Lost At Sea, Responsible Parenting

When I was 16 I wasn’t allowed to use my house key to get into my house after a date. To ensure my mom knew exactly when I got home, my mother would lock the screen door rendering my house key useless.  Because she cared.

Today rescuers began searching for Abby Sunderland, age 16, of  California, because in her attempt to sail around the world solo she seems to have been misplaced. Now, I am not, in any way, belittling the fact that a child is missing and could quite literally be anywhere in the vast South Indian Ocean. My problem with this is that someone (her parents)…somewhere… (in Southern California) thought it would be alright to let their 16 year old CHILD sail around the world alone.

Last month Jordan Romero, current resident of Big Bear, CA, climbed Mount Everest with his dad, dad’s girlfriend, and three Sherpas. He is currently trying to climb the tallest mountain on every continent. Jordan is currently 13 years old.

Now, I do not have children. I do not want to have children. I do not particularly like children. I STILL don’t think I would ever let a child of mine climb a mountain or sail around the world solo. I find letting children do things that could get them killed or hurt counter-intuitive. I also find them stupid.

It makes me think that their parents are the kind of assholes who let their kids run around in public while ignoring them or think that their child is their friend. If I had a 13 year-old or 16 year-old friend, aside from the creepy factor, I would try to persuade them not to climb mountains or sail alone until they were adults. Those are the kinds of things ADULTS do. I don’t care how desperate your parents are to be your friend or seem cool.

Mommy and Daddy are idiots, now run along and play.. in the backyard…and not the pool unless an adult is present. You are a child even if your parents don’t act like adults.  And you thought the two year old in Indonesia smoking two packs a day was bad.