16 year old sailing aorund the world

[PrincessFiona]

What are your thoughts about the young woman who was trying to sail around the world on her own?
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/376508...s-othersports/

I have a 15 1/2 year old. I absolutely can NOT imagine allowing him to try to take on something like this. I won't even let him go on a bike tour/camping trip with his 2 best friends who want to take off with their tents and bikes and "go for it". I spaz out that they ride from Sartell to St Cloud.... Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine allowing a child that age to take on something that dangerous.

Kris

I can't imagine I would (and I think the limits you described for Andrew are perfectly reasonable!). BUT ... I can only imagine that it's a different scenario when it's something she's worked towards for most of her (short) life. I'm mentally equating it to the gymnasts/divers/snowboarders/skiers/ice skaters who participate in their sports at an elite level. The different skills or tricks they do could kill or permanently disable them in a heartbeat and I cannot imagine saying "yes dear, go fling yourself off of a spring board, hit the vault and catapult yourself through the air, while twisting your body around in the air -- try not to land on your head!" ... but if they'd been training for it since a young age, I can only imagine I'd be more open to the "next big thing".

[madeintaiwan]

It's not for me either, but DH's cousin who's goal is to make it onto the olympic ski team has been traveling around the world without his parents since forever. He's a young adult now, but he would regularly spend summers in South America skiing without his parents starting when was 13. His younger siblings have done the same with the sports that they compete in.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

As a lifelong sailor (including some solo open ocean stuff - overnights in the gulf of mexico), my perspective is that as long as she's well provisioned and has practiced in other rough conditions, I wouldn't hesitate for the RIGHT kid. I mean hell, my DH is in his late 20s and half of his med school class is so immature I can't imagine them in a clinical settings (multiple people were arrested this winter at a med school prom). What you really need is sound adherence to safety principles - for example, keep your harness ON in case of a knock-down. But other things people were talking about (big waves, her rigging coming down, etc.) could happen when she's on a boat with 10 people. Blue water sailing is inherently dangerous. If you can trust that she'll adhere to these safety measures ALL THE TIME with no exceptions, I think it's ok.

[HouseofWool]

I would have a hard time with it too. But, that said, I went off to Brazil at 16 for a year long exchange program. I can't imagine letting my child go. Heck - I can hardly stand the fact that they are spending tonight at their dad's.

[Sheherezade]

Didn't her older brother hold the record for the youngest person to sail around the world alone until the Australian kid broke it this year? I find the whole story interesting at that level. Seems to me that the family wanted that record back...and the daughter was the one to make a bid for it. Not that she didn't want to go (I'm sure she is very dedicated) but it seems like the whole family dynamic is set up for this event.

[DCJenn]

Can I imagine it? Yes. If it was his goal and his training and he did what he was supposed to do all of the time, then sure- it would scare the crap out of me. Of course, MY kid won't even walk the corner store without me. (I decided to test him to see if he would- I'd already told him I'd watch him go there and back from our driveway. He absolutely refused so I don't know if that's good or bad.)

Jenn

[Meenah]

I could not do it, NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!

[oceanchild]

Didn't her older brother hold the record for the youngest person to sail around the world alone until the Australian kid broke it this year? I find the whole story interesting at that level. Seems to me that the family wanted that record back...and the daughter was the one to make a bid for it. Not that she didn't want to go (I'm sure she is very dedicated) but it seems like the whole family dynamic is set up for this event.

This.

I don't have a problem with kids taking on challenging things, but this particular adventure feels like the parents trying to snag themselves some fame and fortune.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

This.

I don't have a problem with kids taking on challenging things, but this particular adventure feels like the parents trying to snag themselves some fame and fortune.

I don't know...couldn't she just have had the same dream as her brother? Especially if they were both encouraged in solo sailing as kids? Lots of kids want to join x, y, or z activity or acheive something because their older siblings do it. I find it hard to believe that you could pressure your kid to do something like that when all odds are against it. No one, not one person, has come out saying that it seemed like the girl didn't want to do this. In this day and age I believe that would have happened if she'd said to anyone that she was not excited to go or didn't want to do it.

[Thirteen]

Perez is now reporting that the family has 7 children, and has been "shopping their family around" for a reality t.v. show -- they reside in T.O., which isn't that far away from L.A.
If this is true, then the "famewhore" angle is definitely suspect.

Perez is now reporting that the family has 7 children, and has been "shopping their family around" for a reality t.v. show -- they reside in T.O., which isn't that far away from L.A.
If this is true, then the "famewhore" angle is definitely suspect.

CNN was reporting that Dad had signed a contract shortly after her expedition launched. They also had quotes from the girl to the effect of "I feel like I need to do these things in order to earn the love and affection of my parents."

[oceanchild]

Yeah, I mean, I don't pretend to know their motivations. And I'm sure at some level Abby really wanted to do this. I just wonder how much of that was a reaction to family pressure.

[DCJenn]

All I've heard is that they're evangelical Christians and felt that the trip was "in God's hands."

For whatever that's worth.

Jenn

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

All I've heard is that they're evangelical Christians and felt that the trip was "in God's hands."

For whatever that's worth.

Jenn

Well, again, I don't know if that's damning in and of it's own right. Most Christians believe their entire lives are "in God's hands". Heck I mean going to the grocery store is in God's hands.

And they're reporting that the reality show was about kid's achieving amazing things but they backed out when it got sketchy.

I don't know...I don't want to defend these people to the end's of the earth because I have no personal stake in this but I do know that the media jumps on stories like this and beats the "horrible parents" angle into the ground. Yes, there are HORRIBLE parents out there but I want to believe that most people are good and so far, I haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe that they're completely terrible.