Question re:leaving sleeping kids alone in cabin?

[fidoprincess]

One of our friends just told me she always leaves her kids sleeping in their cabin. She said she gets them out of Camp around 9 or 10, sometimes earlier and tucks them into bed and then turns on the walkie talkie with the "rubber band trick" and heads up to get snacks or go to the casino. She stays for hours in the casino and goes to the midnight buffet when they have it.

 

I was surprised and told her that the evening sitting is really cheap and she said she tried that in the beginning but her kids never slept there and were always tired and cranky. She said the all night slumber party was too much because her kids stayed up until 3 eating junk and then were too sick and tired to go on the excursions the next day. She says she puts the "Do not disturb" sign on the door so no staff come in and she could hear then if they woke up. She told me in no uncertain terms that it wasn't a matter of money at all!

 

This is my first cruise taking my kids, 6 & 11 and I am really confused about the whole thing now. Her kids are the same age as mine. I just think that I would worry so much that there would be some emergency on the ship and I wouldn't be able to get to them. She said she worries more about mistreatment of her kids by others, esp. molestation!

 

I had planned on doing the camp carnival but now I can see certain points about the kids asleep in "their own beds" and not having to either stay up or be woken up to be moved to their cabin. I would never leave my kids alone in a hotel room to go to the bar or restaurant but have walked down the hall to the soda machine. To me, this seems like the same thing but she thinks that because it is a ship and her kids know to never leave the room if they wake up, it has worked fine for them. She says they just call out to her on the walkie talkie and she goes back until they fall asleep again and then off she goes, her husband too! I know my kids would be good and not leave the cabin or go out on the balcony but geez, what if there was a fire or worse? She said she would just call to them on the Walkie Talkie with instructions-ugh!

 

Does anyone else do this? How could it possibly be "safe"? Is this some unwritten trick a lot of people do and I just never heard about before? Thanks in advance for your replies!

[starketcher]

No way would I EVER do that! I would hire someone to sit in the cabin, if that is available on the ship or I would take a sitter with me.o r I would leave this kids at home. I would never leave my child alone in the cabin!!

[SeaPA1]

Wow. Speachless. I guess to each his own, but IMHO, your friend was either pulling your leg or has a hole in her head (and wife & I are not remotely the worrywart/overprotective type).

[born2crooz]

No way!!

 

We always budget for the after hours slumber parties ($10.00 per hour for both kids).

 

That is our alone time and the kids just love it! They beg to go every night.

 

If you want to gamble, just put some of your "fun money" to good use and let them go to Camp Carnival.

[mom2eli]

I personally think some 11 year olds are responsible enough and would be fine. Has the 11 year old ever watched their sibling before for a short period of time. As the Mom you know the level of responsibility he/she has. So if you don't feel it its there hire someone if you trust them, you are doing what is right.

[boaterette]

That mother needs to have her head examined and her kids taken away. That is irresponsible. No way would I leave my kids alone in the room. If she doesn't want to watch them leave them at home with a trusted guardian.

[cardinalfan]

There are too many things that could happen to them. To me it is totally irresponsible for anyone to leave a child alone on a cruise ship. I would highly recommend that you NOT do this. I am hoping that your friend is joking but to me it smacks of child neglect.

[beachbrat]

I have let my daughter have "run of the ship" since she was 12.

 

We can talk about all of the "what ifs" and never leave the house....

[TrinaLC]

I would be OK with a variation - mom/dad going back to the room literally every half hour for a visual. If it is a balcony room I'd feel diferently.

 

Realize, I have nieces/nephews who can navigate the NYC subway system by themselves, and thinking back, I did too - at 9 by myself.

[BND]

I've raised two who are in college right now and there's no way I'd have left them alone in a cabin to go party/gamble. If that's what you want to do on a cruise, leave them home or send them to where they are being watched by responsible adults. She's worried about molestation, but not about the many other things that can happen to children left alone asleep? Someone could get in or the kids could panic and leave the room if an emergency happened. Kids can say they know what to do, but when it comes down to it, most aren't mature enough to do it. Not to mention, it's been proven that children sleep through all kinds of alarms (fire, radio, burgular, etc) and if she couldn't get to them, they might not wake up to take care of themselves. Walkie talkies are not foolproof and do not always work well, especially if a lot of other people are using them, like during an emergency. My guess is they're not really old enough to stay on their own if they need to be tucked in and she has to go back when they wake up so why is it any different than going off and leaving them alone at home?

