Is this safe? or Against policy?

[itchin2cruz]

technically 15 and 16 year old are children too but they have alot of responsibility when driving with other people on the road. Does that mean they shouldn't drive until they are an adult? I think I'm done after this post lol. I've stated my opinion and I'm done. Not trying to offend anyone, I just can't grasp some people's reasoning just like I'm sure they can't grasp mine.

[MissDiva1]

technically 15 and 16 year old are children too but they have alot of responsibility when driving with other people on the road. Does that mean they shouldn't drive until they are an adult? I think I'm done after this post lol. I've stated my opinion and I'm done. Not trying to offend anyone, I just can't grasp some people's reasoning just like I'm sure they can't grasp mine.

 

LOL! My neighbor drove his son to college everyday:D

[Ratt]

i would hope by 13 they would know how to make an emergency call .......if not than you are right they have no business babysitting or being by themselves until they are capable of this.

For christ sake people........we are talking a couple of hours and mom and dad are just a couple decks away.......it's not like they are just throwing them a 2 year old and saying hera ya go......raise him:rolleyes:

 

lmao!

[cruisenanny]

This is silly! Communities offer babysitting certification courses for 12 & 13yo's. It is not an unreasonable idea AT ALL! Can Mom & dad go in the backyard or across the street while their 12yo is in the house watching the 2yo sibling?? The parent/s are only seconds or a minute away in either case. No wonder so many people are NEUROTIC!!

[Socref124]

I read a review and the following was posted ...

 

 

we put DD to bed (who is 2) and give DS (who 12) the walkie talkie. even if she woke up she was in a crib and would start yelling bubba. so even if she did manage to get out of the crib, she wouldn't be able to open the door to the cabin. they are spring loaded and her big brother would get to her first. he would call us at every sound. we just told him if she wasn't awake not to worry about it. we all make sounds when we sleep.

 

we would never just leave her in the room by herself. if we didn't have him (DS)we would probably just hang on our balcony some and also use the baby sitting service camp carnival provides after 10pm they charge you.

 

 

Mind you this family was booked in a ocean view suite w/ balcony.

 

I personally would never leave a 12 yr old alone with a 2 yr old in stateroom, but that is me. But what about a stateroom with a balcony?

 

Thoughts....

Policy....

 

My only concern would be the balcony. I am sure the parents felt comfortable with their 12 yo son watching his baby sister, so I don't have a problem with that. The balcony could create a problem though. Tough question. Would I report them, No, Absolutely not.

[Megs321]

I don't think there is anything wrong with this. I had a babysitting job when I was 11 babysitting neighborhood kids I barely knew... He had a walkie and you are on a ship, it's not like you couldn't be there in 5 minutes if anything happened.... Don't even worry. Just as long as the 12 yo knew the balcony door DOES NOT GET OPENED!!!

[MissDiva1]

There is a lock up high on the balcony door out of reach from a 2 year old. And the door is so heavy I can't imagine a 2 year old would have that much strength to open it........

[metsfan1968]

Regardless of whether we did it "back in the day," or we think our child is responsible enough, etc., it's not unreasonable for the OP to ask whether it was against cruise line policy to leave children unattended in the stateroom. Further, I was curious as to whether leaving a child of that age alone (particularly responsible for another even younger child) was even legal in this day and age .. or at least would be a potential CPS issue. Searching through a bunch of local CPS websites, the following standards were published over and over - so I assume they are from some national organization that many of the local CPS divisions look to for guidance.

 

I tend to think it could easily be argued that the scenario in question would in fact be questioned by CPS - given that 11:00 could be considered "late at night" and caring for a toddler in a room with easy access to the biggest swimming pool in the world (the ocean) could be considered "inappropriate responsibility."

 

The following represent minimally acceptable standards for the supervision of children. These guidelines have been developed by social work professionals in collaboration with the community. REMEMBER, they are guidelines only.

There may be situations, even within these guidelines, when it is not safe to leave a child unsupervised. Parents are ultimately responsible for making decisions about their child’s safety.

Whenever any child is unsupervised / unattended the following should apply ...

• There must be no emotional, medical, or behavioral problems which affect judgement or decision-making skills.
  
  
• Child must be comfortable being alone.
  
