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PostPosted: 08/28/09 11:15 am • # 1 
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So who gets to decide when a child is old enough to do something on thier own? The child, their parents, or family court?

(CNN) -- A Dutch court intervened Friday to stop a 13-year-old girl from attempting to sail around the world by herself, stripping her parents of sole custody.

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Laura Dekker will find out on Friday whether the Dutch Court will back her record attempt.

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Laura Dekker's parents support her round-the-world ambition, which sparked concern from child protection officials because of her age. They took the case to court to prevent the solo trip.

On Friday the Dutch High Court in Utrecht ruled that the Child Protection Board will share custody over Laura with her parents for two months.

The move prevents the parents from permitting Laura to set off on her trip alone, though Laura will remain at home with her father, Dick Dekker, a court official said.

During those two months, a child psychologist will assess Laura's mental state and ability to carry out a solo round-the-world journey, a court official said. A guardian will be appointed to oversee the case until the court next meets Oct. 26.

The court will then make a final ruling on whether her parents may have the final say about their daughter's plans, the court official said. Is the court right to block her bid? Have your say below

Laura's parents are happy about Friday's decision, family lawyer Peter de Lange said. He said the parents are especially pleased that the court didn't prevent Laura from making the journey, because they hope she can still proceed with her plans.

The teenager was out sailing Friday, de Lange said. She is pleased with the decision and hopes she can still make a solo trip, he said.

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Laura believes she will be able to convince the court that she is fit to make the trip alone, de Lange said.

Social workers took the action to stop the teen from attempting to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe because they believe the voyage would be too dangerous.

Laura said she has dreamed of sailing around the world since she was 10 and her parents are determined to help her achieve her goal. She called the attention that has been heaped on her case "a bit over the top."

Just this week, a British teenager became the youngest person to sail around the world solo when he returned to Britain after a nine-month trip. Guinness World Records confirmed the feat.

Mike Perham, 17, had a support team sailing alongside him during the trip. He said he doesn't think age alone should determine whether Laura Dekker is ready for such an adventure. It's "whether she's got the physical strength, the mental strength, or the technical ability," he said. "Can she strip an engine blindfolded? Can she build boats? Is she an electrician? Is she a mechanic as well? You can't just be a sailor for a trip like this."

Another sailor, Robin Knox-Johnston, also said age shouldn't be the only determining factor. He was the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone without stopping -- in 1969, when he was 29.

"It's really more a question, is that person, that young person, mature enough to be able to look after themselves and deal with everything that's going to come at you when you get out alone at sea?" he said.

Gold medal-winning Olympic sailor Shirley Robertson insisted that sailing is an experience-based sport and that Laura may not be ready for such a great challenge.

"Mike Perham has four years on Laura. That's a big difference," she told CNN.

"Mike had already completed challenges such as sailing across the Atlantic before embarking on his ultimate quest.

"There's a world of difference between sailing a small craft on the Ijsselmeer and sailing around the world with all the challenges that presents."

Robertson also pointed out that "we live in a culture of record-breaking and fame-seeking," with people constantly looking to be the youngest or quickest at anything.

"Why does she need to sail around the world on her own now? Why not sail with a parent first to gain more experience?"

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/28/dutch.teen.sailor.court/index.html


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PostPosted: 08/28/09 11:37 am • # 2 
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My gut reaction is that Laura is too young and too inexperienced ~ I like the suggestion of at least sailing across the ocean with someone first, to get first-hand experience with what she'd be confronting ~ I don't believe a 13yo should have the final say in what could easily be a life-threatening scenario ~ and I'm wondering how Child Protective Services found out about the trip ~ but I need to think about this more to answer your question ["So who gets to decide when a child is old enough to do something on thier own? The child, their parents, or family court?"], Greeny ~

Sooz


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PostPosted: 08/28/09 11:41 am • # 3 
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I guess when I think of what some 13 year old kids are doing, sleeping on the streets, prostituting themselves, I don't see these parents as any more culpable than the parents who kick out the teens they can't deal with at home, or who don't report runaways, or who contribute to living conditions and self esteem issues that make runaway scenarios possible...

You would hope that parents would both have their children's best interests at heart, and would be fit enough to be able to discern that. Since we know that's not true, I guess a line has to be drawn somewhere.


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PostPosted: 08/28/09 1:10 pm • # 4 
Nope...Image...no way, and I don't care what some court appointed psychologist may think. The physical and mental challenges at sea are far different then seeing a spider on the ink blots. Besides, as a parent I about wet myself giving over the car keys to a sixteen year old....at least I had an idea from all the white knuckled hours that they could handle themselves in most situations.

Something I learned along time ago....you learn to survive in your environment, or you die in it. Few, if any, second chances in a situation like that.


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PostPosted: 08/29/09 12:54 am • # 5 
sooz - "I'm wondering how Child Protective Services found out about the trip"

That'll be when the parents applied for the girl to be excused from education for 2 years. (Another sticking point for me).

