Leaving Kids Asleep In Our Cabin.....Alone

[wilkeliza]

If they r locked in a hotel room, I don't really see a difference. It's all about the unknown/emergency to me and kids maturity etc.

In NYC you could end up more than 30 minutes away by cab in a bar crawl. On a cruise you could literately be just down the hall. Also your kids aren't going to leave the room and end up on the streets of a major city they would end up in the hall of a cruise ship. Yes terrible things have happened on cruises but the chances are much less likely.

 

[Racer X]

That makes no sense. Unless you are saying your entire family does everything together all the time together 24/7 when you cruise. No kids clubs, no adult dining, your kids are always physically with you. Sorry, I don't choose to live my life fearing the absolute worst scenario will happen.

Those things you mentioned happen to be monitored. The OP is talking about 10 y.o. kids not teens. I don't choose to be one of those parents who let their kids run amock through ship halls w/o supervision... but apparently that's just me.

 

[wilkeliza]

Those things you mentioned happen to be monitored. The OP is talking about 10 y.o. kids not teens. I don't choose to be one of those parents who let their kids run amock through ship halls w/o supervision... but apparently that's just me.

No one is condoning letting their kids run amok. We are discussing pre-teens asleep in the room and parents leaving for an hour.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Those things you mentioned happen to be monitored. The OP is talking about 10 y.o. kids not teens. I don't choose to be one of those parents who let their kids run amock through ship halls w/o supervision... but apparently that's just me.

Kids younger than teenagers have in out privileges of the clubs. I don't see anything mentioned about kids running amock, sounds like you're projecting. I'd say a good number of parents let their tween kids go get ice cream or snacks without them. If there happened to be a muster situation let's be honest, there'd be a good number of kids without their parents in their immediate vicinity.

 

[bbel]

A child can be a self check from the club from age 7!

If you trust your kids to be a self check then there isn't really a difference.
Especially as a lot of kids check out and go back to an empty cabin...

Until quite recently part of being a self check meant that if an emergency happened they would be let out of the club to go to their emergency station. Again, not much of a difference.

Imo there's more of a danger to a self check then leaving them in a cabin, they leave the club and are on their own with a ship full of strangers, pools to drown in, stairs to fall down, sea to fall into, food to choke on (yes I'm exaggerating)

If they're in the cabin, they're pretty protected....

 

[Dallas_Lady]

You know your kids better than we do. That said, I would feel comfortable leaving mine at that age.

 

[Dug720]

In NYC you could end up more than 30 minutes away by cab in a bar crawl. On a cruise you could literately be just down the hall. Also your kids aren't going to leave the room and end up on the streets of a major city they would end up in the hall of a cruise ship. Yes terrible things have happened on cruises but the chances are much less likely.

Or stuck in a tunnel on the subway (phones now work in stations more or less - in the tunnels not so much) with the way things have been going with the MTA as of late...

 

[FigmentSpark]

Since you asked... another vote for NO. For starters, the wave phones are not easy to use, when they work, and the same can be said for the app. So do NOT count on that. With that being said, would you go to a new city, lock them in the hotel, and leave for a couple hours to go bar hopping? Just one of those times when you should divide up. OR put them in the kids club until you check them out.

Actually, it's more like letting them fall asleep, then going down to the bar in the hotel for a few drinks. No one is inaccessible and unaccounted for by the ship (or hotel in your example). But even then, strangers can break into your hotel room and disappear into the night afterwards. That won't happen on a ship.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

DH and I left our 9 year-old DD in the stateroom one night. She was EXHAUSTED from playing on the water trampolines in St. Maarten, and feel asleep at Parrot Cay (the old dining room on the Magic) that night. We carried her back to the room, put her in bed (even let her sleep in her clothes.) Put out the do not disturb sign. We then went to the deck party. Went back to the room (1.5 hours later) She was still in the same sleep position. We thought nothing of it.

I grew up with a BEYOND over-protective mom. (My father never had a say in us being able to do things. It was her way, or the highway.) She based EVERY scenario on "what-if, you never know, something could happen..") I could write a book on the things my four siblings and I were not allowed to do. Couldn't ride our bicycles on the street, couldn't babysit other people's kids (I was 15, yes, 15) don't answer the front door...

We still resent it. My older siblings learned to be 'sneaky' as a result.

OP, you know your kids best. Go with your gut.

 

[The Sasquatch]

let them go enjoy the club and shut it down instead of worrying about bedtime. Its vacation and they might not be ready to call it a night either! If they have self checkout they can go to the bar and get you if needed.

 

[NewsMom]

Since you asked... another vote for NO. For starters, the wave phones are not easy to use, when they work, and the same can be said for the app. So do NOT count on that. With that being said, would you go to a new city, lock them in the hotel, and leave for a couple hours to go bar hopping? Just one of those times when you should divide up. OR put them in the kids club until you check them out.

Bar hopping? No. But I think the more comparable scenario is going to dinner and the bar IN the hotel. And yes, I would be comfortable with that.