  
• Youth must have a safety plan worked out with the parent/caretaker, which includes:
  
  • How to access parent or other responsible adult at all times (including knowing the parent/caretaker’s whereabouts and having a telephone number where parent can be reached).
    
  • What to do in case of emergency.
    
  • Guidelines for acceptable behavior.
    
  • Knowledge of emergency telephone numbers.
    
    

  [*]Youth must demonstrate the ability to follow the safety plan and to make decisions that reflect concern for personal safety.

Age Guidelines ...

7 years and under:

Should not be left alone for any period of time. This may include leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds, and backyards. The determining consideration would be the dangers in the environment and the ability of the caretaker to intervene.

8 to 10 years:

Should not be left alone for more than 1½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours.

11 to 12 years:

May be left alone for up to 3 hours but not late at night or in circumstances requiring inappropriate responsibility.

13 to 15 years:

May be left unsupervised, but not overnight.

16 to 17 years:

May be left unsupervised (in some cases, for up to two consecutive overnight periods).

[Ratt]

On one cruise there was a guy that was at the craps table every night with myself and a couple of other regulars. This guy could drink like a dehydrated camel and was pretty much drunk by 6pm every night. He was a happy drunk, was never ugly or rude and was a blast to "throw" the dice with.

 

One night around 1am I was coming back from my late night cigar (don't start :rolleyes:) and I ran into him and his 11 year old daughter. It turned out that when he hadn't made it to the room by 12pm which was there set time for him to be back in the room, she went to look for him and found him drunk wandering around the boat.

 

The next day I saw him at dinner and I asked how he felt. As you would expect he was a hung over and not feeling so great. I made a comment about his daughter coming to his rescue and he said that she is such a great kid and that he would be lost without her. :eek:

 

My point of this story is that this young girl was much more responsible then her alcoholic dad any day of the week. Not that I approve of how the father behaved but it shows that there are kids out there that can be much more responsible than some adults.

[jennmaybe]

technically 15 and 16 year old are children too but they have alot of responsibility when driving with other people on the road. Does that mean they shouldn't drive until they are an adult?

 

You should ask this question to the many, many parents who have had to bury their 16 yr old because of their irresponsible driving abilities and died while not driving like they should have been or when someone had to bury a loved one because a 16 yr old caused an accident that killed their loved one. So, yes, 16 years is too young for some teenagers, not all by any means.

 

I agree that everyone will have their own opinions and do what they want...that's fine. I just hope none of you have to live with an unreversable decision that you wish you could go back and do differently. None of us our invincible, ya know.:)

[MissDiva1]

Regardless of whether we did it "back in the day," or we think our child is responsible enough, etc., it's not unreasonable for the OP to ask whether it was against cruise line policy to leave children unattended in the stateroom. Further, I was curious as to whether leaving a child of that age alone (particularly responsible for another even younger child) was even legal in this day and age .. or at least would be a potential CPS issue. Searching through a bunch of local CPS websites, the following standards were published over and over - so I assume they are from some national organization that many of the local CPS divisions look to for guidance.

 

I tend to think it could easily be argued that the scenario in question would in fact be questioned by CPS - given that 11:00 could be considered "late at night" and caring for a toddler in a room with easy access to the biggest swimming pool in the world (the ocean) could be considered "inappropriate responsibility."

 

The following represent minimally acceptable standards for the supervision of children. These guidelines have been developed by social work professionals in collaboration with the community. REMEMBER, they are guidelines only.

There may be situations, even within these guidelines, when it is not safe to leave a child unsupervised. Parents are ultimately responsible for making decisions about their child’s safety.

 

Whenever any child is unsupervised / unattended the following should apply ...

• There must be no emotional, medical, or behavioral problems which affect judgement or decision-making skills.
   
  
• Child must be comfortable being alone.
   
  
• Youth must have a safety plan worked out with the parent/caretaker, which includes:
  
  • How to access parent or other responsible adult at all times (including knowing the parent/caretaker’s whereabouts and having a telephone number where parent can be reached).
    
  • What to do in case of emergency.
    
  • Guidelines for acceptable behavior.
    
  • Knowledge of emergency telephone numbers.
     
    

  [*]Youth must demonstrate the ability to follow the safety plan and to make decisions that reflect concern for personal safety.

Age Guidelines ...

7 years and under:

Should not be left alone for any period of time. This may include leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds, and backyards. The determining consideration would be the dangers in the environment and the ability of the caretaker to intervene.