[idocdlw]

you also choose all potential consequences. Bad things can happen, no matter how diligent we are as parents, but we can certainly stack the deck in favor of our children's safety and well-being by making wise choices.

[georgeb]

I think it would depend on

1. Age of oldest child

2. Maturity of oldest child

3. Age of youngest child

4. How disiplined the youngest child is

5. Location of room to where I would be

 

My wife and I are debating it for when we go to see the adult comic. If our kids can stay up we'll probably send them to the camp. But with the walkie talkies and knowing I could back to the room in < 2 min, maybe. I'm ok with 1 -4 but 5 is the real question for me. That's mainly for the worst case problems. We'll see how the kids are late at night. Again, I wouldn't be comfortable if our room is at the back of the ship on the lowest deck and I'm in the front watching a show. It would take too long to get to them.

[VentureMan_2000]

What a wacco!

 

If you bring your children on a trip... the whole trip should be about the children. Leaving them alone is just wrong.

 

If you want a trip about you... leave the kids at home with Grandma.

 

Some people... :mad:

[momof4boys]

Uh......no!

[gfsmith]

I think it would depend on

1. Age of oldest child

2. Maturity of oldest child

3. Age of youngest child

4. How disiplined the youngest child is

5. Location of room to where I would be

 

My wife and I are debating it for when we go to see the adult comic. If our kids can stay up we'll probably send them to the camp. But with the walkie talkies and knowing I could back to the room in < 2 min, maybe. I'm ok with 1 -4 but 5 is the real question for me. That's mainly for the worst case problems. We'll see how the kids are late at night. Again, I wouldn't be comfortable if our room is at the back of the ship on the lowest deck and I'm in the front watching a show. It would take too long to get to them.

 

 

I agree with this it really depends on the cercumstances. I do believe the 11 year old may be responsible enough but how disiplinned is the 6 year old? I really depends on the child. Last year my son and his friend were with me and DH and we left them at night, checking in on occassion. They were 11 and 12 at the time though, and both are very responsable boys. This was just our experiences. Our first cruise was with Disney so leaving them alone was never a problem since the kids program was open as long as there was still things going on. A parent knows thier own children, and can decide accordingly.

[evy123]

I know my kids would be good and not leave the cabin or go out on the balcony but geez, what if there was a fire or worse?

 

No, you don't know. Children's brains are not fully developed and no matter how mature a young child seems, there is always a possibility that he or she may choose to do something stupid.

 

I would never leave my child alone in a cabin, especially with a balcony. Your kids are the most precious things in your life, don't risk their safety for a night of fun.

[meluvtogocruise]

One of our friends just told me she always leaves her kids sleeping in their cabin. She said she gets them out of Camp around 9 or 10, sometimes earlier and tucks them into bed and then turns on the walkie talkie with the "rubber band trick" and heads up to get snacks or go to the casino. She stays for hours in the casino and goes to the midnight buffet when they have it.

 

I was surprised and told her that the evening sitting is really cheap and she said she tried that in the beginning but her kids never slept there and were always tired and cranky. She said the all night slumber party was too much because her kids stayed up until 3 eating junk and then were too sick and tired to go on the excursions the next day. She says she puts the "Do not disturb" sign on the door so no staff come in and she could hear then if they woke up. She told me in no uncertain terms that it wasn't a matter of money at all!

 

This is my first cruise taking my kids, 6 & 11 and I am really confused about the whole thing now. Her kids are the same age as mine. I just think that I would worry so much that there would be some emergency on the ship and I wouldn't be able to get to them. She said she worries more about mistreatment of her kids by others, esp. molestation!

