Abby Sunderland’s Parents: Irresponsible or Enlightened?
By: Keith
By now everybody has heard of Abby Sunderland, the 16 year old girl who tried to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a sailboat. She failed, and was feared lost at sea until her rescue signal was picked up and she was confirmed alive by aerial reconnaissance. Today she was rescued by a French ship and will be back home in about a week. Meanwhile, her sailboat will be scuttled and her dream is over. I wrote about her brother, Zac, last year who completed a similar journey and himself held the record for several months before someone else broke it. Now the question is this: Why did her parents let her go in the first place? Is this a case of putting their kid in danger for a shot at fame? Or is it just that her parents are allowing her to fulfill a personal dream and be the people she’s meant to be even if it means doing a hazardous stunt? I’m not going to be quick to condemn these parents because I haven’t seen any evidence of attention seeking behavior from them. I believe the dad when he says, “I never questioned my decision in letting her go. In this day and age we get overprotective with our children. If you want to look at statistics, look at how many teenagers die in cars every year. Should we let teenagers drive cars? I think it’d be silly if we didn’t.”
Only in 2010 would Anybody Question a 16 Year Old Going to Sea
Yes, sailing around the globe is dangerous business. But only in modern times has being 16 prevented people from leaving home and becoming a merchant marine, seaman or some swab on a pirate ship. 16 year olds have been responsible for themselves since the beginning of time so I don’t know why we should suddenly decide they aren’t old enough to crave adventure and be permitted to do it. I agree with the father that kids are overprotected these days. Abby’s parents gave her their full support and, from what I can tell, sailing is a family passion, not something that was foisted on the kids for a shot at glory and fame. All the parents are doing is opening the door and saying, “Go ahead and fulfill your dream,” and I see nothing wrong with it.
How many stories have we heard of 16 year olds joining the navy or army? John Lincoln Clem joined the Union army at the age of ten, killed a man and got promoted to corporal. He was discharged at age 13, but reenlisted when US Grant promoted him to Lieutenant. He retired in 1915 as a Brigadier General. Marco Polo was 17 when he set off for Asia, and he didn’t return until he was middle aged (nobody recognized him). Alexander (before he was The Great) finished his studies with Aristotle and became regent of Macedonia at age 16. My point is that kids have been doing adult things for a long time. I think 18 year olds are still kids, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t legally permitted to do whatever silly stunt they want. There is almost no difference between a 16 year old and an 18 year old. Age delineations are intended to reflect average maturity, and they’re somewhat arbitrary at that. Abby’s parents should know best if their daughter is mature enough to sail around the world, not a government agency that says she’ll be ready when she’s 18.
I Applaud the Attempt
I wouldn’t want my kids doing anything for the simple satisfaction of setting a dumb record. If Abbey did this simply to set a record then I think it was misguided. But, it seems that she was capable of completing the journey, and 16, 17 or 18 years old wasn’t going to make a difference in her chances of success. In that case, I see nothing wrong with going for it this year. The record was not what was most important to her. She just wanted to do it because it was her dream. I applaud that. If Abby had been successful, I doubt there would be any backlash against her parents. It’s only because she failed that they are being scrutinized. Let’s remember, Zac did it last year and he was considered a hero. I don’t think that makes any sense. How many kids grow up with no ambition and live unspectacular lives because they were always told to “be careful”? I’d rather my kid take a chance and be courageous (and possibly die in the process) than feel unfulfilled with dreams that never happened. Good try, Abby. Better luck next time. That’s all I have to say about that.
Related posts:
The key to this whole thing is right here: “If Abby had been successful, I doubt there would be any backlash against her parents. It’s only because she failed that they are being scrutinized.” The parents have stayed in the background the entire time until the distress signal was sounded. This wasn’t a publicity stunt or done to help get cast in some stupid reality show. Abby is passionate about sailing, had the training and the resources to do it. It is admirable that she tried, whereas 99% (or greater) would never have tried. If my kids were ever this passionate and well trained at doing something they truly loved, even if there was a serious risk of injury or worse, I would hope I would be able to be as supportive.
