Age or Maturity - What's the Deciding Factor?

Last week, my fellow blogger, Sharon Linde, wrote a fantastic post on helicopter parenting. In it, she cited studies that show handling children with kid gloves, pardon the pun, can be detrimental to a child’s social and educational development.

On the flip side of helicopter parenting is space shuttle parenting. Parents that give their children free reign to experience life’s adventures without standing in their way armed with a Tide to Go and a bottle of hand sanitizer.

Parents kind of like Abby Sunderland’s parents. You remember Sunderland, right? Last week, the 16-year-old’s plight to sail around the world solo was cut short when she ran into treacherous weather in the Indian Ocean, lost her satellite phone connection and was eventually saved by a French fishing boat.

When she was rescued, everyone’s first thought was, thank goodness she’s alive. The second – what the heck were her parents thinking by allowing their child to travel the high seas?

Yesterday, Sunderland defended her parents’ decision in an Associated Press article by Jeffrey Schaeffer. In it, she remarked, "I think that a lot of people are judging me by the standards they have for their teens and other teens that they know ... and thinking 'She's exactly like them.’ They don't understand that I've sailed my whole life and I do know what I'm doing out there."

Sunderland grew up around sailing. Her father is a sailing instructor and her brother circumnavigated the globe when he was 17. Her ability to keep a level head and survive in a perilous situation are testimonies to her maturity and lifelong training. I know I couldn’t do it at 33-years-old. I panic when I drop a cell phone call.

On the other hand, yikes! With the right instruction and safety precautions, teens Sunderland’s age are able to handle relatively dangerous activities like hunting with rifles, competitive dirt bike riding, and yes, driving automobiles. But sailing the world by yourself? That’s another story.

So which side of the fence do you fall on? Are Sunderland’s mom and dad the epitome of irresponsible parenting or are they instilling a love of adventure and exploration in their children that few people ever get to experience?

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting