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At what age can kids go the the mall/movies without adult supervision?

post #1 of 23
6/30/09 at 7:34am
Thread Starter 
My dd recently told me that two of her 12-year-old friends were dropped off at the movies ALONE (she emphasized the ALONE part ) to see 'The Proposal'. Afterwards, the girls were going to wander around the mall ALONE.

Personally, I think 12 is still too young to go to the mall/movies alone, but I'm curious to hear everyone else's opinion.
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post #2 of 23
6/30/09 at 7:36am
Gosh now a days I just don't know, I think even back in my day we were around 13 before we did the movie mall trip with just an adult drop off!
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post #3 of 23
6/30/09 at 7:41am
I honestly don't know but I know I'm not there yet with my kids. They are 11 and 12 and there is noooo waaaaaay I'd just drop them off. Last school year my daughter (the 12 yr. old) had some friends that were getting dropped off here, there, and yonder for things and they invited her. She told them she would ask but that she already knew the answer was no, lol. I think I was like 15 before I started getting to go off on my own.
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post #4 of 23
6/30/09 at 7:47am
I know I went to the movies alone at that age (we even walked to the movie theater), but there is no way I would let my kids do it now.

I know when we went to McDonald's during spring break I was surprised to see 5th graders from our school there without an adult. Then one of our neighbors (who is 12) walked in and got lunch to take home - I know his parents both work, but I don't know if they know he is walking there alone during the day.
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post #5 of 23
6/30/09 at 7:59am
I am not so sure if it is the kids that you have to worry about, going to the malls alone. Or the adults and older kids, that prey on the younger ones.

It has gotten to where it is hard to trust anyone!
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post #6 of 23
6/30/09 at 8:14am
I don't know. I live in a small town and there is no mall and our movie theater is so small. Also, my children are younger and I have a few years to think about it. And, who knows, my opinion might change then.

But, I guess my concern is, when people say 15, in the next year your child will be looking into getting their drivers license. I guess I would like my children to have a bit of experience on their own before getting their drivers license. I also would like a chance to see how they respond to independence before allowing them behind the wheel of a car. If I drop my 13 or 14 year old off at the mall and she/he gets arrested for shoplifting ... that is going to make me rethink just how much that child is ready to be independent. Does that make sense? I became very independent after getting my drivers license (at that age my state allowed you to get them at 14 years).

As for other people harming my child ... I would educate my child and they would be in a group and they most likely would have a cell phone on them. I realize anything is possible but is it likely?
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post #7 of 23
6/30/09 at 10:54am
My dh had a business in our local mall. His opinion is that the mall is a breeding ground for gang activity and underage sexual activity. He has seen 10-13 year old girls locked up in the corners of the mall with 17-18 year old boys. This is coming from a man that had a tattoo shop in the mall and ended up having to have a person sitting at the door to card kids coming into the shop that were in his opinion underage and had no business in a tattoo shop. We live in a small town and the mall is about 20 minutes away in a slight bigger town. I have a 20 year old and a 17 year old that I still perfer not to let go because of all the activity I have seen with my own eyes. It is a ces pool of trouble if you ask me.
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post #8 of 23
6/30/09 at 12:37pm
It depends on the kid in question but in general I'd probably hold out until at least 15.
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post #9 of 23
6/30/09 at 1:06pm
If my dd was mature and trustworthy with friends that are also trustworthy I would go for the movie alone probably around age 13. The mall walkabout during the day probably about 14 without an adult....not until they are a black belt in karate and/or 18 for the mall in the evening. It can be a scary place for an adult.
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post #10 of 23
6/30/09 at 2:44pm
My 17 yr old has been to the mall without me, not to hang out but to go to a specific store.

I'm not sure I would drop off my almost 14 yr old at the mall, but our mall recently started a new policy - no children under 17 at the mall without an adult so I will not be faced with that tough decision.
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