.-= PJ Mullen´s last blog ..How not to give a toddler medicine =-.
Call me a party pooper but it seems that fulfillment is only met for some when they can be the youngest, fastest, strongest or as we’ve seen, the fattest! I think those who join a war are doing it for a cause other than themselves. I guess I’m growing weary of the “look at me” crowd. It is somehow not enough for them to bask in their achievements without the cameras and applause.
Mom: That’s just the point. I don’t see any evidence that she was doing this for fame. In fact, it was only news when she got lost. Nobody heard anything before that. very unlike the reality show freaks and balloon boy. Sailing is in this families blood. It’s what they do. Why not do what you love, and if fame comes from it then that’s even better. They aren’t manufacturing anything. I wrote about Zac Sunderland too. They all seem like really good kids with really good parents. I don’t see any attention whoring at all. There are certain things I never would have done had it not been for getting congratulations. Winning just isn’t the same without a crowd, but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong if it’s what you love to do anyway.
Keith,
Read about Robin Graham. He sailed around the world in the early late 60s. Came back after 5 years married expecting a baby. One of the most influential stories in my life. Here’s the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Lee_Graham
Steve: Thanks so much for mentioning Robin. I had forgotten all about him, but you’re right. That is one heck of an inspirational story!
Yes we have dangers at home and yes she probably has more chance of something causing harm to her in the US, however I sure would not want one of my daughters or granddaughters to be sailing alone especially in seas where pirates are active. Yes it is a big ocean, but I think letting a 16 yr old whether son or daughter go to sea alone is asking for trouble. 18 is old enough. Yes Marco Polo and others did exploits in their mid to late teens but they were not sailing alone.
Suzzanne: You’re right, what Marco Polo and others did was infinitely MORE dangerous. She wasn’t sailing where pirates are active.
As a former Police Officer and current Stay Home Dad, I think these parents are absolutely crazy and irresponsible for letting their 16 year old attemp to sail around the world alone.
Call me old fashioned but I have seen the evil and danger out in this world and allowing a child to proceed with this only propagates exposure to more peril than is necessary.
By some people’s reasoning, it is Ok to leave your child in the car when you run into the store….I have personally witnessed far too often and it is crazy how some parents are.
Anyway, didn’t mean to stray but what would have been the problem with these goofs telling their daughter to wait til she is 18? Oh, then they wouldn’t share in her record…….
The things some parents do to try to get fame and accolade for themselves…
.-= Ken´s last blog ..The New Memoirs Of A Stay At Home Dad =-.
Ken: I don’t see any evidence of attention seeking from this family. Abby is perfectly qualified to single-hand a sailboat. How is being a year or two older going to change that? Are dangers less real when kids are 18? Hardly. The problem, in other words, is that it would make no difference because whatever danger there is now will still be there two years from now and her skill level is already world class.
I don’t care about whether she was seeking fame or looking for an experience. This was foolish. I would have said the same thing had she been successful. I applaud the concept. I like the idea of the experience, but the execution bothers me.
I didn’t have a problem with the kid who climbed Everest with his parents. I am not adverse to adventure, but they placed her in a very dangerous situation and relied upon faith/other people to rescue her
I agree that giving it a couple more years makes a difference. There is no substitute for life experience. There are things you learn that help you make smarter decisions.
.-= Jack´s last blog ..Exchanging Pleasantries =-.
Jack: So you’re saying that she was unqualified? There is no evidence to support that. In fact, it’s accepted that she was supremely qualified. What did her sailboat in is the same thing that would have crippled at 40 year old. Your argument is invalid because You say she’s 16 and thus unqualified because of life experience. But it was most likely a rogue wave that broke her mast, and that would have finished anybody. It was not pilot error. Two more years of age does not stop rogue waves or make anybody able to avoid them. You can not avoid rogue waves no matter how much experience you’ve got. So, please tell me how two more years is going to make any difference. What would she have learned that would have prevented her boat from getting hit? Not going? Sure, that would have prevented it, but then why allow a 40 year old to sail? Same thing.
