Laura Dekker, a 13-year-old living in the Netherlands, has made the news — but not in the way she wanted to. She wants to sail around the world, by herself. The Dutch government, specifically the Dutch Council for Child Protection, doesn’t want her to. The council requested temporary custody of Laura in order to stop the trip, since her parents were in favor of it. According to the court’s decision, Laura may continue to live with her father (her parents are divorced) but the social services agency will be keeping a close eye to be sure that Laura doesn’t embark on her journey.
I’m torn about this situation: I don’t think a court really ought to intervene in this sort of situation. In my mind, the distance between ruling against parents allowing their children to sail alone (no matter how long the trip) isn’t so very far from a court ruling that a parent can’t take a child abroad. After all, if you’re living abroad with your family, there is a chance that you’re child could wind up in a dangerous situation. I’m not saying that a trip abroad is comparable to sailing around the world on your own — but I’m reluctant to think that a court should really decide either situation.
Laura Dekker is an exceptional girl: she has packed her 13 years with sailing experience. She spent her first four years on an around-the-world sailing trip with her parents. She’s been sailing on her own since she was six. She’s been planning this trip since she was ten. This is not some teenager who just hoped in a boat and decided to go. Personally, I don’t know that those qualifications are enough to handle a boat on her own for two years (the estimated length of her planned trip), but I also don’t think that her age should be the sole reason to stop her either.
It seems that every year, the world gets a little smaller: there is less that a kid alone is allowed to do. There are people who throw fits at the idea of children riding the subway or the bus on their own. I know that my own travel habits grew out of the fact that I had full faith in my ability to travel on my own, whether it’s catching a bus home from school or going across the ocean to another country. I don’t think I would have had that confidence without knowing that I could be independent.
I watched this story with interest. As a solo traveler and a parent, I had to come down on the side of the authorities. It doesn’t matter how much sailing experience a child has had, she is still a child and her brain is not developed enough for the fast decision making that would likely be required. I certainly agree that there has to be limits in terms of interference with parental authority. Where and how to draw that line is a challenge. Child safety is the priority. But who is to say what is safe?
@Janice, Thanks for your response. Personally, I’m starting to get the feeling that there’s not really a ‘right’ answer for situations like this.
[...] an interesting follow-up to the story of Laura Dekker earlier this fall, an Australian girl has embarked on her own attempt to become the youngest person to sail around [...]