 

I had planned on doing the camp carnival but now I can see certain points about the kids asleep in "their own beds" and not having to either stay up or be woken up to be moved to their cabin. I would never leave my kids alone in a hotel room to go to the bar or restaurant but have walked down the hall to the soda machine. To me, this seems like the same thing but she thinks that because it is a ship and her kids know to never leave the room if they wake up, it has worked fine for them. She says they just call out to her on the walkie talkie and she goes back until they fall asleep again and then off she goes, her husband too! I know my kids would be good and not leave the cabin or go out on the balcony but geez, what if there was a fire or worse? She said she would just call to them on the Walkie Talkie with instructions-ugh!

 

Does anyone else do this? How could it possibly be "safe"? Is this some unwritten trick a lot of people do and I just never heard about before? Thanks in advance for your replies!

 

I guess we know where your friends priorities are!

[georgeb]

What a wacco!

 

If you bring your children on a trip... the whole trip should be about the children. Leaving them alone is just wrong.

 

If you want a trip about you... leave the kids at home with Grandma.

 

Some people...

 

May I ask who you're calling a wacco? :mad: :eek: :p :confused: :(

[Lewdog]

It was when I was a teen that my mom should have had a sitter for me!

[hobbit81]

you know, at first I thought "no way!" but then I read someone elses post about knowing the NY subways system at age 9. It got me thinking. I flew home from Thailand when I was 13, by myself and had to stay overnight in Hong Kong. My biggest fear then was if I would oversleep and miss the flight to Atlanta from Hong Kong. But life has also changed since then. An 11 year old can be left alone legally, in most states if he/she is emotionally mature anough. As for as the 11 year old being in charge of the younger one, that's dangerous. I just don't think I could do it. I'd use the sitting service so the kids would be with other's their age and be supervised. It's their vacation too.

 

oh, I have a 13 year old son and when we are on vacation at the beach, he is allowed to go around the hotel and beach with a friend, but has to check in every hour. There is no excuses.

 

As for Thialand; I was a very independent child. It was a necessary at the time and I had no problem doing it. I'm sure my folks worried, as I know my grandparents did and they thought we were all crazy.

 

sorry so long

[Lewdog]

What a wacco!

 

If you bring your children on a trip... the whole trip should be about the children

 

That's a little anal don't you think!

[JerseyGirl97]

No, you don't know. Children's brains are not fully developed and no matter how mature a young child seems, there is always a possibility that he or she may choose to do something stupid.

 

I would never leave my child alone in a cabin, especially with a balcony. Your kids are the most precious things in your life, don't risk their safety for a night of fun.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. You never truely know what your kids will do if you are not there with them. Especially alone in a new and exciting place! I have a 5 year old. She will be 6 when we cruise. And there is not a chance I would ever leave her alone.

Could you live with yourself if something terrible happened to one of your children while you were off gambling and drinking? I couldn't. I think maybe your friend has her priorities a little messed up.

[Rene in TN]

My question is this - Would you leave your 11 yr old home alone with your younger child normally? Late at night? Not sure about other states, but that's illegal where I live. Too many bad scenarios running through my head.

[georgeb]

I couldn't agree with you more. You never truely know what your kids will do if you are not there with them. Especially alone in a new and exciting place! I have a 5 year old. She will be 6 when we cruise. And there is not a chance I would ever leave her alone.

Could you live with yourself if something terrible happened to one of your children while you were off gambling and drinking? I couldn't. I think maybe your friend has her priorities a little messed up.

 

Not to say who is right and who is wrong but she said the oldest was 11, not 5/6.

 

Additionaly if we had a balcony, the answer would be no without question.

[JerseyGirl97]

Not to say who is right and who is wrong but she said the oldest was 11, not 5/6.

 

Additionaly if we had a balcony, the answer would be no without question.

 

 

I was refering to my 5/6 year old. I was giving my opinion. That's all it is. And in my opinion a 5/6 year old needs to be supervised by someone older than an 11 year old. I teach 6th grade. I know a thing or two about 11 year olds and one thing I know is they are children. Not to be made into little parents or babysitters in a strange environment so mom and dad can go have some fun. And the OP did say she did not think they would go on the balcony, so I assume there is a balcony.