kids and concepts

Ken Smith · Post by **Ken Smith** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 4:51 am

A little story to tell. I have a 3 yo son and he takes thing from the boat and throws them overboard. The last thing he threw in was a screw cap for my gps. One minute he was sitting on the floor, the next minute he jumps up and throws the cap overboard. Some things float most don't, he seems to be on a dismanteling of the mac one peice at a time kick. He may just like the reaction he gets out of me when he throws things overboard. Most of the time I can't seem to catch him until it's to late. Maybe he's practicing man overboard?
Ken

craiglaforce · Post by **craiglaforce** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 5:02 am

Maybe he needs a little fishing pole to play with. That way he can throw the lure overboard all he wants. Are you still sailing the Niagara river or the lakes up there? I miss Lake Ontario.

Moe · Post by **Moe** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 5:12 am

He probably wouldn't like the reaction he'd get from me... or the cold water. I'd calmly explain to him that when he throws something overboard, he's got to go get it and he can't come back in the boat until he finds it. Then I'd toss HIM overboard, with a line on his PFD. Let him kick and scream a bit, telling him he can't come back until he finds it. Depending on the kid, it may take more than one time to cure him. That's what my Dad would've done to me, and what I'd have done to my kids. Tough love... works for me.

--
Moe

Post by **kmclemore** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 7:12 am

Moe wrote:He probably wouldn't like the reaction he'd get from me... or the cold water. I'd calmly explain to him that when he throws something overboard, he's got to go get it and he can't come back in the boat until he finds it. Then I'd toss HIM overboard, with a line on his PFD.

I half-way agree with you, Moe! I'm a pretty strict dad in that way, too... both my sons know that if they carelessly break or lose something of mine, then they pay for it... and if they lie about it they pay for two of them! Payment may be made in hard cash or via a suitable 'work experience' of my choosing.

Now, admitedly, that's pretty hard to enforce with a 3yo, but I agree that starting early to teach hard lessons is the best way. Not sure I'd dunk the kid because if, god forbid, something went awry there, it might be a bit hard to explain to the authorities(!). However, as an alternative I might take one if his toys and toss it over and see how he feels about that...

Don B · Post by **Don B** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:19 am

I have no kids and will not give a comment !

-Don B

Idle Time · Post by **Idle Time** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:28 pm

I like the fishing pole and lure concept. There sure are some pretty neat squishy and squiggly lures out there. Maybe just some string attached to them so he can throw them over and pull them in.

Ken Smith · Post by **Ken Smith** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 6:40 pm

Craig the fishing pole is a good idea.May be a little hard while sailing, but I've sailfished before. Yes I'm on the Niagara River until I can sell my house and move down to fort Myers, florida where I can sail and boat all year round. Giving up my job of 21 years to seek better weather. I know the weather in Florida has been tough to swollow lately. Never to late to start new.
Ken

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:27 pm

Yea, I would say by 3 yo, he should probably know better and is just testing you...

When each of my kids was at a certain age, they would try to throw things overboard...like their bottles. My kids start sailing when they are about 3 weeks old. I would tie everything up to the lifelines with some string (including their reclined car seats). Get bottles with handles and tie the string to the handle, etc. Binkies, fishing rods, whatever...tie them on.

Andy26M · Post by **Andy26M** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:22 pm

To go along with the fishing pole idea, when I was a kid my brother and I used to love to tow a little toy plastic boat alongside my parents' powerboat. My Dad was pretty patient with us, and used to idle along at about 4-5 mph for a while so we could get our fill of this little pastime.

I've loved tossing things in the water since I was a toddler, and still do, and I am almost 40 now!

So, don't just wait for the boy to outgrow it

- AndyS

Mark Prouty · Post by **Mark Prouty** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 1:14 pm

It is surprising how entertaining towing things can be for a kid - even a 12 year old. Mine would tie a line to a soda bottle and watch it get towed. It kept him entertained when sailing was slow and I didn't hear "BORING."

Don T · Post by **Don T** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 2:58 pm

Hey that's funny,
I used to find boat looking sticks and boards and stuff which I towed behind my fathers boat. I thought I was the only crazy kid.
I find they only way to handle behavior like that is not to react in a predictable repeatable way. My reaction is tempered and appropriate but I try not to do what they expect. I heard my son warning one of his friends who was "acting out" at our house a while back. "Be cool" he said "or you'll never get what you want." "You never know what he'll do."

Post by **kmclemore** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 6:10 pm

Don T wrote:Hey that's funny... I used to find boat looking sticks and boards and stuff which I towed behind my fathers boat. I thought I was the only crazy kid.

Ha! I just took my sons and one of their young friends out sailing on my Boston Whaler Harpoon 4.6** last weekend... and guess what we did?

Well, we towed something off the back, anyway... we played ''Man Overboard" and dragged each kid behind the boat for a while just for fun... we had a very nice wind and I pulled each one along quite well - two of them even lost their grip on the rope on their 'ride'!

** Yes, indeed, Boston Whaler did make sailboats... at least for a short while... and I love mine... see HERE for more info.

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 6:33 pm

Yea, I used to love being keel hauled myself when I was a kid. But I don't do it with my kids...makes me feel like I'm trolling for sharks or something.

Cool looking training dinghy...I need something bigger than the one I have. It was cute when I bought it and it has one of those boomless rigs (forget the name - used to be popular centuries ago) so I thought it would be a good trainer at first.

Post by **kmclemore** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:35 pm

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa wrote:Cool looking training dinghy....

Thanks, Dimitri... it handles like a dream. But it's actually pretty large to be a dingy, despite that website's comments... I'd call it a day-sailor, since it is 4.6 meters / 15' long!

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa wrote:Yea, I used to love being keel hauled myself when I was a kid. But I don't do it with my kids...makes me feel like I'm trolling for sharks or something.

There's an old joke about President Lyndon B Johnson that I'll try to clean up and tell here...

One day the LBJ was out boating with some friends on a power boat down in the bayou, and behind his boat a lone skiier was being towed along, obviously enjoying rapidly zigging and zagging back and forth across the boat's wake.

As the Secret Service agents watched this scene in their helicopeter which hovered above, the younger agent turned to the older one and said "Hey Bill... look down there.. isn't that Dick Nixon skiing behind the POTUS boat? Wait.. yeah, it is! Man, isn't that great... the President is a staunch Democrat and Nixon is a staunch Republican, and yet they've put all their deep political differences aside and they're out here enjoing this beautiful day together. Now THAT'S what I call bi-partisanship in action!"

Bill turned to the other, and in his deep Southern drawl said "Dang, Andy, you sho a green one, ain'tch 'ya? hull, don't you know ol' LBJ's jest trollin' fer 'gators?"

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kids and concepts

kids and concepts

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