Child Sailor Laura Dekker to Remain in Dutch Court Custody

Remember Laura Dekker, that bright-eyed and bushy tailed 13-year old Dutch girl who wanted to be the youngest person to sail around the world by herself? Dutch child care authorities have now requested that the courts keep the girl in custody until she is old enough to undertake such an adult challenge. After the Abby Sunderland fiasco which cost a total of $175,000. in United States to rescue the teen when she was stranded in the Indian Ocean on a boat with the mast down, and a satellite phone out of order. Despite the fact Abby was hailed as a hero by some people (though that notion alone makes one think exactly how one becomes a hero having to be rescued; it is usually the heroes who are doing the rescuing, not being rescued), others felt her mistake was not solely her own but rather the result of a father of 7 children with an eighth on the way who needed money to feed the kids. Once Abby completed the voyage, a reality show could be in the deal, and bingo, Marianne and Laurence Sunderland could rest assured once their 16-year old daughter was home safe and sound.

So, if Abby was unable to make it, what makes Dick and Babs Dekker - Laura's parents - think their daughter can do better? Both girls were practically raised in the ocean on boats. Of course, that does not automatically make the girls experts in sailing, regardless of how much training they receive. Teens are still undergoing mental and emotional maturity, which strongly affect how they approach an ambition. Of course, ambitions must be kept reasonable and within range, not something out of range and potentially dangerous, such as sailing around the world alone in a 40-foot boat. It is not as if Abby and Laura were trying to win the Pushcart Prize here. Since Laura's parents, even though divorced, were permissive enough to allow their daughter to proceed with her ambition, Dutch child care authorities intervened just in time before the young girl set sail on her own. Originally state custody was requested in month-long extensions but now, child care authorities are seeking yearly extensions until Laura is old enough in maturity to sail around the world by herself. Should she run into the same problem that Abby did, would she be able to keep a level head while trying to gain contact from maritime authorities, or come unglued? Worst case scenario is that she gets attacked by sharks in the Atlantic or South Pacific and end up as lunch.

Perhaps Laura Dekker is better off waiting until she is at least 21 years old before deciding to sail around the world by herself. In the meantime, she can still go to school, hang out with friends, and enjoy life before putting herself in a death risk situation. Her permissive parents may think they are doing her a favor by allowing her to do anything she wants, but nobody wants to hear about such a young girl losing her life at such a young age due to a poor choice she made.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100720/ap_on_re_eu/eu_netherlands_young_sailor#mwpphu-container