Family with Two Toddlers Rescued at Sea, Sparking Controversy
52 replies, posted
Depends on the size of sailboat really. They need a certain number of crew to operate the bigger they get. Small children would essentially be "dead weight." I'd probably take children around the world after I know they can at least help man the ship if needed. If you got enough adults to do all the labor then children would be fine but they'll still need a bed and food. So physically able young adults with sailing experience would be ideal.
On the bright side, at least they were rescued before their ship went the way of the raft of the Medusa.
[QUOTE=Aetna;44517859]Nope. They're still at a young enough developmental age that it would have minimal effect on them when they're reintroduced to kids their own age, particularly the baby. If anything, they'd find themselves annoyed at the extreme immaturity of most kids their age after spending an experience that's actually valuable and teaches them life skills.[/QUOTE]
I'd feel like a kid would have social issues if they told me that they were "annoyed at the extreme immaturity of most kids". Kids are immature, that's literally the definition of the word. No one wants their kid to be a pessimistic asshole.
[QUOTE=Leo Leonardo;44519681]I'd feel like a kid would have social issues if they told me that they were "annoyed at the extreme immaturity of most kids". Kids are immature, that's literally the definition of the word. No one wants their kid to be a pessimistic asshole.[/QUOTE]
You misunderstood my point - have you ever met a child that's young, but mature beyond his years? I've met 5 or 6 year olds that are so well behaved that you'd easily mistake them for much older if it wasn't for their looks. I kinda feel that experiences such as these aid in advancing the maturity of children. Camping, crafting, and actual life tools are much more useful than messing around in the backyard playing with linknlogs and watching tons of garbage TV.
Not that there's anything wrong with messing around and playing with linknlogs, I hope. Creativity is something we should praise and nurture.
[QUOTE=Aetna;44520270]You misunderstood my point - have you ever met a child that's young, but mature beyond his years? I've met 5 or 6 year olds that are so well behaved that you'd easily mistake them for much older if it wasn't for their looks. I kinda feel that experiences such as these aid in advancing the maturity of children. Camping, crafting, and actual life tools are much more useful than messing around in the backyard playing with linknlogs and watching tons of garbage TV.[/QUOTE]
But [B]how[/B] are they more useful? In a modern society, where you're probably not going to get your ass stranded in a forest or something, how is camping and such more useful to a child than actually interacting with other children? Okay cool your kid can slap together a camp in record time, can they conduct themselves properly at any form of networking event?
Kids are meant to be immature fuckabouts. Making sure they're well behaved is totally understandable, but that comes down to the way the parents raise them, not the activities they partake in as <6 year olds. Young children need to explore and understand things on their own, and see others similar to them to emphatically understand the world around them, it's a vital part of the learning process for kids (going by what I know of psych anyway). Taking them on these extravagant world tours won't actually progress them as human beings any more significantly, they might have a greater understanding of other cultures, but that's about it at that age.
Note that I'm not saying they are less useful, I think it'd be pretty cool to have done stuff like this as a kid, but not as a <6 year old where I won't actually learn or remember anything. Getting social interaction down is a much bigger concern at that age, not learning how to skin several animals with just a paperclip.
Yes, take your kids out of school and have them sit around on a boat playing games all day, that'll be great for their development!
[QUOTE=mobrockers;44520417]Yes, take your kids out of school and have them sit around on a boat playing games all day, that'll be great for their development![/QUOTE]
Or have them go to school [I]on[/I] the boat. Homeschooling can be a hell of a lot better than public school, for educational quality, and it's not like there's any shortage of time to kill out in the middle of the ocean.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44520570]Or have them go to school [I]on[/I] the boat. Homeschooling can be a hell of a lot better than public school, for educational quality, and it's not like there's any shortage of time to kill out in the middle of the ocean.[/QUOTE]
Homeschooling is possibly the best way to turn your kid into a sheltered lonely douchebag in record time.
Point of school is socialization and a few life lessons that your parents can't possibly teach you with homeschooling - starting with the fact that people can be assholes, and that not everyone likes you.
People meet friends while sailing. Its entirely possible for kids to find other kids at ports and have their families sail together.
[editline]11th April 2014[/editline]
In fact there was a Facepuncher who had a thread about his family sailing around the Pacific with other families. Think me and bda got interested in sailing from that thread.
I used to work with kids and I have to say, most of them would end up bored shitless if they spent every day on a small boat. If they are young enough that they don't remember much other than being on the boat, it isn't going to be an amazing experience for them, it will just be their everyday life and they won't appreciate it at all.
[QUOTE=OvB;44520967]People meet friends while sailing. Its entirely possible for kids to find other kids at ports and have their families sail together.
[editline]11th April 2014[/editline]
In fact there was a Facepuncher who had a thread about his family sailing around the Pacific with other families. Think me and bda got interested in sailing from that thread.[/QUOTE]
[URL="http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1096585"]Thiiiiis one?[/URL]
Yes!
I can understand the wish to expose your kids to other cultures and see the world. But I would think traveling by more traditional methods would work better than to spend months or years away from other kids (other than occasional port stops). I imagine it would be difficult for a kid who has only ever really interacted with their family to pick up some social skills.
I would be interested to know if life on the sea during a long period of their childhood would affect how they perceive dry land. I remember an episode of beyond survival that said individuals from a tribe that live at sea can feel uncomfortable on land for more than short periods. Basically their "sea legs" become their norm.