There is more to this than being a sailor. There is common sense and life skills that a 16 year old probably does not have. One could argue that fame was a central component. She wanted to be the youngest and set out to do so.
But let’s go back for a moment. Where do you draw the line- what age is too young.
Or let’s skip again over to invalid arguments. The fact that people did things at a younger age isn’t indicative of it being appropriate or smart. Skill isn’t enough. There is no doubt that Bobby Fischer was exceptionally smart or incredible at chess. He was.
But he was a social misfit who couldn’t function in normal society. So to say that Abby’s skill is enough is invalid.
.-= Jack´s last blog ..Exchanging Pleasantries =-.
Jack: You’ll need to give evidence that she wasn’t prepared. I know you have the opinion that she couldn’t have been because she was 16, but I just don’t see evidence of that. Comparing her to Bobby Fischer doesn’t work unless you can show that she has some sort of similar problem. Otherwise you’ll have to say that all 16 year olds have Bobby Fischer type issues who try to do spectacular things. I’m not drawing a line at any age. You say that something magical happens between age 16 and 18 that would have made this journey a success? How does being 18 stop a rogue wave? Show me how she did anything injudicious. Show me how an 18 year old could have avoided a rogue wave. Show me how captain Ahab could have avoided a rogue wave. I just can’t see how your argument holds unless you can show that she has mental issues, was not competent or was otherwise doing something she wasn’t prepared for. It’s already been established that she didn’t make any mistakes that would have lead to her failure. I would completely agree with you if there was any evidence of her incompetence or immaturity. But, It’s the opposite. She seems MORE mature than most 18,25 or 30 year olds that I know, not less.
We can agree to disagree because you have already made up your mind that a child who has a certain set of skills should be allowed to do these things. I disagree. Science has already proven that young brains aren’t fully developed and that because of this their decision making is sometimes suspect.
It is immaterial to me whether she completes her journey or not. That is not the point. Her parents made a serious error in judgment and placed her in harms way. Sending off a child to sail around the world is dumb.
I hope they receive a bill from the people/businesses and organizations that used precious resources to rescue her.
.-= Jack´s last blog ..Exchanging Pleasantries =-.
While she very well may have the skill set to handle such a challenge, as parents you are supposed to protect your children. Setting sail alone in the ocean is doing anything but that. Maybe for me it is the idea of being unsupervised that really bothers me. I know my kid will grow up and play contact sports and stands the chance of getting hurt, but I’ll be there. The idea of being completely helpless in the rescue efforts is something I cannot imagine.
As a parent, there just isn’t any way that I could live with myself knowing that I couldn’t do anything for my child in that situation. And I don’t feel that way just because she was in trouble. I’m just not subjecting my kid to that possibility.
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Jeff: I guess I’m in the minority on this one. I think 16 year olds are only nominally less mature than 18 year olds and that there is a wide variance in terms of maturity rates. From what I’ve seen of her, she’s more mature than most 25 year olds. I think mental maturity should count more than a scale on a government chart. I would trust the parents to know if she’s mature enough. In the absence of that judgement we ought to give control of our kids over to the government and let them decide what’s right for them. Yeah, that makes no sense. That’s why I’m not condemning the parents here. I wouldn’t want anybody telling me they know my kid better than me when they very clearly do not.
Hi Keith,
We’re good, you and I- but when I saw this I thought that I’d pass it along.
Sunderland family ‘cannot afford rescue’
The family of failed teen solo sailor Abby Sunderland says they cannot afford to pay for her rescue.
Her mother, Marianne Sunderland, who is pregnant with the family’s eighth child, said the family did not have the $300,000 necessary to compensate Australian rescue officials, the Courier Mail reported.
