Leaving 16 yr old alone on holiday.

[TooManyCats2024]

Going to Florida in a week. Plan to meet up with a friend who is a drag performer and see his show. It’s over 21’s only, so 16 (nearly 17) year old son can’t come. He is happy to stay in the resort on his own and chill out, eat, watch a movie etc. We will be a couple of miles away and out for a couple of hours. For context he goes out with friends in the evening at home and is very sensible and reliable. Stupidly I mentioned this to my sister and she is making me feel like I’m the world’s most irresponsible parent! What would you do? Are we being selfish?

If he can swim surely a 16-year-old should be able to use the pool?
If not, I totally get it.

Don't mollycoddle him.

He's the perfect age to start branching out on his own. And find his confidence.

Yes, although he would be with friends, hence the request that he doesn’t use the pool.
Interested to see that people would allow their teens to go to the parks - he often goes off to go on a ride by himself whilst we are there, but always when we are still in the park. I might suggest he could stay in whichever park we are in that day.
Sister has a DD aged 18 and 12 year old twins. She is generally horrified that we go to Disney in the first place, as it’s not educational!

Honestly that’s being over cautious. I have a pool at home. I don’t ban my teenagers of similar ages to not swimming if no one is home. Leave the boy and let him have some space.

Interested to see that people would allow their teens to go to the parks

I used to do it myself at 16. I was obsessed with getting on every ride I possibly could, and we'd go with cousins who were much younger, so there were a few days every holiday I'd ditch everyone else while they had a hotel day, and spend an epic day taking in the Magic Kingdom or Epcot by myself.

Admittedly this was 25 years ago, but the transport options have only gotten better since then, and you can keep in touch by mobile which wasn't an option back then.

Why do people mollycoddle teenagers, these days?! He's old enough to leave home, join the army, get married in Scotland.

I'm sure he will be absolutely fine. I think it's interesting how much times have changed - when I was 16 I went to the South of France on a coach, with a friend, also 16. Then having just turned 18, flew to Israel and worked on a Kibbutz. It was quite normal for teenagers to travel on their own.
In a year or so he will be away at university. You have said he is sensible, he will be fine.

Have I read right, 16 and not 6?!

At 16 he can legally move to Florida on his own if he wants.

so yadnbu but your sister is being batshit.

I'm not the most permissive of parents and I'd have no issue at all with that.

Thorpe Park etc are teeming with teens dropped off for the day after GCSEs.

I'm with you 100% on leaving him and on the pool. I'm an ex-lifeguard.

How are kids supposed to grow up if you treat them like toddlers. Of course it's fine. It's fucking weird that you're even asking. Have you always treated him like he's incapable of thinking?

A 16 year old can be the Lifeguard, though.

Then they'd know they should have a second person around to get help/hold their head out of the water if they lose consciousness.

It's fine!

Your sister is being ridiculous. We are going on holiday to Poland this summer and fully intend to leave our teenagers in the hotel/local area alone while we go to a wedding. You KNOW what your child is comfortable with/capable of; just feel happily secure in that knowledge and ignore the 'haters' 😉