Reasons you should take your children cruising soon

[Nicholson58]

Perhaps we should get back to the subject matter the OP started.

Assuming our glaciers melt -

We plan to cruise Muskegon to Marquette this year. My nephew is getting married so the opportunity is presented. We will cruise back with our 8-year old grandson and his friend. This will be along the S shore of Lake Superior. We will pass through Munising and time our passing of Pictured Rocks National Sea Shore to be able to loiter in daylight. This transit to the SOO Locks is past predominantly uninhabited scenic shore & rocks. There are few harbors of refuge so planning is the word. Recent dredging makes Little Lake Harbor accessible and Grand Marais should be open as well. There is no charge to
transit the SOO Locks. There is a historic sea-plane museum on the Canadian side. below the locks. We follow the shipping channel onto Lake Huron from the St Mary's River at Drumond Island. The rout west takes us past Mackinaw Island and under the Mackinaw bridge. Michigan's west coast has many safe harbors but the rout is directly into the prevailing S-Westerlies. We will either get lucky or head well west to Wisconsin and look for a favorable shift. Should be quite an adventure for a couple of young men.

[Autumns Wind]

It's the best way for them to see and experience the world around them, with out all the trash of Hollywood movies....

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=G8WGmCOXkg8

[capn_mark]

Nice pictures, with great stories behind them all. Thanks!

[Autumns Wind]

I do have to say... My kids have it so bad! Played with dolphins in Roatan, snorkeled along the beaches of Cayman Islands, played at the marinas along the west coast of Florida... IMO... I think cruising is great for the adventure, to see, experience and learn.... But to cruise to escape life can be very bad!!! We just met a family of 5 form California... Their kids 3-5 we're not allowed to interact with any one including my kids, the 5 yr had no social skills at all... Horrible... I don't think that's just cruising though, homeschoolers, religious people, over protective parents... It all can affect kids growing up.... My 8 yr on a conference call with her online teacher, told the teacher all about Pig Beach in the Exuma islands and how were gonna sail their over the summer... The teacher never heard of it and looked up online, while chatting with Autumn... I don't think cruising is bad, just not letting the kids be socially interactive... Full time 2.5yrs

[goboatingnow]

By all means take you kids cruising, ( or not ) its a personal decision. I have mine, you have yours. ( you don't need to hear mine and I don't what to know yours )



However a boat doesn't shield them from the world, good or bad. Let's not romanticise the thing.

Dave

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Palarran

............

I hear a lot of older folks complaining about young children these days and society as a whole. Probably just like their parents complained about that generation. Personally, I see a lot of well adjusted, respectful, intelligent kids growing up in a fast paced world. There's no problem raising your children while cruising but claiming it is superior to a traditional upbringing is, IMO, myopic.

I can't believe I sat here at my laptop this morning and read this entire thread! I came back to this statement by Palarran as my favorite.

We raised our children aboard with much cruising, but not isolation from shore communities. They've been off ashore and living in houses for about twenty years, but now they are both shopping for boats of their own. My daughter wants to raise her children in a cruising environment and my son want life on the water again.

[sabray]

I have been dragging my kids to the boat for years. This year my son says dad when I am 16 I want that boat.Then he starts in about having a lazer before he turns 16. I let him loose with the dinghy. It is a huge responsibility. He gets to figure out what works and doesn't. Now He has a friend aboard and they are off in the dink so they are trying and needing to work together. Great life lessons at early ages. They are both proud that they are off exploring and successful.
I gave them a bag and told them they are warriors for the environment. Collect all the trash where they explore and leave it better looking then when they arrived.
Success huge bag of trash came back. Win win and I feal like a good dad with just some common sense. Both kids are now trained in using the handheld vhf. Joy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[onefastdaddy]

Originally Posted by minaret

Said it here before and I'll say it again, everyone "inflicts their lifestyle on their kids". I for one much prefer "inflicting" this lifestyle on them than the "normal" mainstream lifestyle, or to letting others "inflict" a lifestyle I do not want them exposed to, ie the public school system.

I just read this to my wife. Our sediments exactly. Well said.

