Saw this on the Boat Life of Charleston FB page. I follow the page, but I don’t have a FB account. I see a LOT of replies from people saying “the sooner the better”. I have an 11 month old, and I can’t wait to take him fishing! But let me offer my perspective as a Coast Guard SAR controller.
If something happened to you, can your child self-rescue? Can your child pick up a VHF radio, EPIRB or cell phone (if you’re in range) and make a distress call if their parent is ejected, unresponsive or anchored under water? Can your child get the boat under control if the throttle is wide open and an adult can’t help? Will your child make rational decisions if something happens to YOU?
That’s the harsh reality you have to consider when taking your young child on a boat with you.
I agree, although I am all for getting my 1 year old little girl on the water. I would never attempt alone. We have done one short cruise on the boat with two other adults on board and the baby in a life vest. It lasted about an hour. Hopefully this parent will reconsider and realize there will be plenty of time to get the little one on the water and a rod and reel in hand!
FISH CREEKS AND TIDAL POOLS WHERE THERE IS NO CHANCE OF HAZARDOUS TRAFFIC ; BE THE ADULT AND NOT THEIR FRIEND BY ACTING STUPID , IF THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND AND LEARN/ENJOY THE ACT OF FISHING I SAY TAKE THEM, JUST BE SAFE IN ALL YOU DO… ALL 3 OF MINE COULD BAIT A HOOK AND CATCH SIZE APPROPRIATE FISH BY THE TIME THEY COULD HOLD A POLE… IMHO THERE ARE TOOOOO MANY CANDY AZZ SNOWFLAKES OUT THERE … IFFN YOU DON’T TEACH THEM WHO WILL ;; SOME STREET CORNER DOPE PUSHER !!! MY 1/2 CTS WORTH
George McDonald
US Navy Seabees,Retired,
MAD, Charleston Chapter
[http://www.militaryappreciationday.org
When you see “Old Glory” waving in the breeze, know that it is the dying breaths of our fallen hero’s that makes it wave.
author unknown
I say take them early and often. My son is 8 and gets bored quickly if there aren’t a steady stream of fish coming in, I recommend taking a small setup to catch pin fish and other small fish to keep them interested. It’s now just understood that fishing is what we do.
First and foremost thank you for your service Fly. Also thank you for your posts you bring a lot to the forums here and it’s appreciated.
My children are 11, 9, and 5 now. Each of them was on the water by the time they were three months old. When they were that age it was always my wife and I together taking them. As soon as they could walk I started taking them fishing and for boat rides sometimes by myself. There are certainly safe ways to do things and stupid ways. Anytime my wife or I are by ourselves or just one of us with the kids we always wear a self inflating life vest as well as a kill switch for the motor and I have my phone in a waterproof case in my pocket. We obviously also operate at safe speeds and with a high degree of caution as we should always regardless of our passengers age. Sure things could happen beyond our control very quickly on a boat but accidents can occur at anytime and anywhere, none of us are guaranteed the next minute. We need to respect what could happen to prevent an accident but if we constantly live in fear of what could happen; are we even living?
My 9 and 11-year-old are now to the point where they run the boat while I supervise at a close distance and my five-year-old will get into the mix this coming summer driving the boat. The two older ones know how to dial 911 and since they will be going offshore on a more regular basis they will learn how to use a VHF radio to call for help, how to use the distress button on the VHF, how to read our current position on the GPS and navigate by GPS, how to read a compass, how to deploy the life raft and how to use the EPIRB before the summer.
I’m a firm believer in getting your young ones on the water early age builds a very strong bond between you and your children and to the water. Keep in mind however young children get bored very easily having a cast net they can throw, keeping a bucket of mud minnows handy, bringing along a small toy will help keep them entertained between the bite.
GOOD TO HEAR IT CONTENDER, I’M A FIRM BELIEVER THE ONE SINGLE BIGGEST PROBLEM OF TODAY ARE THE DEADBEAT PARENTS RAISING CHILDREN THAT THEY MOST LIKELY DIDN’T WANT IN THE FIRST PLACE AND ARE ALLOWING THE STREETS TO RAISE AND TEACH THEM
George McDonald
US Navy Seabees,Retired,
MAD, Charleston Chapter
[http://www.militaryappreciationday.org
When you see “Old Glory” waving in the breeze, know that it is the dying breaths of our fallen hero’s that makes it wave.
author unknown
I think 2 is probably a good age to get started. The major thing for me is making sure my boy can call for help if something happens to me. When he’s old enough to grasp that concept, we’ll go fishing (just the two of us). Until then, I’ll make sure there’s another adult on board.
gail, I agree with you to some extent. Absentee parents and overprotective parents create teenage & adult monsters. My wife is a teacher, and all of her students have pseudo-lawyers for parents when it comes to their behavior and grades. Nothing is their fault. Everything is the teacher’s fault. It’s a shame. 80% of the parents are showing their kids that they can get away with being little turds. They are not equipping them with the tools to deal with disappointment as an adult.
