Abetting Lethal Willfulness
Children can be willful, but parents even more so, when they deliberately set about to encourage reckless behaviour for their children, believing it to be their duty to inspire mere youths to undertake dangerous journeys that would pose a potential threat to the most experienced, seasoned and professional sailors.In the case of Laura Dekker, fourteen years of age, who envisions herself successfully circumnavigating the Globe single-handedly, her parents' encouragement has led to her insistence that she is sufficiently capable and plans to proceed.
Parents are proud of their children, of their accomplishments and talents and aspirations, urging them to pursue their dreams, and this is natural enough. It does transcend intelligent design and responsibility when parents abrogate their sense of caution in the belief that a child of fourteen has the needed skills to pursue a goal that would present as a danger to anyone much older with far more experience and proven skills.
This represents nothing less than abandonment of the parental role.
However, after over a year of Dutch social workers attempting to dissuade the child and her parents, and refusing legal permission for her to embark on such a fraught journey single-handed, a Dutch court has ruled otherwise: "It is the responsibility of the parents to let the child go on the yacht trip or not", according to Judge Suzanne Kuypers, giving legal permission for the child to embark upon her epic trip.
The classic 'on your head be it', response to a difficult situation.
Child protection authorities no longer are able to exert the authority vested in them by the state to protect children whose parents are abusive, who have abandoned their responsibility to their charges, and who have exhibited poor judgement respecting the health and future of their child.
The two-year voyage in the girl's 8.3-metre sailboat sweetly-childish-named Guppy is set to proceed. Through some of the world's most dangers ocean passages.
The successful supervision order of a year ago, when Laura Dekker, a year younger, was halted from pursuing her dream of achieving a solo voyage as the youngest child ever to have mounted such an existential challenge, was well used, in the interim. The girl now has first-aid knowledge, plans to get on with her education while at sea through the Internet, and has been taught sleep management techniques.
Her will and these techniques will be tested in a solitary forum few others might wish to experience.
"A 14-year-old child cannot appreciate the risks of a solo trip of this nature", bemoaned Dutch social services spokesman, Richard Bakker. The wonder of it is that no other lawful entity has challenged the parents of this child through legal means on the basis of child abandonment.
For aiding and abetting and encouraging potentially lethal childish willfulness.
Labels: Environment, Human Relations, That's Life, World News
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, July 29, 2010
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