girl solo sailor epibs went off this AM

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

Eben, continuing on the "just cuz you could do it, doesn't mean I'll let you do it" theme...

My 15 year old daughter goes to a private school, and is really into classical music. Her music class wanted to do an UNSUPERVISED, OVERNIGHT trip to NYC (to see 3 concerts over 2 days). Again, these were high school sophomores, unsupervised.

Now, my daughter is pefrectly capable of getting on a train, getting off at the right stop, walking to a hotel, feeding herself, finding the concert, etc...There was no one skill required that she doesn't have. That being said, never in a million years would I have ever let her do it. Buit there were parents who said OK. I was simply stunned.

Too over-protective for you? You seem very thoughtful, so I'm curious what your opinion is...

My thoughts are that there will be a time in your life where you will have to let go of your daughter. The earlier you allow your child to think on his/her own, the stronger person that they will grow to be. Some learn by experience, some learn by failure. The longer you hold your daugther by the reigns, the more you risk extreme failure later on.. For example.. When you see college kids going nuts at spring weekend down south, binge drinking and acting wild, I guarantee you that these people are people who were actively held back in their early teens. Like I said, I grew up on boats- my family would rent out our house in the summer and we would live on our 60 foot steel ketch, but when i was in highschool, I was trusted by my parents to run free.. my friends and I all drank on the weekends, and we all hung out with the local colllege kids... when it was time for me to go to college, I felt like a grad student. I watched all of my peers go crazy because this was their first taste of freedom..
My point is that when parents dont let their kids think for themselves, they are in effect, not letting their kids learn how to think.

getting back to sailing around the world... The first person to sail around the world alone at a young age was Robin Lee Grahm.. he was my idol as a child. While other kids worshiped football players, i was thinking that I could have done what he had done.. he wasn't `16 though.. i think he was a bit older.