[onefastdaddy]

Originally Posted by Autumns Wind

I do have to say... My kids have it so bad! Played with dolphins in Roatan, snorkeled along the beaches of Cayman Islands, played at the marinas along the west coast of Florida... IMO... I think cruising is great for the adventure, to see, experience and learn.... But to cruise to escape life can be very bad!!! We just met a family of 5 form California... Their kids 3-5 we're not allowed to interact with any one including my kids, the 5 yr had no social skills at all... Horrible... I don't think that's just cruising though, homeschoolers, religious people, over protective parents... It all can affect kids growing up.... My 8 yr on a conference call with her online teacher, told the teacher all about Pig Beach in the Exuma islands and how were gonna sail their over the summer... The teacher never heard of it and looked up online, while chatting with Autumn... I don't think cruising is bad, just not letting the kids be socially interactive... Full time 2.5yrs

Now that does make a good point. Same happens all the time on land. People hide from the world on land also with just as terrible results to the kids. Hopefully we find the other families out there who like us seek to interact as much as possible with different family's and cultures. Our girls are very shy but that is something we hope being out there helps them get over.

[alice149]

I have on a quiet sunday read this entire thread and although have not posted on the forum before felt that there is some room for additions.

1. This is not meant as an offence to any but I have found this thread shockingly U.S centric. It is very interesting to be able to read about education problems and raising families on the other side of the pond (I'm from London) but does however miss many important points. The idea that somehow children will be unhappy having to move around a lot is ludicrous in my mind, where in Europe it is entirely normal to find kids from all across the world in the same classroom. My friends include HK and Mainland Chinese, Italians, French, Spanish, Indian, Russian and many others. This for me and these other young people is entirely the norm and nothing to be excited about.

2. Regardless if you live on land or on a boat a child's wellbeing and happiness depends on having loving parents who really care about what that child wants. One previous poster who described the sadness of being pulled away from situations he would have wanted as a young boy is not going to be the case if parents really listen to what a child needs and wants and takes those considerations seriously. I, for one, was lucky enough to have parents who treated my needs and wants with respect, regardless of my age. This did not mean I always got my way but instead made me feel that I was a part of the family in real decision making, which is important for a child's confidence.

3. Talk about whether a child will be conventionally successful in later life depending on whether they've had a 'normal' upbringing. One thing I can add to that is that a child aboard will be exposed to the opportunity of learning more languages and I think its obvious that language is a key asset in navigating the modern workplace. Considering almost all high end shops here in London now have Mandarin speaking staff...

4. All of this surely centres around what a child wants/needs. It is very easy to ask, even from a young age - 'are you happy or unhappy?' and if they are happy keep doing what you're doing, if not - change. One of the main reasons children, especially teens despise education is because it is a) it is not about broadening their knowledge but instead pandering to an exam board and b) it is not delivered in a way that makes it fun to consume. I personally think boating solves these problems - hate learning Spanish? Go to Malaga and make friends with some locals!

One thing I keep in mind when I think of raising children is this beautiful piece of writing from Kahlil Gibran which my mother used to read to me.

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable."

Disclaimer: I'm 19, at university (SOAS) in London and do not have any children but have learnt much from the education system I was put through (british boarding school) and my wonderful parents (currently living in France)

[onefastdaddy]

Well said. Raising our two girls has taught us to follow our instincts as parents and not blindly follow the great many "experts" out there.

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[JPA Cate]

Alice149,

Sorry you are shocked by a thread started by folks from the US and not participated in by people from the old world to be US-centric. I think we from the US tend to be parochial, by and large, and there are many such contributors to CF. To me it is not surprising at all, but I'm an American.

Responsible parents want to give their children a good education, and so there will be a lot of discussion of local-to-the-posters home schooling options, for the boat becomes one's home. The US is big and there is internal diversity, but not like between nations, more between sects. It is even possible that more young American parents than European Community parents want to take children cruising. For you, as you say, ethnic diversity is easy, and a way of life. It's a form of culture clash. The simple issue of being multi-lingual is common there, not so, in America.

Children have many needs and wants. A few factors driving the people who want to take their kids away from America is the sexualization of very young females; then there is the obsession with *stuff*, the materialism; the lack of social skills for meaningful connection with others fostered by TV, mobile phone texting, and internet fora such as Facebook, hence there is some desire to take your kids away to help them build social skills, and also experience the different ways others do things.

Ann