How old must one be to conquer the world?
Teen sailor Abby Sunderland’s dramatic rescue after a storm forced her to abandon ship has put her parents at the center of a storm of their own.
Was it bad parenting, courageous encouragement or extreme stupidity that compelled the Sunderlands to allow their daughter to attempt to circumnavigate the globe by herself?
While there are an outspoken few who support the decision of Abby’s parents, the vast majority seem to be collectively asking the Sunderlands, “What the hell were you thinking?”
And rightfully so on several grounds. The parents were reportedly in the midst of using the stunt as part of a new reality show pitch, “Adventures in Sunderland,” turning a potentially life-threatening adventure into a profit-driven spectacle.
The hundreds of thousands of dollars in search and rescue costs that will be picked up by the Australian taxpayer are another negative consequence the Sunderlands failed to account for.
Additionally, a 16-year-old girl is hardly the standard bearer of responsible, wise and quick-thinking behavior – even if she has been sailing for her entire life.
A 2008 Harvard Medical School study on teen brain development found that while teens brains are more active and are quicker to pick up new skills than the mature brain is, this excited brain can also cloud judgment and make quick decision-making much more difficult – two very important skill sets to have while sailing around the world by yourself.
Even though the Sunderlands obviously had misguided motives – profit, world records and a reality TV show – should this stop the young from attempting adventure and world-conquering of their own?
This question can be easily answered by the long list of accomplishments that the youth of the world throughout history have achieved.
Just recently, a 13-year-old boy was the youngest ever to summit Mt. Everest. The reason he is not in the mainstream news is that he didn’t kill himself in the process.
Maturity varies. There are those in their mid-twenties that are less mature than some high schoolers. There is no measuring stick for this, which is why good judgment on the parts of parents is necessary.
Will the actions of my child endanger their life and/or the lives of others? Will it put an unfair financial burden on others? Does the risk outweigh the reward?
While the Sunderlands may have ignored those questions, it doesn’t mean that only those who qualify for adulthood are eligible for success.
It is important to remember that there is a flipside to letting your kids go on life-changing adventures, and the parents who have a 32-year-old son playing WoW in the basement might know what that is.