8 to 10 years:

Should not be left alone for more than 1½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours.

11 to 12 years:

May be left alone for up to 3 hours but not late at night or in circumstances requiring inappropriate responsibility.

13 to 15 years:

May be left unsupervised, but not overnight.

16 to 17 years:

May be left unsupervised (in some cases, for up to two consecutive overnight periods).

 

 

Oh puleeze take your little guidelines and go home........that's what they are and nothing more........

If you have to ask someone for guidelines on whether your own child is legally and mature enough to babysit.........then you shouldn't be having children IMHO!

[repo-cruiser]

and of course the medicines are up high and out of reach for my 2 year old as well and the cleaning stuff is locked up.

 

I'd rather teach my child to learn how to swim than wait til the boat is sinking and make him have to figure it out on his own.

Problem is your throwing the kid in the deep end before they learned how to swim.;)

[metsfan1968]

Oh puleeze take your little guidelines and go home........that's what they are and nothing more........

If you have to ask someone for guidelines on whether your own child is legally and mature enough to babysit.........then you shouldn't be having children IMHO!

 

You completely missed the point of that post.

[H82seaUgo]

You completely missed the point of that post.

 

ya think?!

[babyher]

On one cruise there was a guy that was at the craps table every night with myself and a couple of other regulars. This guy could drink like a dehydrated camel and was pretty much drunk by 6pm every night. He was a happy drunk, was never ugly or rude and was a blast to "throw" the dice with.

 

One night around 1am I was coming back from my late night cigar (don't start :rolleyes:) and I ran into him and his 11 year old daughter. It turned out that when he hadn't made it to the room by 12pm which was there set time for him to be back in the room, she went to look for him and found him drunk wandering around the boat.

 

The next day I saw him at dinner and I asked how he felt. As you would expect he was a hung over and not feeling so great. I made a comment about his daughter coming to his rescue and he said that she is such a great kid and that he would be lost without her. :eek:

 

My point of this story is that this young girl was much more responsible then her alcoholic dad any day of the week. Not that I approve of how the father behaved but it shows that there are kids out there that can be much more responsible than some adults.

 

That is a sad story and certainly one that no child should have to go through .

 

But it does go to show that a child can adapt and grow up when the situation arises , and when given responcibilities can rise to it.

 

My mom and dad had 4 kids and both my mom and dad had to work. We didn't have a Donna Reed stay at home mom.

 

We always had chores and the older we got the more they increased . They would be from just picking up your toys and straightening your room, to making dinner and house work. everyone needed to pitch in.

 

As a result of this today my sisters are all great cooks, excellent housekeepers and terrific mothers . I am a pretty good cook myself and can do a lot of odd jobs around the house I learned from getting out there and helping my dad instead of having to pay a fortune to call someone.

 

In short we are all able to ,as my dad would colorfully say , Wipe our own "You know whats". :)

 

Yes that was long ago and far away and times and people were different , but it still holds true . Keep a child a baby and he will stay a baby

[MissDiva1]

You completely missed the point of that post.

 

nope.....

[itchin2cruz]

Problem is your throwing the kid in the deep end before they learned how to swim.;)

 

That may not necessarily be a bad thing either. That's how my parent's taught me to swim. :eek:

[pafam4]

People are so defensive on these boards!! People are just giving opinions, not attacking anyone personally. We're all friends here!!;)

[itchin2cruz]

that is a sad story and certainly one that no child should have to go through .

 

But it does go to show that a child can adapt and grow up when the situation arises , and when given responcibilities can rise to it.

 

My mom and dad had 4 kids and both my mom and dad had to work. We didn't have a donna reed stay at home mom.

 

We always had chores and the older we got the more they increased . They would be from just picking up your toys and straightening your room, to making dinner and house work. Everyone needed to pitch in.

 

As a result of this today my sisters are all great cooks, excellent housekeepers and terrific mothers . I am a pretty good cook myself and can do a lot of odd jobs around the house i learned from getting out there and helping my dad instead of having to pay a fortune to call someone.

 

In short we are all able to ,as my dad would colorfully say , wipe our own "you know whats". :)

 

yes that was long ago and far away and times and people were different , but it still holds true . Keep a child a baby and he will stay a baby

 

:d!

