Would you let your 12 year old go to funfair alone?

[NervouslyWaiting1]

She doesn’t want me to go with her, she’s going with her brother who’s 10. She’s used to taking buses and using Google maps, but this is a 40 min journey and 2 buses. I’m worried that they would get separated or lost , would you let your child go to a funfair alone?

Well, yes I did my 12 year old go to a fair without me, but they were with friends and the fair was in our local town.

In your situation, no. I would not be happy for a 12 year old to be responsible for a 10 year old on what is quite a long journey and then into a situation where they could easily get separated.

If she’s a switched on savvy 12 yr old I would allow her to go with a group of friends during the day but I wouldn’t allow it once dark or if it meant her travelling home whilst it was dark.

I absolutely wouldn’t allow my 10 yo to go along with her though.
I wouldn’t allow my 10 yo ds to go to the fair with his 15 yo sister in all honesty i think its too much responsibility for them.

It's a funfair, not a brothel. They will be absolutely fine.

When I was 13 my parents divorced. My sister (10) and I were put on a train in Manchester by ourselves, and met in central London by our dad. It was fine. We were fine.

If it was in the local area, walking distance of house, local park etc., then maybe - depending on the personalities of the children in question. Are they both sensible and would the 10 year year old listen to the older one?

A 40 minute bus journey away? Nope.
I would say I am accompanying them there and back, but they can do their own thing when we got there.

How odd that you don't think the 10yo shouldn't be going

A 13 and 10 yo Being put in a train that goes in one direction and getting off at a known stop to meet a known adult there is not really the same thing as a 12 and 10 yo wandering round a fair 40 minutes and two bus rides away...

Dear God No! All sorts of creeps, pickpockets, phone thieves, gangs, no, no, no.
The youngest might get overwhelmed, be too excited to listen.
If there were a group with an adult, maybe.
Why don't you want to take them and make sure they are safe?
There is so much, too much, that could go wrong. Drop them off, sit in a cafe and take them home all happy and fizzy.

Firm no. I remember the Moors Murders and shudder at the thought of unaccompanied children at fairs.

Absolutely not.
I would go with them and perhaps let them off on their own while i had a coffee.

I wouldn’t let her go with her brother anyway, but she’s very switched on and responsible so I thought for a tiny second it might work. She didn’t want me to go with her, so I said we either go together or she doesn’t get to go to the funfair. She ended up going to the park with her brother and met a friend there. She’s on her way now home now :)

NO!

We did the two bus rides thing literally every school day from 11.

Nope. And certainly not in charge of a 10 year old
You can take them and hover in the background keeping an eye on them.

Not a fucking chance!!

Funfairs near us always seem to attract a dodgy crowd including gang behaviour (and our town is quite nice normally!), so no way.

Absolutely not. Don't even think about it.

No, definitely not if she is in charge of her 10 year old brother. She is too young for that responsibility.

Fuck no.

Not in charge of a 10yo, maybe with a bunch of similar aged sensible friends. Depends on the funfair too and the time of day. Some are really rough.

14 year olds lol stay and supervise 😂

anyway back to the 10 year and 12 year plus two buses. No, I’d go and supervise them. Mainly because of the 10 year old

No absolutely not. I'd take her, stay nearby and arrange to meet her when she's done.

I'm usually in the "yes of course" camp with regard to children being a bit more independent and travelling alone but in this case I'd say definitely not.
I've always considered funfairs to be a bit seedy and slightly dangerous places. Additionally, due to the distance away and the fact your younger child will also be going and require supervision it doesn't seem sensible.

I’d drive the 12 year old there and get a drink while she goes round with her friends. I wouldn’t let a 10 year old though.

In the next town, a drunken woman actually put her hands on a toddler at a fairground and tried to lead them away IN FRONT OF THE PARENTS.

No chance.