“We’re not wealthy people,” she said. “What price would you put on a child’s life?”
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1069237/we-cannot-pay-for-rescue-say-sunderlands
.-= Jack´s last blog ..Exchanging Pleasantries =-.
Jack: Well, I guess they shouldn’t have rescued her then, right? Or, no, she should just never have gone? In that case nobody should do anything like going camping or skiing where rescue might also be needed unless they can pay for it. A lot of people are going to be pretty upset that they’re going to have to sit in a cushioned room until they can pay to go out. I don’t see anything wrong with a reality show for them if people are willing to watch it and it makes them some money. I’m not interested in watching, and I don’t think it’ll be a huge success, but I also don’t begrudge someone for trying to make a buck. Since it was a foreign government that had to rescue them (meaning their tax dollars didn’t go towards it) I would be in favor of them having to pay at least a portion of that. I also wonder if insurance is possible for a thing like this. If such a thing exists then they clearly should have purchased it.
And it gets worse. The father is broke. if this is accurate….
The father of Abby Sunderland, the teenage sailor who was trying to break the record for the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe, has signed a deal to do a reality show about his family called Adventures in Sunderland.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/823268–broke-dad-cut-tv-deal-for-teen-sailor-s-story
.-= Jack´s last blog ..Exchanging Pleasantries =-.
Color me biased but I can’t help but see them as having placed their daughter at risk for money. They couldn’t get it sponsored (her trip) by the American Sailing Association because they didn’t like the timing of the trip and thought it was dangerous.
But you can’t compare camping or skiing to this. If we go to Big Bear or sailing off of Catalina we are in highly trafficked areas in which there is “regular help.” She didn’t do that. She took a trip that was high risk with her parent’s knowledge that if something bad happened, they couldn’t cover it.
That is wrong. I don’t believe that you would do that as a parent or that most would. This was wrong.
.-= Jack´s last blog ..Exchanging Pleasantries =-.
jack: If it was indeed an inadvisable trip because of timing then I agree she shouldn’t have done it. Lots of people go camping in areas where they are not easily found. Granted it probably wouldn’t cost 300k to rescue them, but the principal is the same. Even if the rescue cost was only 30k, most people couldn’t afford it (I couldn’t at least). I think it makes a difference that a foreign government is on the hook here too. She should pay something to Australia for her rescue (perhaps even the whole thing), but not because it’s the libertarian thing to do. Rather that she doesn’t pay taxes to Australia and thus isn’t entitled to their services. If it was the American government that rescued her then I’d say she should pay nothing or significantly less because she pays taxes for those services to be provided. I would let my kid take a dangerous trip if he was qualified and mature enough to handle it. I genuinely do not believe that age and maturity are necessarily (usually, but not necessarily) connected. I am most qualified to tell if my kid is ready, not people who don’t know me or my kid.
What we have here are two parents extremely negligent in their responsibilities with allowing their minor daughter to attempt sailing on her own, across the world’s oceans. It’s pure insanity.
If someone told you it was okay to send your teenage daughter hitchhiking across the country and then into other countries on their own, you would rightly conclude this was insane and only a moron would suggest this.
But somehow sending your 16yr old daughter out across the oceans by herself, with no one else with her somehow makes sense and indeed, we’re spoilsports for demanding that the parents pay some of the costs for bailing their kid when she almost died and be held accountable.
I don’t blame the girl. She was a pawn in all this.
She was groomed and pimped out by her parents to go and break a “record” so that they could bask in her moment of fame.
They completely exploited her for this purpose. These idiots need to be charged and spend some time in jail for nearly sending their daughter to her death in the pursuit of glory.