[metsfan1968]

nope.....

 

Ok, then what was the point? And how did your reply have anything to do with that point?

[babyher]

At 17 I had graduated high school, was going to college, working a part time job , and driving a car (albeit an old clunker) I paid for myself.

 

But God forbid I would have been left home alone for TWO WHOLE DAYS :)

 

 

Who would have washed me and fed me and kept me from walking out into traffic?

[MissDiva1]

That is a sad story and certainly one that no child should have to go through .

 

But it does go to show that a child can adapt and grow up when the situation arises , and when given responcibilities can rise to it.

 

My mom and dad had 4 kids and both my mom and dad had to work. We didn't have a Donna Reed stay at home mom.

 

We always had chores and the older we got the more they increased . They would be from just picking up your toys and straightening your room, to making dinner and house work. everyone needed to pitch in.

 

As a result of this today my sisters are all great cooks, excellent housekeepers and terrific mothers . I am a pretty good cook myself and can do a lot of odd jobs around the house I learned from getting out there and helping my dad instead of having to pay a fortune to call someone.

 

In short we are all able to ,as my dad would colorfully say , Wipe our own "You know whats". :)

 

Yes that was long ago and far away and times and people were different , but it still holds true . Keep a child a baby and he will stay a baby

 

Nice story and so true!

[itchin2cruz]

At 17 I had graduated high school, was going to college, working a part time job , and driving a car (albeit an old clunker) I paid for myself.

 

But God forbid I would have been left home alone for TWO WHOLE DAYS :)

 

 

Who would have washed me and fed me and kept me from walking out into traffic?

 

lol I was doing all that but I have you beat. I was also responsible for another human, my own child. I'm sure someone is going to talk about me getting pregnant at a young age but I did and it had nothing to do with how my parents raised me. I was raised in a Christian home with strict no having sex til you're married parents but truth is I fell in love and yes I ended up marrying the father. Once when I was 17, my 8 month old son got sick and was admitted to the hospital. I had to work that day so my future mother in law (who'm I paid to babysit) took him to the doctor. She called me at work and told me I needed to meet her at the hospital because they had to have my consent to admit him. Funny thing is, the next day I got sick. I walked to the emergency room part of the hospital to be triaged and guess what? I was too young, had to call my mom to get her consent. Funny thing, I was old enough to be responsible for my child but not myself lol.

 

I completely agree with you on everything you have posted. Things happen, doesn't matter what you do to prevent them. A child can simply be walking through the living room and fall and hit their head on a table. You can't live your life in fear and hopefully you've raised them with enough common sense and morals that they turn out ok.

[hlb76]

Here is funny or not so funny story for ya....

 

We have some friends who have a set of 2 year old twins. They bought a older house and where doing some updating to it. Mom was home with the two kids doing whatever (cant quite remeber) and one of the kids came into the room and managed to push a heavy solid wood door

(yes it was off the hinges againist the wall) over and it hit mom and knocked her out COLD! Luckily she came too and was fine and the kids where fine.

 

Just goes to show things happen fast and even under the care of parents. These parents are not irresponsible at all. They learned to be a little more careful during the remodel. But everyone turned out fine.

[babyher]

lol I was doing all that but I have you beat. I was also responsible for another human, my own child. I'm sure someone is going to talk about me getting pregnant at a young age but I did and it had nothing to do with how my parents raised me. I was raised in a Christian home with strict no having sex til you're married parents but truth is I fell in love and yes I ended up marrying the father. Once when I was 17, my 8 month old son got sick and was admitted to the hospital. I had to work that day so my future mother in law (who'm I paid to babysit) took him to the doctor. She called me at work and told me I needed to meet her at the hospital because they had to have my consent to admit him. Funny thing is, the next day I got sick. I walked to the emergency room part of the hospital to be triaged and guess what? I was too young, had to call my mom to get her consent. Funny thing, I was old enough to be responsible for my child but not myself lol.

 

I completely agree with you on everything you have posted. Things happen, doesn't matter what you do to prevent them. A child can simply be walking through the living room and fall and hit their head on a table. You can't live your life in fear and hopefully you've raised them with enough common sense and morals that they turn out ok.

 

Hey its not how you get into a spot you are in, its how you deal with it and get out of it. I wish the best for you and your child.

 

You do the best you can and hope for the best