'A Dream Not Fit for Kids!'

[Woodsong]

Humph! Well, was talking with a friend about the desire to hit the road...cruise east coast/down to the islands then who knows...maybe keep going. We've got 2 children- currently 5 and 6. I was told by my friend that such a trip is a "dream not fit for kids" and should not be done, irresponsible, etc. etc.

I sent them links to www.northernmagic.com

Anyone know other "success" (or disaster) stories on the web of families cruising either under power or sail for extended periods? Try as I might, the idea and dream of doing this will not leave my head!

[Pblais]

I was told by my friend that such a trip is a "dream not fit for kids" and should not be done, irresponsible, etc. etc.

Just proves some people don't know very much. Kids under 12 take some extra care and kids over 12 are a handfull. It's more about raising your kids than about anything else. It also requires that they learn how to "sail" at least in terms that kids that age can understand. They need to know what to do when under way and they need to feel comfortable like any passenger along for the ride. They have to know how to get around the boat. You need to bring along the things you need to take up home schooling. There are a lot of home schooling groups that you might consider. It may be a great learning experience but it's not like going to school.

I think kids are pretty portable but parenting has to change to unfamiliar ways. It does take a bit to grow into a new lifestyle. Making it as fun as possble seems like a good way to begin. It should be a family adventure.

It's extra work but you sure wouldn't want to leave them behind.

There are 1,000's of people that have done it.

[Unicorn Dreams]

I agree with everything that Paul said above with the following added: It will be a GREAT LIFE EXPERIENCE for the children. It will be a great way to learn about other people and life styles. And it beats sitting in a dull classroom for hours on end, plus it's a healthy life style. You just have to home school them, or in this case yacht school them, which is a good experience for the parents also.

GOOD LUCK

[Jim Cate]

Woodsong,

No one can tell you how to raise your own kids, but I'd like to point out that MANY families have gone long term cruising. Ann and I have met literally dozens of them in our years at sea, and I can say unequivically that as a group the kids are the very best kids that we have ever encountered.

They are always mature for their years, competant, resourceful, socially advanced, comfortable with and interesting to adults, and especially responsible. Unlike their land based peers, they actually have meaningful jobs on board, including watch standing. By the time they approach teenism, they are used to the idea that their actions can threaten their lives and the lives of all on board if not taken seriously, and this has a wonderful effect on them. I wish that I had been able to take my kids out for a few years when they were young, instead of just vacation cruises.

In short, don't let the nay-sayers (who don't know what the hell they are on about) discourage you: just DO IT!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Gladstone Qld Oz

[Woodsong]

What if the "nay sayer" is your wife.

[swabbmob]

You're pretty much sunk

[BadFish]

Originally Posted by Woodsong

What if the "nay sayer" is your wife.

Hahaha, you're finished.

I know many have successfully raised their kids while cruising and living aboard, and my hat's off to 'em. I got my hands full with having dogs aboard, couldn't imagine having another person who isn't self sufficient.

Show your wife the testimonials of those who have done it. Also, I'm sure that the Pardey's have covered that subject in one of their books.

Cheers

Bill

[Pblais]

What if the "nay sayer" is your wife.

Maybe you should fight City Hall instead. There is always a chance for justice.

[Jolly Roger]

My two daughters were 5 and 6 when we set sail from Falmouth, England, heading South across Biscay, for warmer lands. It was our first boat, a 40’ Endurance, and my wife had never actually done a night passage before. After many adventures, and meeting many like families we arrived in Gibraltar, where we enrolled the girls in school for the winter. It was supposed to be a two year sabbatical, but it turned into a six year odyssey, during which the girls became fluent in Spanish and French, and could even handle the ship pretty well.
Many landlubbers would lament to me from the marina dock, how they wished they could do what we were doing, but they couldn’t, “because they had small kids,” whereupon one of ours would pop her head out the hatch to tell me dinner was ready. I would just smile and bid the lookers good evening.
When we eventually gave it up they were 11 and 12, and we wanted to get them into Stamford High School for Girls, a private school in Lincolnshire, but we couldn’t afford the fees. After a day of evaluation they were both accepted on scholarships, because, as the headmistress said, “We need such rounded, intelligent and interesting young people.”
So long as you offer them security, a loving environment and a warm bed, and you don’t do anything stupid with the boat; children will grow and mature exactly the same as on land, probably better.

[maxingout]

Originally Posted by Woodsong

Humph! Well, was talking with a friend about the desire to hit the road...cruise east coast/down to the islands then who knows...maybe keep going. We've got 2 children- currently 5 and 6. I was told by my friend that such a trip is a "dream not fit for kids" and should not be done, irresponsible, etc. etc.

It sounds like someone is trying to compress you into their mold.

When we sailed around the world with our teenage kids, we got a lot of resistance from family, and almost everyone we knew thought we were crazy.

Our kids thrived on the cruising life, and we have no regrets. Both of our kids want to go cruising on a yacht of their own.

I would do the trip again with my kids in a heart beat. My kids are better people because of the trip.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

and you don’t do anything stupid with the boat; children will grow and mature exactly the same as on land, probably better.

Children that have traveled the world are much better off then those who are locked into a city w/o any knowledge of the outside world. Ask the child of any immigrant that traveled at a young age. They will be mentally more stable and more knowledgeable.

It's just like home schooling. They don't have the peer pressures of a locked in society. Their life is diverse and organized w/ non of the foolishness of TV and the net. They learn what they need to know, not what their buddies think they should know.

Take the plunge, if you can convince the wife. The kids will love you for it!!!!
............................./

[maxingout]

My son was 14 when he started out on our circumnavigation. When he finished the trip around the world, he wrote, "34 Things I've Learned in 33,000 Miles." David's Journal

[Robertcateran]

Ask them where there is a better place for bringing up children.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Woodsong

What if the "nay sayer" is your wife.

G'Day again Woodsong,

My best shot is for her to talk to other Moms who have actually done the cruising with kids thing. Not sure what your location is, but if you can get to just about any yottie hangout (marina, anchorage, or whatever) you will surely find some boats with kids aboard.

If your location does not afford such a place, then you might look into the SSCA. I seem to remember a lot of articles in their monthly jounal covering this subject, and these friendly folks will likely talk your ears off on the many benefits of family cruising. If you can access back issues of Latitude 38, they too have published a bunch of highly supportive materiel, and the Aussie publication called The Coastal Passage has had many too, including some written by the kids in question.

I personally have never met or heard of a family that regretted their time cruising with kids... go for it!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II

PS: It might help if we knew what her specific concerns are...

[Lodesman]

Welcome to Zia Later!
s/v Ocelot Cruising the World
DRUMBEAT
Sailing_Kids : Sailing Kids Homeschool
Cruising Homeschoolers - A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling on a Boat

Hope any of this helps. You may want to PM Andy Copeland - he and his wife Liza took 3 young boys around the world and wrote a number of books about it - Cruising for Cowards might be a good book for your wife.

We're sort of in the same boat (pun intended) - wife and I are both on board, but our families need convincing.