This story is just another sad example of the madness that’s unfolding where people aren’t learning about responsible behaviour and values and this whole cult of entitlement is just simply spinning out of control.
tkip: Wow, that’s a pretty strong opinion. I think I’d be scared if you were in charge of who gets jail time. I’d guess anybody who doesn’t parent like you is probably a terrible parent and deserves to put in jail? I would be careful with having such vitriolic hatred about a subject that you’ve only read about in the papers. I took a different message away from all of this, but I don’t think I deserve to go to jail. But, hey. Maybe you think I belong in jail too. I disagree with your analysis completely. Not because you are definitely wrong (even though I think you are), but because you’re so sure you’re right. your contention rests completely on the fact that these parents don’t love their children which is based on the contention that they couldn’t possibly love her because they are permissive about allowing her to complete a dream which you have no proof wasn’t her own. It’s not the parents who are suspect here, it’s all the people who pretend to know better.
My comments are strong and harsh because this isn’t a topic to be taken lightly.
Your role as a parent is not only to provide and shape your child into a responsible and capable adult who then can take their place in society but also protect them until such time they are mature enough to set out on their own.
This is a no-brainer.
These parents put their underage child in danger with allowing her to sail solo around the world and it almost killed her. They are solely responsible for this incident and need to be held accountable.
With their quest to see their kid break a record and bask in the glory, they were willing to sacrifice her and when it came time for her rescue, not only did they expect someone else to clean up the mess and foot the bill, they refused to accept any responsiblity in all this.
She’s not an adult. She’s a underage minor. There is no grey area here.
And it turns out there are strong suspicions that the parents were hoping to land a reality show, make some money and exploiting their children was the best way of acheiving their fame. It’s disturbing, disgusting and criminal and someone needs to answer for it.
I’m sorry, tkip. I still disagree. Based on your assumptions (and that’s what they are) you’re right. There is no grey area. But, take away the slew of assumptions that you’re making and you’re left with one big giant grey area. I am a good parent, and if my 16 year old boy was mature enough and skillful enough and desirous enough to make a solo circumnavigation in a sailboat, it’d let him. All those three conditions, mind you, would need to be true. But, if they were, I’d let him go. Everything you say here is valid, but it’s based on assumptions that I don’t think are fair. If I had a few patchy pieces of information about you, I’m sure I could draw a plausible picture of who you are and twist it into a negative picture, and there’s nothing you could do about it other than insist it wasn’t true. Would that be fair of me? No, it wouldn’t, and I wouldn’t do it. The evidence shows that both these kids are well balanced and happy. How does having a reality show mean they’re pimping out their daughter exactly? It could mean that of course, but it could also just mean that they capitalizing on something they would have done anyway, right. I mean, really. Of course there’s grey area here.
This has nothing to do with happy and balanced kids. At one point did I talk about the emotional happiness of the kid in this story?
This story isn’t about the competence or skill of a 16yr old girl. It’s about the parents and how they endangered their kid with not only allowing but openly encouraginig and conditioning her plus a another brother previously to risk their lives and for what?
The kids are a means to a end and that end is fame. There is nothing cute or wholesome about this story. You do not let your underage kid undertake a dangerous and obviously potentially life ending activity which is exactly what these parents did.
As it turns out, she almost died and experts in the field have openly talked about how the it was the wrong time of year to sail through the Indian Ocean, that the entire trip was poorly planned out and indeed that no one involved in professional sailing would support or endorse them. No one wanted a part of this trip.
And she almost died. That alone should show that she wasn’t capable. There are lots of adults that have undertaken solo adventures such as this and people tend to forget that a good many of them died in the process. History is full of examples.
But in this day and age we live in a culture where people are conditioned to disregard common sense, think only about themselves and never take ownership for personal responsibility which is exactly what these parents have done…
As I said earlier in my first post, no parent in their right mind would send their underage teenage daughter alone hitchhiking across this country and into other countries because it’s insane. It’s obviously dangerous no matter how capable you think she is. This is why I used this analogy. There is a disconnect here…..