[editline]11th April 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44517958]Only in the sense that they'd be very mature for their age, I think. Otherwise, they'd probably be similar to your average homeschooler. The length of the voyage is important to consider, as well as what age you're taking them out at.[/QUOTE]
I dont think that would be true. From what I have seen normally parents who homeschool make extra efforts to ensure their kids still interact with other children regularly. It is not uncommon for there to be community groups dedicated to having events for home schooled kids so that they still get social interaction.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44520570]Or have them go to school [I]on[/I] the boat. Homeschooling can be a hell of a lot better than public school, for educational quality, and it's not like there's any shortage of time to kill out in the middle of the ocean.[/QUOTE]
One man Captaining the boat, one woman acting as the entire crew. 2 very young children who can barely function on their own, now you take it on yourself to provide for the most critical point in time for childhood development on a boat? If were following this couples model and they did what youre suggesting to do well it would be unrealistic. What's the longest period of time you spent on the seas BDA instead of studying it?
[QUOTE=OvB;44520967]People meet friends while sailing. Its entirely possible for kids to find other kids at ports and have their families sail together.
[editline]11th April 2014[/editline]
In fact there was a Facepuncher who had a thread about his family sailing around the Pacific with other families. Think me and bda got interested in sailing from that thread.[/QUOTE]
Are we talking about a 16 years old or younger, because I was talking about younger
They were very experienced sailors, knew what they were doing, were prepared for this, no one got hurt, and the kids are still alive.
what's the problem here? The only reason this even happened was because their ship took a shit.
[QUOTE=Tmaxx;44522708]They were very experienced sailors, knew what they were doing, were prepared for this, no one got hurt, and the kids are still alive.
what's the problem here? The only reason this even happened was because their ship took a shit.[/QUOTE]
You can be the most experimented person ever and still make dumbass decisions.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44517547]That'd be ideal yeah, but I'd strongly consider taking my kids along if they were younger. One is a bit too young, I think, but two or three? A circumnavigation is no quick jaunt. You'll be at sea for two or three years, if you're taking your time and enjoying yourself. Your kid would be spending one of the most crucial periods of childhood development seeing the world in a way that very few people do, and I think that's beautiful.[/QUOTE]
Oh boy, all that blue.
[QUOTE=MR-X;44517748]People are judging them harshly and are pissed meanwhile thousands of children are being abused, starved, etc right in their own communities. CPS and social services are a utter joke and complete failure. Why isn't that sparking controversy or is that just accepted now?
Yeah a freak malfunction happened while they where on sea. There are risks to everything, it isn't like they abandoned the child or was mistreating it. I've been traveling sense I was born, my first flight was at like 1-2 years old. There is a chance that the plane could malfunction and crash..does that mean my parents are assholes no. I grew up moving around all the time various states and countries, I have a worldly view and know many different cultures while some of my friends have never been out of state. I think experiencing something like this at a young age (Maybe not a new born) is beneficial and educational. You learn a lot of skills on boats that can help you in general.[/QUOTE]
Something worse is happening elsewhere so that invalidates anything said about "put situation here".
That's some unbelievably stupid logic.
[QUOTE=squids_eye;44521037]I used to work with kids and I have to say, most of them would end up bored shitless if they spent every day on a small boat. If they are young enough that they don't remember much other than being on the boat, it isn't going to be an amazing experience for them, it will just be their everyday life and they won't appreciate it at all.[/QUOTE]
I think the only realistic chance parents have to make sailing around the world, or just sailing in general, a beneficial experience for the kids is if the legs of the trip were short enough, the kids old enough to remember anything, and if the boat itself had some way to occupy the kids' attention during the boring bits.
Days and nights stuck on a boat in the middle of a boring ocean? That's not for the kids' benefit. Mom and dad may be getting off on it but the kids are just bored. Kids that are very young(3)? They'll remember a few short impressions of the trip at best. The time they caught a fish, the time they saw a whale, that type of stuff. The thing is, they could have experienced that on a day trip in local waters AND be back on land before they got bored of the boat. Finally, if the boat was a large enough that everyone wasn't just sitting there staring at each other every day it would help. Adults can cope, they know what they've gotten themselves into. Young kids need to be in a stimulating environment.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;44517459][img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2014/04/10/us/sailboat/sailboat-articleLarge.jpg[/img]
[url]http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/us/rescued-at-sea-family-is-safe-in-san-diego.html?_r=0&referrer=[/url]
This is raising quite a stir with the sailing community. There's a split between folks who are heavily criticizing the parenting choices of the Kaufmans, who brought two extremely young children on a sailboat for a circumnavigation, and those who are applauding them. People are calling them reckless and negligent, but I must disagree! I'm totally in love with the idea of sailing, and if I ever have a family, I would love to go see the world with them. That's an opportunity that very few children get, and I think that experiencing such an adventure firsthand is something that would do a developing mind a lot of good. Many kids in the Western world grow up in the quiet comfort of suburbia, and forget that there's a world beyond [I]cul de sacs[/I] and minivans. I wouldn't want that for mine. I'd want them to be thirsty for adventure and new ideas.
Sailing has its risks, but what doesn't? The benefits far outweigh the potential dangers, in my opinion.[/QUOTE]
Except for when the kid is 1 year old and won't remember any of it and it only endangers its wellfare and nothing more
[QUOTE=download;44517476]Taking young young children (read babies) to remote locations without access to medical facilities is asking for trouble. Babies get sick and injured really easily.
They're too fucking young to even enjoy the experience too.[/QUOTE]
If they can't swim, they shouldn't be circumnavigating the globe. I'm pretty damn sure a 1 year old doesn't know how to tread water, use energy conserving strokes or rescue breathing techniques.
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