Laurence Sunderland, father of Abby Sunderland, has come under intense attack because of his decision to put his 16 year old daughter, alone, on a small yacht and launch her onto the world’s oceans. Many parents are outraged while others applaud his ability to raise a daughter with the courage and fortitude to embark on such a terrifying adventure. I finished an interview with Mr. Sunderland (BAM radio) : yesterday and would like to shed some light on his decision from a medical and psychological perspective. There are some aspects of his decision making which I think we all miss.
Abby, along with her soon- to- be eight, siblings was home schooled by her parents. In my experience, skillfully home schooled youngsters are not your ordinary teenagers. Because their peer group consistently includes many adults, they are more mature, better grounded, self confident and less impulsive than other teens their age. More frequently, teens in the US act like immature, rebellious kids because they fail to spend enough time with adults. Their peer groups consist solely of other immature teens and this does not serve them well. So we must understand that aside from her personality or inherent character…