Tkip: You’re repeating yourself. Do you know why she almost died? It was a rogue wave, and those can happen at any time of year in any sea condition. You’re saying everybody who fails is under qualified? That makes no sense. It couldn’t just mean some freak accident happened that would have happened even to the most experienced sailor? You clearly believe in your infallible opinion here, but I would caution, as I did before, about making blanket statements about people based on assumptions. I feel as if you would be the kind of person to take my kids away from me if I believed something different from you. That doesn’t fly because there’s a very real possibility that I’m a better parent than you (maybe, maybe not). People like you make me a little scared to go outside. I’m afraid you’ll bash me over the head with absolutism and demand my compliance with your world vision.
Simply put:
1) The family is broke
2) They signed up for a reality show “Adventures in Sunderland” based off the success of their son’s voyage
3) The parents’ financial predicament puts pressure on the daughter to “come through” for them.
I am not saying that Abby was not mature or skillful enough, I’m saying that the family situation served as pressure to push her into this journey. A journey at the wrong time of year, which was not advised.
When I was a young adult, I felt the pressures from issues that my parents faced – even when they tried to hide them from us. Abby’s parents let their financial predicament cloud their ultimate judgement for their daughter and let her take this trip during the wrong season – all to ensure that it was timed to work with their developing reality show. This is very much akin to the boy in the balloon. It deals with parents who forget for a moment the utmost priority/importance of their role to the children.
No, the family should not have to pay for all the rescue costs associated with this event. But they should pay the fees for the towing/salvage of the boat during the rescue and it’s transportation back to the states. Their lack of sensibility when it comes to parenting is the disturbing part. There is no real defense for their lapse in judgement – unfortunately, hard economic times and $$$ has resulted in many cases of mis-guided parenting for the sake of money.
And I’ll keep on repeating myself. She was too young and had no business being out there by herself. Only a fool would think it safe to send a underage kid out into the oceans on their own. I don’t care how experienced she was, the parents should have known better. And since we now know there was a reality show in the works and that the kids were the bait, we know the parent’s motives weren’t exactly pure and inncoent. They purposely put their kids into dangerous situations and one nearly died. And for what? Fame. Money. This is a disturbing situation and something needs to be done about it. Where I come from, parents didn’t let their young teens just take off and hope for the best. But once again, we have people thinking it’s their god given right to do whatever they feel like and when it comes time to clean up their mess, they expect someone else to foot the bill. There is a complete lack of taking personal responsibility now. We live in the age of self entitlement and people’s behaviour is becoming increasingly more obnoxious and self centred as a result.
Tkip: you ought to read their website. This is a quote from the family: “Laurence and I were approached by Magnetic Entertainment last year before Abby departed to shop a reality TV show based on our family. Abby’s trip was already sponsored. Their idea was to do an inspiring show about Zac and Abby’s adventures, what our family was like and what made them as strong and independent as they are. The show was shopped and not sold. All rights were returned to us. There is no reality TV show or documentary in the works and we will not be persuing one. We find it ironic that the media, who are spreading gossip and sensationalizing Abby’s story for profit, have the nerve to criticize us for supposedly doing the same thing – very ironic.”
Like I said, tkip. you’re so sure you know everything about this family that your foaming at the bit to condemn them without even hearing their side of it. Just because I, or some journalist, has an opinion doesn’t make it fact. I hate to lecture you on this, but this is how news outlets make money. They manufacture outrage out of bits of information that might not even be true. They draw pictures for you that lead to obvious conclusion and then sit back so you can say that the conclusion was all yours. Wait to see what happens. You don’t know this family, and you can’t say what motivates them anymore than I can — that’s why I said I’m not going to be quick to condemn.
This is her blog: http://soloround.blogspot.com/ . She and her family seem genuine to me.