When we look at the effects of fishing on a child’s brain, it has massive benefits to the learning process. It teaches them discipline, patience, and disappointment. My wife and I have had multiple conversations about this, and we both agree that our son will have a healthy dose of fishing in his life.
The most difficult SAR cases I encounter include children who never stood a chance. A child’s brain functions different in a distress situation. When a child is scared, they are more likely to hide than seek out help. This is both on land and at sea. Think about this - we train our children to avoid strangers. In a distress situation, will an untrained child seek out help from a stranger? Dialing 911 on land is simple to teach. It’s linear. 911 = help. VHF CH16 is not quite as linear. The child must learn to tune the radio, relay their position, and trust whoever shows up. Chances are, the first person on scene will not be a cop or fire fighter. It will most likely be a good Samaritan.
There is a book written by Dr. Robert Koester called Lost Person Behavior. It is quite fascinating and a good read for any of you who want to understand the psychology of a lost person. It breaks down into specific categories bas
</font id=“Arial Black”></font id=“size3”>I have not seen anything about preparing your children for possible water accidents involving them being in the water. Each child spends the first 9 months of their life immersed in water, safe in their mother’s body. The most comfortable, nurturing place they will ever be. Water is a natural element for them in their earliest life. It is very easy, once they are born, for them to be able to learn how not to drown—drown proofing. As early as 6 months, they will have developed the necessary muscle and coordination to be taught to hold their breath and dog-paddle, making them virtually drown-proof. The transition to actually swimming will be seamless as they grow and develop further, but they must learn while it is still instinctive to them. Holding their breath is automatic as is the instinct to move their hands and feet to rise to the surface. They can learn all this in a pool environment, indoor or outdoor, with constant attendance and monitoring by adult instructors. This skills, combined with a proper sized PFD, will insure the safety of your child under virtually all circumstances while in your company. Therefore, there should be no reluctance to take them with you once they have to capabilities to help themselves in an emergency situation. It will be a great relief to your mind once you know your child can swim.
[quote]I think 2 is probably a good age to get started. The major thing for me is making sure my boy can call for help if something happens to me. When he’s old enough to grasp that concept, we’ll go fishing (just the two of us). Until then, I’ll make sure there’s another adult on board.
gail, I agree with you to some extent. Absentee parents and overprotective parents create teenage & adult monsters. My wife is a teacher, and all of her students have pseudo-lawyers for parents when it comes to their behavior and grades. Nothing is their fault. Everything is the teacher’s fault. It’s a shame. 80% of the parents are showing their kids that they can get away with being little turds. They are not equipping them with the tools to deal with disappointment as an adult.
When we look at the effects of fishing on a child’s brain, it has massive benefits to the learning process. It teaches them discipline, patience, and disappointment. My wife and I have had multiple conversations about this, and we both agree that our son will have a healthy dose of fishing in his life.
The most difficult SAR cases I encounter include children who never stood a chance. A child’s brain functions different in a distress situation. When a child is scared, they are more likely to hide than seek out help. This is both on land and at sea. Think about this - we train our children to avoid strangers. In a distress situation, will an untrained child seek out help from a stranger? Dialing 911 on land is simple to teach. It’s linear. 911 = help. VHF CH16 is not quite as linear. The child must learn to tune the radio, relay their position, and trust whoever shows up. Chances are, the first person on scene will not be a cop or fire fighter. It will most likely be a good Samaritan.
There is a book written by Dr. Robert Koester called Lost Person Behavior. It is quite fascinating and a good read for any of you who want to understand the psychology of a lost person. It breaks down into specific categor
I think it depends on the child as well. I have 3, 9 year old daughter 5 & 3 year old sons. The middle one has always been a little more timid and suffers from anxiety so he was around 4 when i first started taking him but my daughter and the youngest were 2 when i started taking them but mostly in some ponds near the house. My daughter and i now go in the boat every chance we can and have since she was about 6 with just the 2 of us, we went earlier in life with another adult on the boat just for safety sake. once the 2 of us started going by ourselves i taught her how to start the engine, make phone calls, and how to kill the engine if the need arises there was an emergency. she can drive the boat as well but im still in close proximity. I still say start them early and teach them as much as you can every time you are out. I try and make some sort of lesson up every time we are out just to keep her on her toes.
Yep all three of mine went through infant swimming at MUSC then lessons every summer. The two oldest swim on the swim team and the youngest is still doing lessons. Instilling the respect of the water is key and as they become stronger swimmers it does make me a little more comfortable but also concerns me that they may become a little to complacent. Huge difference in swimming in a pool versus the ocean. Every time we go to the beach we discuss rip currents and how to get out…still keeps me on my toes.
INSTEAD OF WINNERS AWARDS !!!