Abby Sunderland, Teen Sailor - Is Our Faith in Technology Misplaced?

Abby Sunderland, 16, decided one day that she wanted to be the youngest person to ever circumnavigate the globe. However, on June 11, her attempt was halted by heavy weather in the Indian Ocean. She sent out a distress beacon, and was found 20 hours later with a broken mast. She said that the boat had almost capsized a number of times throughout the storm, but she was "in good spirits."

When I hear of this story, I don't first think, "What was she thinking?" Instead, I wonder, "What were her parents thinking?" Most of America agrees with this way of thinking, but her father defends his actions, saying that Abby is a more than capable sailor and that life is dangerous.

I believe the real culprit in this story is technology itself. Abby was in the habit of updating her blog during her trip. She also made phone calls back to her parents periodically. On her ship, she had equipment that told her exactly where she was and even would auto-pilot steer her toward her next destination. With so much impressive technology, I believe it is easy to forget just how dangerous the sea can be. In technology's defense, it certainly got the job done. Twenty hours of searching may sound significant but, in reality, it is a testament to Abby's wise decision to activate her distress beacon early enough to allow herself to be found. Without this beacon, her story would be very different.

Bu,t what does this say about our current generation of young people and their parents? I'd say that technology has, in many ways, relieved the worries about safety. Large, expensive cars have excellent crash ratings, cell phones allow for communication almost anywhere on the planet, new child blocks and parental controls on Internet and televisions give parents more ease of mind than ever about what their children are doing, and it has even gotten to the point where cellular providers are advertising the ability for parents to watch their children's movements through cell phone tracking devices.

The result? Young people no doubt must feel always watched and always safe. This manifests itself in a good way when children do not feel the anxiety of being on their own, but this comes with a serious cost. People like Abby Sunderland certainly have the guts to do amazing things, but, at the age of 16, a trip around the world in a sailboat seems a bit much, doesn't it? Yet, her parents no doubt feel that security offered through her blogging and cell phone. If this were the old days, where a ship leaves and is not seen until it lands, things would be a lot different.

I am not saying that Abby did what she did in a sort of teenage reaction to the safety of her life, but I believe there is a hint of that spirit there. Young people always want to push the boundaries but, as safety nets and devices for watching young people get more and more sophisticated, it seems like young people will have less and less that they can do without being watched.

I propose for a relaxation of these claustrophobic parental controls. I know that it seems necessary to watch out for your children, and too many parents have the mindset of, "Oh, if they are doing what I was doing, then I had better stop them!" But, at the same time, you must allow young people to grow, and this can't be done when they are in a cage. Like most things in life, this takes a delicate balance. No, I do not propose advising your daughter or son to try to become the next Magellan, but stories like these should remind us all that extremes on either side are not healthy. Bringing up a child can be one of the most difficult jobs in the world, but there is such a thing as trying too hard to protect and not trying hard enough.

Source: ABC News