Abby Sunderland Missing

[clutter]

Actually they solicited sponsors for the voyage, it wasn't all personal money. I don't see a sense of entitlement here. She had the drive, the prowess to sell her voyage to sponsors, and the want to experience something other teenagers can only dream of. I don't know how that says entitlement, it says to me that she worked hard to try and make her dream a reality.

While I agree with you, there is a sense of entitlement, as the vast majority of 16 year olds have not had the sailing experience on 40-foot yachts to attempt to do this.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

And how would the trip have been less had she waited 5 years? Gotten 5 more years of sailing under her belt. Worked in more difficult situations. And, Heaven knows, tracking is only going to get better? Postponing something because it isn't safe is also a commendable attribute. We don't always need to get something when we want it. Delayed gratification never hurt anyone.

Perceptions and experience gained can be drastically changed based on when those events occur in our life. Visiting France as a 12-year old gives me a lot different experience, than visiting France as a 25-year old. That's just the way things work. I take different lessons from each.

I'm quite sure she will try this again when she is older, but it won't be the same as being young and finding out things about yourself that you may never have known.

 

[Dismagic1]

lol, personal insults are allowed? Has that changed recently?

Is that an insult to you? There must be some element of truth to it then.

 

[dumboiu]

Beg pretty? Wow this girl just keeps getting insulted left and right. As someone who has spent time working to get sponsors for various causes, it just doesn't work that way. No company wants to put their name on a boat that ends up sinking. She obviously knew enough about what she was doing that these companies saw an opportunity to be part of her dream.

Honestly what is with the blatant age discrimination, too? This girl's accomplishment should be seen for what it is. A way to show teenagers that they are capable of so much more than what society will give them. Hard work and a dream, and you can do great things. Her story isn't selfishness, but more what she can do.

There are so many threads I see around here where the teenager gets the bad rep, just for their age. Here is a girl who is doing something big with her teenage years, and still gets flak for it. I guess she should just have stayed home, hung out at the mall, and got in trouble, like the rest of those darned teenagers.

She is 16 years old. She is sailing in conditions that most accomplished sailors wouldn't dream of sailing in (and I mean people that have been sailing longer than this child has been alive). She is sailing in the southern hemisphere in the dead of winter (not smart). She has her whole life ahead of her to do wonderful and great things. She could have lost her life in this stunt. She needed to be rescued. Her parents should be held accountable for the cost of her rescue.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Beg pretty? Wow this girl just keeps getting insulted left and right. As someone who has spent time working to get sponsors for various causes, it just doesn't work that way. No company wants to put their name on a boat that ends up sinking. She obviously knew enough about what she was doing that these companies saw an opportunity to be part of her dream.

Honestly what is with the blatant age discrimination, too? This girl's accomplishment should be seen for what it is. A way to show teenagers that they are capable of so much more than what society will give them. Hard work and a dream, and you can do great things. Her story isn't selfishness, but more what she can do.

There are so many threads I see around here where the teenager gets the bad rep, just for their age. Here is a girl who is doing something big with her teenage years, and still gets flak for it. I guess she should just have stayed home, hung out at the mall, and got in trouble, like the rest of those darned teenagers.

Hmmmm, I think there are a few options that fall between the extremes, don't you? My kids have traveled the world, but they were not set asail on their own in dangerous situations. Right now I have one son helping with housing in Indonesia, one in Japan with 4-H, one hiking part of the AT, and a daughter heading to camp where they sail and mountain climb. She (Abby) is not/was not safe. I have been sailing since I learned at camp in 1976. That is a long time.

It is a shame that you only see two options for kids. It is not age discrimination to say that someone does not have the experience to do something. Nor is it discrimination to point out that a sweet, cute 16 year old girl does not have a difficult time selling anything.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Is that an insult to you? There must be some element of truth to it then.

I know you are, but what am I?

 

[Dismagic1]

Again who are we to judge? Why can't we just be happy that she was rescued? Why do we need to point our fingers somewhere? There was no crime committed here folks.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

She is 16 years old. She is sailing in conditions that most accomplished sailors wouldn't dream of sailing in (and I mean people that have been sailing longer than this child has been alive). She is sailing in the southern hemisphere in the dead of winter (not smart). She has her whole life ahead of her to do wonderful and great things. She could have lost her life in this stunt. She needed to be rescued. Her parents should be held accountable for the cost of her rescue.

Far too much common sense.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Thanks for the info, you learn something new everyday!!

Now, I have another legal question. Let's say, hypothetically of course , that there were two kids ages 9 and 10 that were driving their mother crazy by the second week of summer vacation. Would it be illegal in the state of Ohio for the mom take a few days and go relax on a beach somewhere? Would it help the mom's cause if she made sure the kids had enough pop tarts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Easy Mac to tide them over while she was gone and she claimed they were very responsible for their age?

Illegal, yes. But I see a valid insanity defense...

It's decided on a case by case basis. Only Maryland and Illinois have laws on their books as to what constitutes a minimum age that children can be left alone or watch other children. In other states, it depends on the maturity of the child, whether or not the child feels comfortable in the situation. how long the parent is gone for, what other supervision/provisions the parent(s) have put in place etc. Hypothetically, if mom wanted to hit the beach for a few hours, left her cell phone number with the kids and the kids were reasonably responsible and knew what to do in an emergency, it would probably be OK. If the Mom stocked up on enough Wii games and poptarts, the kids probably wouldn't notice that she had even gone.

Illinois doesn't have a minimum age to be left alone under the Juvenile Court Act, which defines neglect. Whether a child was neglected "due to lack of necessary care" depends on the "age and maturity of the child" along with 40,000 other things. There are some vague age references in the criminal and vehicle code for child endangerment, though.

 

[Aisling]

Again who are we to judge? Why can't we just be happy that she was rescued? Why do we need to point our fingers somewhere? There was no crime committed here folks.

Because we all did that already, expressing our relief that she's ok!

Then it was time to get down to the details!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Perceptions and experience gained can be drastically changed based on when those events occur in our life. Visiting France as a 12-year old gives me a lot different experience, than visiting France as a 25-year old. That's just the way things work. I take different lessons from each.

I'm quite sure she will try this again when she is older, but it won't be the same as being young and finding out things about yourself that you may never have known.

Different isn't bad.

If a 13 year old wants to experience something that is dangerous for a 13 year old you say "no."

When the hurricane hit, 3 of my family members went to NOLA to work. My youngers wanted to come. It was not a healthy nor a safe situation. It would have been a good experience IN SOME WAYS. Those positives do not always make it right to forget the potential negatives.

 

[tomthebarncat]

she got rescued but the reality of the situation is that she never should have been allowed to get into this situation and If I was a taxpayer that had to pay for her rescue I would not be happy!! Once again,who is the parent and who is the child ? funny thing, my Dad never had a hard time saying No to my idiotic ideas and I am a better person because of it

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

Because we all did that already, expressing our relief that she's ok!

Then it was time to get down to the details!

lol, it is a given that everyone is happy she is safe. Is she was shark bait, how much support would she be getting? "Well at least she followed her dreams..."

 

[Disneyrsh]

.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Different isn't bad.

If a 13 year old wants to experience something that is dangerous for a 13 year old you say "no."

When the hurricane hit, 3 of my family members went to NOLA to work. My youngers wanted to come. It was not a healthy nor a safe situation. It would have been a good experience IN SOME WAYS. Those positives do not always make it right to forget the potential negatives.

But, again, that is in your opinion. It's the same old line that "bicker" tries to impress upon people on these boards all the time. Your opinion will differ from someone else's, it doesn't make either opinion more "right" or valid...just different.

In her parents' opinion, she was accomplished enough to handle this voyage. It doesn't matter what Captain Old Salt says, or what anyone else says. It was their decision, does it make it the right decision? No. Does it make it the wrong decision? No. But it was their decision to make.

 

[dumboiu]

Abby would be doing nothing but puttering around in a little dinghy off the coast of California right now if not for the sponsors' multi-million dollar endorsements.

These companies were all too happy to paste their logos on her boat and enable her to stupidly sail out into the deep, they should own up to how stupid their contributions were and help pay for her rescue.

I think companies that enable and endorse stupidity need to be smacked.

At the end of the day, it was her parents that gave her the okay to perform this stunt. They are her guardians, not the sponsors. Her parents are the only ones who could have said yes or no to her. They chose to let her go - no doubt because they wanted their 15 minutes of fame. Now they should be held accountable and made to pay back the cost of her rescue.

Seriously, as a parent, it is your job to do what is in the best interest of your child. Does anyone honestly think that letting your child sail across the ocean in winter where 30 feet swells are possible is a good idea? NO is a very powerful word when your child is a minor. I suspect their need for fame is stronger than their parenting skills.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

At the end of the day, it was her parents that gave her the okay to perform this stunt. They are her guardians, not the sponsors. Her parents are the only ones who could have said yes or no to her. They chose to let her go - no doubt because they wanted their 15 minutes of fame. Now they should be held accountable and made to pay back the cost of her rescue.

Seriously, as a parent, it is your job to do what is in the best interest of your child. Does anyone honestly think that letting your child sail across the ocean in winter where 30 feet swells are possible is a good idea? NO is a very powerful word when your child is a minor. I suspect their need for fame is stronger than their parenting skills.

I just don't see this "need" for fame. If she hadn't needed this rescue the original (and quite stale) thread about this on the DIS would never have popped up again. Most people I know knew nothing about this voyage. In addition, since there was no "record" to set any longer, there was no fame involved anymore. If they were truly in it for the fame, they would have been hyping this trip every night on some news show, or would have called off the trip once the record was no longer attainable.

 

[dumboiu]

But, again, that is in your opinion. It's the same old line that "bicker" tries to impress upon people on these boards all the time. Your opinion will differ from someone else's, it doesn't make either opinion more "right" or valid...just different.

In her parents' opinion, she was accomplished enough to handle this voyage. It doesn't matter what Captain Old Salt says, or what anyone else says. It was their decision, does it make it the right decision? No. Does it make it the wrong decision? No. But it was their decision to make.

Her parents put her at risk with their decision. At the end of the day, she is a child - a 16 year old child. Seriously, how accomplished can she really be at 16? Before technology and all the equipment she has, she wouldn't even have stood a chance.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

But, again, that is in your opinion. It's the same old line that "bicker" tries to impress upon people on these boards all the time. Your opinion will differ from someone else's, it doesn't make either opinion more "right" or valid...just different.

In her parents' opinion, she was accomplished enough to handle this voyage. It doesn't matter what Captain Old Salt says, or what anyone else says. It was their decision, does it make it the right decision? No. Does it make it the wrong decision? No. But it was their decision to make.

HUH? I don't know what you mean. Who is/or does bicker? Maybe you misunderstood or I miscommunicated. I mean that learning different lessons as a 25 year old would not be bad, they would just be different than lessons learned at 16. Who is to say that at 16 they would be so much better? I can't imagine that being so. But that is me.

That is what my analogy was meant to point out, btw. Guess I failed that one!

Parents make stupid decisions for their kids all of the time. Some are dangerous and there are very very few people who sail who would say this was safe. At a certain point, parents have to be held responsible for not saying no to everything.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Her parents put her at risk with their decision. At the end of the day, she is a child - a 16 year old child. Seriously, how accomplished can she really be at 16? Before technology and all the equipment she has, she wouldn't even have stood a chance.

I've seen 13 year olds on a diving team. It's just themselves on the high dive. They are coached, but, in an instant anything could go wrong, since it is just themselves. There is no chance of rescue, because a broken neck could end their diving career in an instant. I don't see people putting up a fuss about a decision to let a 13-year old dive.