 

[Maleficent9]

Wow! Leaving unattended children in a cabin alone seems akin to leaving a child in a car or at home unattended. Nothing I would EVER consider, much less do. Bad things can happen in the blink of an eye and children lack the maturity to make adult decisions. What if something was to happen and you can't get to them? I'm one who would put more planning into a vacation. It's either a family trip where you act as a responsible parent OR a couples trip where you leave the kids with a family member and can come/go as you please.

 

[SirDuff]

Since you asked... another vote for NO. For starters, the wave phones are not easy to use, when they work, and the same can be said for the app. So do NOT count on that. With that being said, would you go to a new city, lock them in the hotel, and leave for a couple hours to go bar hopping? Just one of those times when you should divide up. OR put them in the kids club until you check them out.

My parents did - in Paris (though they weren't "bar hopping" and I think I saw my mum drink about five drinks ever). I think I was eight and my brother was nine (though we may have been nine and ten). Probably not the smartest thing that they ever did, but, yes, parents (good parents) do it.

Disagree! the ship is a city unto itself with more foreigners than you might find in a single hotel. Just because you can doesn't mean you should...

If you want to start with child labor laws, lets talk about WHY they enacted them in the first place.

Yes, because we all know that the probability of something bad happening increases as the number of foreigners increases. What does that have to do with anything?

 

[cadien]

Wow! Leaving unattended children in a cabin alone seems akin to leaving a child in a car or at home unattended. Nothing I would EVER consider, much less do. Bad things can happen in the blink of an eye and children lack the maturity to make adult decisions. What if something was to happen and you can't get to them? I'm one who would put more planning into a vacation. It's either a family trip where you act as a responsible parent OR a couples trip where you leave the kids with a family member and can come/go as you please.

There's nothing wrong with leaving a 10 year old in a car unattended either. At home can depend on the child and for how long, but it's still quite common.

 

[wilkeliza]

Wow! Leaving unattended children in a cabin alone seems akin to leaving a child in a car or at home unattended. Nothing I would EVER consider, much less do. Bad things can happen in the blink of an eye and children lack the maturity to make adult decisions. What if something was to happen and you can't get to them? I'm one who would put more planning into a vacation. It's either a family trip where you act as a responsible parent OR a couples trip where you leave the kids with a family member and can come/go as you please.

My mom left me a lone at home while I napped when I was 6 or 7. Up until the mid 90s latchkey kids were a thing. Maybe we should go back to letting kids have a tiny bit of independence instead of acting like everyone is out to harm them.

edit to add I'm not that super old this was in 94/95. Mom needed to go to the grocery store quickly and knew I nap for no less than an hour. She was gone maybe 15 minutes (I know because I woke up, freaked out, and called my grandma. Sure it was scary when it happened but I wasn't scared by it by any means. I just use to remind my mom that she made me cry when really it was no big deal haha).

 

[cadien]

For the people saying no way, is the concern that someone would break into the room or that the child would leave the room or that there would be a muster-level disaster?

 

[pezgirlroy]

Wow! Leaving unattended children in a cabin alone seems akin to leaving a child in a car or at home unattended. Nothing I would EVER consider, much less do. Bad things can happen in the blink of an eye and children lack the maturity to make adult decisions. What if something was to happen and you can't get to them? I'm one who would put more planning into a vacation. It's either a family trip where you act as a responsible parent OR a couples trip where you leave the kids with a family member and can come/go as you please.

One thing I would say is that the original poster is talking about a 10 year old. And yes, I would leave my ten year old at home unattended for a short period of time with the doors locked and a way to reach me (also having gone over what to do in the case of an issue). A six year old no I wouldn't.

 

[Maleficent9]

There's nothing wrong with leaving a 10 year old in a car unattended either. At home can depend on the child and for how long, but it's still quite common.

Well, I suppose leaving a minor (or a pet for that matter) unattended in a car depends on where you live. Do it here and not only are you fined and/or jailed, you earn yourself an upclose and personal meeting with child protective services. Must be just one of those things - some states & cities choose to be proactive instead of reactive.

 

[NewsMom]

Wow! Leaving unattended children in a cabin alone seems akin to leaving a child in a car or at home unattended. Nothing I would EVER consider, much less do. Bad things can happen in the blink of an eye and children lack the maturity to make adult decisions. What if something was to happen and you can't get to them? I'm one who would put more planning into a vacation. It's either a family trip where you act as a responsible parent OR a couples trip where you leave the kids with a family member and can come/go as you please.

My 9yo? In a car? Um, yeah. He's not a German Shepherd. He's a functioning human being who can open (or lock) a door. I don't feel a need to drag him in when I pick up drycleaning or run in to grab a prescription. And he would frankly prefer to play on his phone.

Honestly, I spend a ton of time with my kid on stuff like this because I'm a single parent. But that "responsible parent" crack just makes me want to rumble. I probably WON'T leave my kid in the room, by his choice, but I don't think there's anything irresponsible about the decision if it's made thoughtfully about risks and the kid in question.

 

[NewsMom]

Well, I suppose leaving a minor (or a pet for that matter) unattended in a car depends on where you live. Do it here and not only are you fined and/or jailed, you earn yourself an upclose and personal meeting with child protective services. Must be just one of those things - some states & cities choose to be proactive instead of reactive.

Oh for the love of God. There is a world of difference between leaving a baby in a car and a fifth grader.