And Ken, I read your post and wanted to just say I applaud your comments especially given your background in police enforcement. People seem to completely forget that the world is a dangerous place. Especially in some parts. But the pattern is always the same. Some middle class moron thinks it’s okay to strut around and assume that they’re invincible, that they own the place and expect others to cater to them. I work with a lot of younger people and the reckless, trashy behaviour they engage in is just horrible. Much of their behaviour is foul and vulgar. It’s all stemming from this cult of entitlement and these parents are mostly responsible for it. Our society is becoming morally bankrupt. Sorry for going off topic somewhat but for me, this topic hits home because I deal with the endless stupidity of so many people around me and the worst comes from the self centred brats I work with because they never heard the word “no” in their life.
I have to disagree with part of that:
“She was too young and had no business being out there by herself. Only a fool would think it safe to send a underage kid out into the oceans on their own. I don’t care how experienced she was, the parents should have known better.”
At some point in our society (at least in the USA) we have started to pull the reigns in on our children, tightening restrictions, trying to protecting them more and preventing them from learning valuable lessons from new experiences. We have generally become over-protective, and rightly so with what we see on the news every night. Every parent should be protective, but they should also provide an environment of growth and development within reason. If you look at the governing laws for alcohol consumption around the world, you will see varied responses, based on culture – with the USA being one of the most restrictive nations (21yo). However, if you statistically look at the issue, you find that lower drinking ages (as seen in other countries) can be appropriate – it comes down to societal norms and other factors. Broadly speaking, this extends to the issue at hand.
Yes, sailing around the world is dangerous, so is climbing Mt. Everest and other such endeavors. If the parents have done their job right, they know best if their child is prepared for any endeavor – whether it be a weekend camping trip with friends, a class trip to Disney or sailing around the world. The family lived to sail and I have no doubt that Abby was mentally and physically ready to take the trip. What she wasn’t prepared for, was her parents’ lapse in judgement (due to financial gain) to let her take the trip at an ill-advised time of year. Most likely, they played down the winter storms in the Indian Ocean and felt that Abby’s previous experience sailing in storms showed she could handle the situation.
We will all continue to disagree on the issue and that’s fine. Varied viewpoints are always great to read.
Jered: Thank you for weighing in on the matter. It’s a much more hot button topic than I thought it would be. I saw it (and see it) as an inspirational story of a young girl who isn’t afraid to tackle a huge challenge and parents who completely support her desire to do it. I don’t know enough about the family to say they’re terrible parents. perhaps there was a lapse in judgment, I don’t know. All I do know is that they clearly love their children, and they’re all born sailors and adventurers. Those sorts of people are by nature risk takers and do things a little differently (ok, a lot) than the rest of us.
Keith… You’re either completely midguided or you won’t face up to the reality of this situation. I’ve made my points and thankfully, most of the people around me share the same opinion. Not surprisingly, most of them are around my age (40′s and up) and we all remember a time when parents were parents and did their job. Sadly, those days are gone for the most part. Thankfully I know some parents who refused to participate in this madness of putting themselves and their kids on a pedesal and expecting society to cater to them. That’s all I have to say. Moving on…..
Tkip: It should be no matter of pride that other people agree with you. Don’t know why you would hide behind the pack mentality for an argument.
I don’t think Abby’s parents want to send his child on sea only for fame. Abby want to fulfill her dream so there was nothing wrong whatever her parents did. And age should not be a factor .Why people and government makes an issue on this? She was having caliber to do such courageous work and her parents was with her while fulfilling in her dream.
Keith … regardless of whether you and I (or anyone else) agrees on this topic, I appreciate you continuing to talk about it. I can see validity in all the arguments. It isn’t an easy scenario to debate.
And back to your point to me about difference between 16 and 18. There isn’t much, if any. I agree that I don’t want others telling me that they know my child’s capabilities better than I. Just for me … 16 years old, I don’t care how mature you may act, in my opinion … just not old enough yet.
Anyway … I appreciate the conversation. Not sure if you got to read our point of view at our site, but would love for you to comment there as well. Thanks.
.-= Jeff @ ManoftheHouse.com´s last blog ..Curtis Zimmerman Project – Juggling: The Art of Failing Successfully: Episode 1 =-.