Dad left 3 kids unattended while riding roller coasters at Cedar Point

I didn't think this was newsworthy, but I did find it very interesting. Since he didn't have a second adult for a parent swap, what other solutions could this father have come up with? My opinion is, he should have either brought another adult, or stayed behind to watch the younger kids while his older kid rode. Or the best solution, he should have made arrangements to have another adult go with him. Wife, girlfriend, friend, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew...

Common sense. I'm not going to vilify him though. Nobody is perfect. He seemed to learn his lesson.

https://www.wtrf.com/ohio/p...dar-point/

Why can’t the young kids wait in line and then go through the exit when getting to the loading platform and wait behind the yellow line?

That adds babysitter to the ride op job description which isn't a good idea. Its also ignoring one of the safety checks that helps determine whether someone is tall enough to ride (start of the line where height is checked).

They could have ridden rides that all of them could have ridden. Bringing 2, 4, 8 and 9 year olds to the park by yourself is a tough day though. This article says he is the sole guardian of the kids. Seems likely its a complicated life for the kids.

https://www.usatoday.com/st...905161007/

Anyone remember the kid pens at Kings Island on various ride platforms?

Absolutely. I miss those little baby jails full of crying kids.

You mean the Kiddie Cage?

LostKause:

he should have made arrangements to have another adult go with him. Wife, girlfriend, friend, aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew...

I’m going with this option.

the kids he left alone were 8, 4 and 2 according to the story. Insert any facepalm meme below:

Touchdown:

Why can’t the young kids wait in line and then go through the exit when getting to the loading platform and wait behind the yellow line?

We've done that plenty of times with our kids when they weren't brave enough to ride. Granted the kids were 8 and 10 at the youngest. I can't imagine leaving a 4 year old and a 2 year old supervised by a 8 year old though.

My friend tried to bring his kid who was too short to ride something in the line for a coaster at Cedar Point with him (intending for her to wait at the exit while he rode) and they wouldn't let her into the line because she didn't pass the height check out front. Cedar Point often guards the line entrances with height checkers.

Jeff:
Anyone remember the kid pens at Kings Island on various ride platforms?

A friend of mine told me that when she was younger, that was a fun part of her day (i.e. being left alone to watch the ride in the "kid pen") It was still there I think last year when I was last at Kings Island, though not sure if it was being used.

The solution to this is easy: Dad doesn’t ride anything the youngest can’t or won’t do. When you don’t have a second pair of responsible hands with you, that’s the deal,

“But Brian, why even go?”

Well, maybe he’d have been better off not going. But I had great days at the park when my kids were little, without ever getting on anything that had a height check. There is PLENTY to do.

Yeah, I would think that the alternatives start and end with "anything other than leaving small children unattended." If not going is the only one that works, that's the way the ball bounces.

bigboy:

If not going is the only one that works, that's the way the ball bounces.

Right! I made plenty of personal sacrifices when my kids were younger.

"Call me when you are about to get on the ride. The little ones and I will stay here at the entrance until you call. After you call, we'll meet you at the exit. Have fun!"

"But Daddy, I'm scared to ride by myself."

"Sorry, kiddo. You're getting older. You can do this. This is the only way you are going to get to ride the big coasters today. It's your decision"

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I mean, stick your head in the queue area every once in a while to check on your kid while they are in line. Push a tree aside and wave. Try to keep a visual on Nine while you are watching Two, Four, and Eight. Or watch Nine's movements with your iPhone. Or Facetime with them the whole time they are in line. Or don't let them ride. So many solutions, some of which use technology.

Jeff:

Anyone remember the kid pens at Kings Island on various ride platforms?

Universal had them too. I remember one time on Kong, I didn't want to ride but instead of waiting in that pen on the other side of the platform, the Ride Op let me come into the control booth and watch the ride via the monitors. Maybe that is where my fascination with how rides work started?

The swap room for Forbidden Journey is huge. When we went in 2011, with Simon only 11 months, and almost no lines, they let us do it over and over. I want to say I did three laps.