To consciously gamble so much for a listing in a record book indicates to me that the parents could probably use someone looking over their shoulder.
Let's keep in mind there's a damn good reason why a 13yr old achieving this would be notable.


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PostPosted: 08/29/09 3:54 am • # 6 
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green apple tree wrote:
I guess when I think of what some 13 year old kids are doing, sleeping on the streets, prostituting themselves, I don't see these parents as any more culpable than the parents who kick out the teens they can't deal with at home, or who don't report runaways, or who contribute to living conditions and self esteem issues that make runaway scenarios possible...

You would hope that parents would both have their children's best interests at heart, and would be fit enough to be able to discern that. Since we know that's not true, I guess a line has to be drawn somewhere.

parents are responsible for their kids. ultimately, this decision falls to the parents. however, i think that it was right for the government to intervene in this case. it is certainly debatable that she is ready.

i remember many years ago a couple of parents let their daughter (?) do a solo flight out of Colorado at a very young age. she had an experienced pilot in the passenger seat, but they took of in bad weather conditions and she died. there was so much wrong with that decision, and i was vocal about it at the time, that i cannot fail to cite it when discussing this one.

the burden is heavy in cases like this. and it is well to question WHY the parents want this for their child. who is it really for?


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PostPosted: 08/30/09 9:29 am • # 7 
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macroscopic wrote:
green apple tree wrote:
I guess when I think of what some 13 year old kids are doing, sleeping on the streets, prostituting themselves, I don't see these parents as any more culpable than the parents who kick out the teens they can't deal with at home, or who don't report runaways, or who contribute to living conditions and self esteem issues that make runaway scenarios possible...

You would hope that parents would both have their children's best interests at heart, and would be fit enough to be able to discern that. Since we know that's not true, I guess a line has to be drawn somewhere.

parents are responsible for their kids. ultimately, this decision falls to the parents. however, i think that it was right for the government to intervene in this case. it is certainly debatable that she is ready.

i remember many years ago a couple of parents let their daughter (?) do a solo flight out of Colorado at a very young age. she had an experienced pilot in the passenger seat, but they took of in bad weather conditions and she died. there was so much wrong with that decision, and i was vocal about it at the time, that i cannot fail to cite it when discussing this one.

the burden is heavy in cases like this. and it is well to question WHY the parents want this for their child. who is it really for?
Well, no kidding. This is about parental pride, there's no doubt. But I actually feel that way about alot of child protegees that you see in the news, in a lot of different areas. sports, academics...who's actually being served most of the time when kids are pushed to hard too early? Is it truly in the child's best interests, or is it so the parents can brag over the backyard fence about their offspring?

Kids just need to be kids. Their world is stressful enough these days, without this kind of pressure.

Someone else brought up the colorado girl at the other site, as well.


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PostPosted: 08/30/09 11:51 am • # 8 

I brought up the other girl. She was seven and her name was Jessica Dubroff. She died along with her dad and the pilot instructor who took off in bad weather in Cheyenne, WY. Her crazy mother is still all over the internet saying it was her seven year-old daughter's dream and it was right for her to pursue it.

Some record seeking is irresponsible. This is.



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PostPosted: 08/30/09 4:57 pm • # 9 
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kathyk1024 wrote:

I brought up the other girl. She was seven and her name was Jessica Dubroff. She died along with her dad and the pilot instructor who took off in bad weather in Cheyenne, WY. Her crazy mother is still all over the internet saying it was her seven year-old daughter's dream and it was right for her to pursue it.

Some record seeking is irresponsible. This is.


yeah- i forgot the state, and the age of the girl. but i clearly remember this lady. she is an imbicile. but i guess that is why we have CPS.

i dreamed of flying too, when i was 7. without an airplane. i dreamed i could do it by flapping my arms. i am glad my dad didn't throw me off a building in persuit of my dream. although i am sure that there are some posters that feel otherwise. Image


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PostPosted: 12/20/09 8:13 am • # 10 
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I'm guessing [based on nothing more than the mindset of a 14yo who has been denied something "big"] that there has been a lot of rebelling since the court denied the original request ~ but this sounds fairly ominous to me ~ I hope she's found quickly and is okay ~ Sooz


Girl, 14, vanishes after solo sailing bid is nixed
Dutch court banned Laura Dekker from embarking on round-the-world trip

Associated Press
updated 7:43 a.m. CT, Sun., Dec . 20, 2009

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Teenage sailor Laura Dekker, who made headlines when she went to court to fight for the right to sail solo around the world, has been missing since Friday, Dutch police said.

Utrecht police spokesman Bernhard Jens said the 14-year-old's boat remained moored at its usual berth and she appears to have left her father's home on her own.

Police have alerted neighboring countries to monitor airports.

Jens told The Associated Press on Sunday, "We do not believe this is a crime."

However, he said authorities are concerned for Dekker's health.

