View Full Version : Court Nixes Teen's Plan to Sail Around the World
Horserider
10-30-2009, 12:24 PM
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/9996120
A Dutch court ruled Friday that 14-year-old Laura Dekker was still too inexperienced to be allowed to set off on her quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
Judges at Utrecht District Court placed Laura under the guardianship of child protection authorities until next July to ensure that she cannot set off on her dream voyage. The ruling means Laura can continue living with her father but her parents must consult child protection authorities about all major decisions in her life.
I'm just going to keep my opinion on this to myself for awhile...but what do you guys think?
JackieB
10-30-2009, 12:50 PM
I think it's reasonable. Although ages we set for when a person can make his/her own decisions are arbitrary, we have to set the line somewhere. Parents get to raise their kids, but the kids don't belong to them. They don't belong to anyone, but society has decided that it has a responsiblity to help protect them and this is a risky endeavor for sure.
She'll be 18 in four short years and she can sail around the world twice if she wants. These "youngest person to...." accomplishments aren't generally a very good idea anyway. Parents get carried away like that young girl who lost her life trying to be the youngest to fly across the country. I thnk she was only 9 and they took off right into a storm because a major network was already waiting to interview them at her next destination.
Horserider
10-30-2009, 01:13 PM
Parents get to raise their kids, but the kids don't belong to them.
If we don't belong to our parents, who do we belong to? If I can't run my own life, then I'd rather it be my parents in charge than the government.
Parents get carried away like that young girl who lost her life trying to be the youngest to fly across the country.
Flying experience? Was she actually in control of the plane or were her parents helping?
Ragnar Danneskjold
10-30-2009, 01:49 PM
It's probably true that she's too young and inexperienced to solo around the world. But it's a sad comment that the Dutch government can have any say in the matter.
"A ship in a harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are for."
-- Admiral Grace Hopper.
JackieB
10-30-2009, 02:24 PM
If we don't belong to our parents, who do we belong to? If I can't run my own life, then I'd rather it be my parents in charge than the government.
Flying experience? Was she actually in control of the plane or were her parents helping?
You don't belong to anyone. But if parents aren't making good decisions, and sometimes they don't, then society has decided that it will step in. We don't allow natural selection when it comes to bad parenting of humans (meaning kids with parents who make poor decisions would die more often). At least we try not to anyway.
Granted, this decision is sort of on the borderline because this girl might be old enough to make this trip, but there is definitely a reasonable precedent for the government stepping in sometimes. Government isn't all bad as we sometimes tend to make it out to be. For example, a toddler out wandering in a busy street because his/her parents are high on crack shouldn't be returned to that home. If there aren't relatives who can help out, then there is a place for government intervention.
Her name was Jessica Dubroff and she was 7 years old when she died. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Dubroff She apparently wasn't in control of the plane when it crashed, but she did do most of the flying in her trip to be the youngest person to fly across the U.S.
Horserider
10-30-2009, 02:33 PM
You don't belong to anyone. But if parents aren't making good decisions, and sometimes they don't, then society has decided that it will step in. We don't allow natural selection when it comes to bad parenting of humans (meaning kids with parents who make poor decisions would die more often). At least we try not to anyway.
Today the government is deciding that we can't sail alone around the world. What will they be deciding tomorrow? That we're not allowed to eat more than one bag of potato chips in a week? Somewhere the line has to be drawn.
There's a big difference between 7 and 14. I've never sailed a boat or flown a plane by myself, but I'm pretty sure it's a lot easier to sail a boat. If I wanted to ride a horse from North Carolina to California during my summer vacation (assuming I'm a better rider than I am right now, because I'm not crazy) then what would happen?
JackieB
10-30-2009, 02:54 PM
Today the government is deciding that we can't sail alone around the world. What will they be deciding tomorrow? That we're not allowed to eat more than one bag of potato chips in a week? Somewhere the line has to be drawn.
There's a big difference between 7 and 14. I've never sailed a boat or flown a plane by myself, but I'm pretty sure it's a lot easier to sail a boat. If I wanted to ride a horse from North Carolina to California during my summer vacation (assuming I'm a better rider than I am right now, because I'm not crazy) then what would happen?
I get where you are coming from, but the government isn't saying that a teenager can't sail around the world alone. Just that this 14 year old can't. Didn't a 16 year old just do it?
I'm sure you could ride your horse coast to coast. And I'm sure that you could sail around the world, too. But you're a few years older than this girl.
As I mentioned, it's a somewhat-arbitrary distinction. She might be old enough, but I can't fault the court and it won't hurt for her to wait another couple of years.
WashingtonBay
10-30-2009, 02:56 PM
My fear is "mission creep". Nowhere does it say that there is any reason to doubt this child's welfare and care, other than the proposed sailing trip. And yet "The ruling means Laura can continue living with her father but her parents must consult child protection authorities about all major decisions in her life." What other major decisions does the court now have jurisdiction over?
cheval
10-30-2009, 03:23 PM
The court has no business making that sort of decision. The parents do. And for the parents to have to consult the court in future big decisions is absolutely outrageous.
Were the parents in support of her trip? Were they going to be close at hand? In another ship but still allowing her to do her own sailing?
JackieB
10-30-2009, 04:10 PM
My fear is "mission creep". Nowhere does it say that there is any reason to doubt this child's welfare and care, other than the proposed sailing trip. And yet "The ruling means Laura can continue living with her father but her parents must consult child protection authorities about all major decisions in her life." What other major decisions does the court now have jurisdiction over?
Well, keep in mind that this is the Netherlands. Not a place I can imagine you moving to anyway. :p
JackieB
10-30-2009, 04:16 PM
The court has no business making that sort of decision. The parents do.
With a child who is 14, or at any age?
And I'm pretty sure that she was going to sail off alone with her parents staying in the Netherlands.
On one hand, I think it is incredibly stupid for parents to even consider letting a fourteen year old do that. But, I don't like gov't interference. Trying to see why they (gov't) would interfere, all I came up with was the likelyhood that the kid would need to be rescued and the danger that would put others in. I wonder if there is more to this than we know, too.
Ragnar Danneskjold
10-30-2009, 04:44 PM
It would be a pretty stupid thing to do. She would most probably die in the attempt. She should be talked out of it. But hey... if she really wants to go... she'll probably go.
Oh well, crabs gotta eat too. Perhaps the meaning of her life is to serve as a warning to others. :-)
It would be a pretty stupid thing to do. She would most probably die in the attempt. She should be talked out of it. But hey... if she really wants to go... she'll probably go.
Oh well, crabs gotta eat too. Perhaps the meaning of her life is to serve as a warning to others. :-)
"If nothing else, you can always be a bad example." My mother - when I wouldn't stop riding broncs and TBs.
JackieB
10-30-2009, 06:59 PM
"If nothing else, you can always be a bad example." My mother - when I wouldn't stop riding broncs and TBs.
Whoa, mare. You wild thing, you! This would have been in Michigan too, right? Where did you grow up if you don't mind me asking? I live just north of Muskegon and south of Ludington.
Ragnar Danneskjold
10-30-2009, 07:08 PM
A couple of demotivational posters come to mind:
Horserider
10-30-2009, 07:16 PM
Were the parents in support of her trip? Were they going to be close at hand? In another ship but still allowing her to do her own sailing?
Her mom was against it and her dad was for it. I'm not sure about them being close at hand or staying in the Netherlands.
Whoa, mare. You wild thing, you! This would have been in Michigan too, right? Where did you grow up if you don't mind me asking? I live just north of Muskegon and south of Ludington.
Motown. Dad wanted to be a busy cop, and what better place to work?
You live in a nice part of the state. :)
cheval
10-30-2009, 11:39 PM
With a child who is 14, or at any age?
And I'm pretty sure that she was going to sail off alone with her parents staying in the Netherlands.
With a child of any age. Unless there are abuse and they have to step in, obviously. But for decisions, it's up to the parents.
And I think it would have been okay to let her try it IF there was going to be someone close at hand to be there if something went awry. At that age, a kid thinks they can do anything but they don't have enough life experiences to help them out in an extreme emergency. Having someone experienced to be close at hand would give her not only the satisfaction and experience of sailing the world on her own, but there would be someone there if there was an extreme emergency.
The courts do not need to be involved with what a parent decides for their kids unless what the parent is doing is abuse, providing lack of health care or contributing to their delinquency. None of those apply to the girl wanting to sail. I wouldn't agree to her doing it completely by herself because of that lack of life experiences to get her through problems, but with guidance, absolutely.
What would be next? Kids under a certain age can't ride their horse anymore in rodeos or they can't play football until they are a certain age or insert any other thing.
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