Would you let your child do this or am I over the top?

sadly, we live in a world where a UK kid got snatched from her own bathroom, terrorists blow up school kids and the list of horrific stories goes on.

If you really believe the tiny lock on your hotel room is enough to keep you safe, you are the naive one.

Where do you stop?

Indeed, awful awful foreigners.

So much safer in the UK with weirdos taking on random strangers with a flipping machete in the street in daytime. We are so lucky we live in a civilised country, unlike the rest of the world.

As I commented previously, I have a 17 year old DS, he is absolutely fine at navigating travelling on his own. He is unbelievably laid back and very teacher comments on it so I don’t think there’s any damage done- far from it.

Ah yes, the naive people who live in that incredibly rare bubble where people aren't randomly snatched from 30 seconds in a corridor of a Marriott Hotel. Those people don't know how unusual and privileged they are.

I'd have let her go. I'd have figured that the chances of a dangerous individual not only being in one of those rooms, but also knowing DD was about to pass their door and deciding to take the huge risk of opening it at just the right moment to snatch her, with her parents in the same corridor, and once in the room with her, no possibility of getting away unapprehended, was very low indeed.

When we used to go to the US with our girls the first thing they wanted to do when we checked in was find the ice machine, they were fine.

I only asked about the location as the data about sexual assault lawsuits for chain hotels has increased in the U.S in the last two years, I don’t know where you worked at 14 in the UK but that is very young so I doubt it was the Holiday Inn. My Mum is mid 70s and even she didn’t start working in a shop until she was 15 so yes, that is quite surprising.

Of course I don’t know anything about you or you me but yes, I don’t think your are referencing the same experiences as me in your decision making process as I think you would not come to the conclusions you have. Obviously, bad experiences vary in what they are though so they may not be relevant.

When I spoke about my job I was responding to your comments about online safety.

Ott.

Perfectly reasonable expectations for a 12 year old.

I would probably let my 12 year old do it, but it's not unreasonable to say the US (or most countries actually) are less safe than the UK. Its a fact: www.datapandas.org/ranking/murder-rate-by-country

I don't think it's over the top to avoid the risk. I also don't think Madeline Mcann's parents made the right risk assessment in a 'safe' family complex. But hindsight is just that so you have to go with you instinct.

Completely over the top response OP!

It’s a hotel corridor.

I'm in the UK. It was certainly common when I was a child for 14 year olds to have a Saturday job. Granted it's more likely to be 16 year olds with part time jobs now, but times change.

I notice that you and many of the posters on this thread who agree with the OP assume it's because we all live in some kind of charmed life of blissful ignorance where nothing bad has ever happened. Yet you know nothing of our backgrounds.
You repeat that your job informs your risk making decisions, not thinking that perhaps our occupations might similarly influence ours.

We've been letting our daughter go and buy the croissants in the campsite shop on holiday by herself since she was about 12. However we don't just let her go on the first day. We manage the risk. We research our holiday in advance to make sure it's a suitable destination. We accompany her to the shop on the first few days so that she is familiar with the route, the layout, the processes etc. We also note how long it takes to get from A to B so that when she inevitably asks if she can start going to the shop we know when she should be back.
In a few years time she might want to go travelling with friends and will need the skills to navigate life. She will be ill equipped to do so if we don't let her do anything for herself.

@ButWhatAboutTheBees have you never watched 'taken'

I am kidding btw

IME adults who don’t fare well in life normally didn’t develop their problems because they felt loved and secure.

Sometimes outwardly privileged of spoiled types develop issues but it normally isn’t because there was a real and grounded security.

You sound a bit crazy to be honest.

People who won't let their child take this minute level of risk are the same ones panicking when their 18 year old wants to go to Paris for a weekend

There is such a thing as intuition, maybe your spidey sense was triggered and at that moment it was a no. Doesn't mean you'll never let her put rubbish in a bin ever again 😂

Gut instinct is completely underrated!

Thats unreasonable. I wouldn't let my daughter do it when younger, she has grown up absolutely fine, travelled well alone and in groups but has good sensible head on her shoulders.

Theres opportunists..everyone is different but i wouldn't let her

No i wouldn't let her either. In our country or abroad

I think it’s over the top. Someone would have to be hanging around their door peeping through the spy hole just in case someone they want to snatch walks past?

If my 12 year old wants to run to the bin 6 doors down at midnight, I just keep an eye on them from my door, but I wouldn't even stop them!

Completely over the top!

Yeah I would have let my DD go unless it was very late at night.
Last summer we stayed at a hotel and my DDs were bored after dinner and asked if they could go back to the room, they were 12 & 8 then, 12 yo has a mobile so messaged us when they were back in the room. They went back to the room and we stayed for an after dinner drink for half an hour- they were fine and thought they'd had the best adventure ever!

I had to re-read a few times to make sure I got that right. She would have to walk past 6 (times 2) doors to reach the bin on the same corridor? Is that it?

OP, you sound a tad over the top to be polite.

I didn't see the post replying to that, apologies if I missed them, but couldn't you ... just leave your own door open or something?

I am not getting the drama. Good luck if your kid decides to go backpacking in 5 years, if you haven't scared her for life.

Yabvvu
Quite a way to instill irrational fear in your DD as well.