Utrecht District Court refused to let Dekker set sail and placed her under the supervision of child care authorities.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34498415/ns ... ews-europe



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PostPosted: 12/20/09 4:03 pm • # 11 
There is no way, IMO, this girl should be allowed to go off alone at this age. While I read now that she is missing... I bet she is getting help in fulfilling her dream and we just might not ever know what happened to her again. Sad story


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PostPosted: 12/20/09 4:13 pm • # 12 
They found her. She's in St. Marten in the Caribbean which is disturbing, too.

How did a 14 year-old travel there without her father knowing?


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PostPosted: 12/20/09 7:01 pm • # 13 
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kathyk1024 wrote:
They found her. She's in St. Marten in the Caribbean which is disturbing, too.

How did a 14 year-old travel there without her father knowing?

i am guessing by boat..........


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 2:18 am • # 14 
[url=http://]http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-dutch-sailor21-2009dec21,0,1148710.story[/url]

Runaway Dutch teen is found

December 21, 2009

The Hague - Police tracked down 14-year-old Dutch sailor Laura Dekker in the Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, days after she ran away from home leaving her boat behind, Dutch media reported late Sunday.

Dekker made headlines around the world this year when she unsuccessfully went to court as a 13-year-old to fight for the right to set off on a single-handed circumnavigation of the world in her boat, Guppy.

National broadcaster NOS and the newspaper De Volkskrant reported that St. Maarten police tracked down Dekker on Sunday after news of her disappearance broke and she was expected to be flown home soon. They cited police on St. Maarten and the Dutch Child Protection Agency.

Police and the Child Protection Agency in the Netherlands could not immediately be reached for comment late Sunday.

St. Maarten is part of the Netherlands Antilles, a group of self-governing Caribbean islands that are part of the Dutch kingdom.

Earlier Sunday, Utrecht police spokesman Bernhard Jens said Dutch authorities issued an international alert after Dekker was reported missing Friday.

The spokesman said Dekker's boat was still moored at its usual berth.

"We do not believe this is a crime," Jens said.

He would not comment on a report in De Volkskrant that Dekker withdrew the equivalent of $5,000 from her bank account a few days ago.

NOS cited a family spokeswoman as saying that the teenager left a letter for her father before disappearing. It did not say what was in the letter.

In October, Utrecht District Court refused to let Dekker attempt to become the youngest person to sail alone around the world, and placed her under the supervision of child care authorities until July, meaning she could not leave the country without their permission.

The decision sparked a worldwide debate on how much authorities and parents should limit children's freedom to undertake risky adventures.

Her father supported the attempt, but her mother said in a newspaper interview in September that she thought the teen was too young.

The parents, both veteran sailors, are separated.

Dekker has Dutch and New Zealand citizenship because she was born on a yacht in New Zealand waters. She said this year that she might try to go to New Zealand if Dutch authorities refused to let her sail.

"We are doing everything we can to make sure we can get her back," Jens said. "We are certainly concerned."


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 6:53 am • # 15 
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He would not comment on a report in De Volkskrant that Dekker withdrew the equivalent of $5,000 from her bank account a few days ago.

huh? a 14YO with $5k in HER bank account? WTF?


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 6:59 am • # 16 
Mac my kids had a healthy bank account by that age. They had been encouraged to save from very early age and banked a small ammount through a scheme that was running at their schools that was run by a local bank.

My older son purchased his first car with most of his savings when he was eighteen.


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 7:07 am • # 17 
If she has her own boat that can be used to sail around the world and was born on a yacht in New Zealand territorial waters, I suspect she's part of a rather wealthy family. Image


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 7:15 am • # 18 
Spoiled rich kid...


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 7:31 am • # 19 
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Ilenar wrote:
Mac my kids had a healthy bank account by that age. They had been encouraged to save from very early age and banked a small ammount through a scheme that was running at their schools that was run by a local bank.

My older son purchased his first car with most of his savings when he was eighteen.
i had all my money in stocks at that age. what is it with kids these days? Image

il- i had a SAVINGS account at that age, as well- but one that required a second signature for withdrawl.


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 7:32 am • # 20 
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gopqed wrote:
If she has her own boat that can be used to sail around the world and was born on a yacht in New Zealand territorial waters, I suspect she's part of a rather wealthy family. Image

yeah, $5,000 probably sounds like chump change to her.


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PostPosted: 12/21/09 12:45 pm • # 21 
macroscopic wrote:
Ilenar wrote:
Mac my kids had a healthy bank account by that age. They had been encouraged to save from very early age and banked a small ammount through a scheme that was running at their schools that was run by a local bank.

My older son purchased his first car with most of his savings when he was eighteen.
i had all my money in stocks at that age. what is it with kids these days? Image

il- i had a SAVINGS account at that age, as well- but one that required a second signature for withdrawl.
Mac so did my kids up until around thirteen years of age and we gave them an option to recieve their goverment child benifit and buy their own clothes with it or stay as you are with your parents buying your clothes. Well they chose the to buy their own clothes so they needed to be independant and we gave them their bank account and said the most we will do is give you lift into town when you want to go shopping
We never had any problems with and it certainly taught them to be resposible with their budgeting their money.


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PostPosted: 12/22/09 6:43 am • # 22 
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HAHAHAHA. good technique.


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