Summer means movies, swimming and amusement parks. But what are the boundaries when it comes to leaving older kids at parks unsupervised?
Every year we buy a season pass to Six Flags. If you go at least three times during the season you will save a lot of money that way. With the season ticket comes a coupon book filled with discounts and free buddy passes. And that's where my problems began.
Last year I took my then 12 year old son and a friend to the park on a weekday. I tagged along as they rode the coasters, ate junk food and splashed in the water park. This year, however, my independent minded teenager wanted me to drop him and his buddy at the park to wander around unsupervised. I called Six Flags, and yes, they have plenty of perent-less 13 year olds running around. But the question is, am I ready to let my son be one of them? My husband and I decided that I would sit in the water park the whole day while he and his friend hit the rides. After much arguing, he agreed. (He didn't really have a choice.)
Except for the whir of passing trains and the firing up of the wave pool, I was able to get work done peacefully, and the kids had fun. As I was sipping my $4 lemonade, I was thinking, what was I worried about? With security guards and a metal detector at the entrance, the place is safer than the mall. I guess I envisioned them getting lost with broken eye glasses and missing shoes. None of that happened. And after all the arguing, at the end, my son said he was glad I was there. Sure, wait until you start to drive.
