www.local6.com/news/14174123/detail.html

 

[righttrack]

OK. I have a 14 year old DD. Out with friends the same age, and out alone, are two different things. Sure my daughter goes out to the movies with friends, without an adult present, or to the mall, walking with us nearby. But alone, in a strange place, on vacation, please don't! WDW is a great place, but it only takes one sicko, and they know no bounds.

 

[rcapolete]

i think the safer of the two ideas would be the parks. They are very well lit for the most part and there are alot of people as well as CMs every where. The pool/resort is not as well lit and there are way too many areas where nobody my notice anything for too long of a time, Just got back from Pop and i know from taking my kids to the pool at night that there a bushes and such of to the side where unless someone is paying close attention may not notice anything amiss.
Again to me the park that you are eating in would be the safest place if you do decide to let her be on her own. Also maybe think about a tour while you eat.
But i would not let her be at DTD at night by herself

 

[cmatt]

When I was 14 - i was pretty much allowed out on my own as long as I checked in on the way back from what i was doing (and also once i arrived there)

Albeit a text message so i didnt look like a prat in front of my friends - however i have since learned that we all did it :lol:

I went to austria and spain within two years also with the scouts - and we were pretty much led by someone only a few years lder then us.

I was also allowed to be at home on my own, and go out on my bike - and at the age of 16 allowed to go with my college friends to dlrp, one kid did in fairness did drink far too much, but the rest of us didnt join in with the drinking, infact we just left him to it and went to bed.

I dunno - its your decision in the end. But being paranoid will not help matters, and as someone said - you have to let go at some point. It is better to start sooner and gradually letting the leash out.