Comments on: Cruising Kids

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:25:07 +0000

I just stumbled upon this in Technorati.

I’ll be 51 this month. I grew up in a midwest family farm setting. I moved to New England, and had a “gentleman’s” farm with horses, where my children still live.

We currently live on a sailboat, with a now 11 year old boy. We have been living full-time on our sailboat, Bella Rose, for over 3 years.

So I think I have a pretty good understanding of both lifestyles. I will admit we are NOT world cruisers constantly on the move.

In my opinion, what kids need growing up is love. Of course kids spell love, T-I-M-E. We get up and have breakfast together. In the evening we have dinner together. Quality time AND quantity time. Whether on a farm, or a boat, or an apartment in the city (I was born in Chicago), kids want to be a contributing member of a loving family.

Check us out – https://www.svBellaRose.com

By: Shannon

Shannon — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:23:19 +0000

I think so, yes…

By: Carmen

Carmen — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:21:24 +0000

I’m sorry I didn’t mean that a boat couldn’t feel like home…what I meant was the child having a tie to a geographical location. But maybe the boat would be that for them, even though it goes from place to place.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:12:31 +0000

I disagree with you on the “feels like home” point, but I do agree that the relationship issue is something one has to do a very careful cost-benefit consideration on.

By: Carmen

Carmen — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:35:47 +0000

I wonder though..a kid on a boat..would the kid feel like he didn’t have a “home” to speak of? Would he feel like he had roots? I’m not sure how important that is to a child…but it seems like it would be. Also, would their be problems because of not being able to maintain long term relationships with children their own age?

By: wlfdrgn

wlfdrgn — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:29:35 +0000

I agree that there certainly can be as much responsibility on a boat (please don’t bring the cows. They get sea sick). The advantage of the boat is that there’s a new set of cultural encounters ever week or two. Hard to get that on a farm.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:32:59 +0000

There’s actually a ton of responsibility on a boat.

By: wlfdrgn

wlfdrgn — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:02:30 +0000

I think that farm-raised kids have exactly the opposite experience of the sailing-around-the-world-raised kids.

Farm-raised kids, assuming it’s a stereotypical, small, family farm, have plenty of responsibilities from an early age. What they lack, however, is much variety of experiences, at least relatively speaking. Sure, you have to feed the cows AND the chickens, but you’re still exposed to a very limited variety of social and cultural experiences.

Compare that to the ship-raised kid. Assuming the parents are making the most of the trip, spending in time with every culture they encounter, making sure the kid has some immersion in those cultures, contact with local kids, etc, I think that beats milking a cow anyday.

By: LotN

LotN — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:16:46 +0000

Oh yeah, I still remember that one of my favorite “toys” as a child was a refrigerator box which I spent countless hours converting into a spaceship…

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:49:54 +0000

The modern parent in our culture isnt deserving of the name. No time spent with their children but so long as they have spotless nails and designer clothes, all is well. Nevermind that a child raised on the doctrine of “looks are all that counts” usually grows up to be vapid at best, calculating at worst. Hurrah to the parent who goes against what is accepted as parenting in this modern day. Play and education should never be separated since humans have a natural desire to learn, only discouraged by rote memorization and lack of creative playtime with their overfilled but impressive sounding lives. Show me the kid happily playing with a toad and I see a whole and happy individual. Show me the child that eschews play in favor of keeping neat their appearance and I’ll show you the beginnings of a fine case study and almost sure fire future perpetual client. These types once grown can be found at the attorney, MD, and therapists but will change often, bored, maladjusted and mistrustful as is their inherent nature. A sad lot, these smiling clock faces, wound too tight. A happy and bright future is certain for the child of freedom. Taking the time, that is love.

By: Scienkoptic

Scienkoptic — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:13:19 +0000

Not to mention that they might end up with dirty feet….

By: Maika

Maika — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:47:43 +0000

I remember having all sorts of fun making forts out of boxes when I was a child – lots of cutting and decorating and camping out inside. I work in a shop that’s not so much a toy store as it is a place full of lots of bins of odds and ends and creatures and science surplus goods, etc. and it’s very interesting to watch those people [kids and adults alike] who can entertain themselves exploring and scheming about what to do with all this stuff, and those people whose eyes just seem to glaze over because they aren’t being hand fed instant, homogenized “entertainment.” I’m glad your daughter clearly seems to be part of the former.

By: ak girl

ak girl — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:50:09 +0000

ari is such a lucky girl to have such an awesome dad!