[pct-l] The parental aspect of hiking

[Eric Lee]

Sasha wrote:
>
Would you let your high school child go on one without
adult supervision? Has the social standards for hiking ages become more
liberal or conservative since the time you've started?
>

I just became the father of a teenager two days ago (how'd I get that old?)
so I'm starting to think about things like this.

At 17, I think a *lot* depends on the individual in question.  Some
17-year-olds are ready and willing to be functional adults, and some
couldn't make rational decisions for themselves if their lives depended on
it.  I think today's culture unfortunately encourages kids to grow up way
too fast in certain aspects but doesn't usually encourage a lot of maturity
in terms of personal responsibility and wise decision-making.  IMHO that's
the exact opposite of how it ought to be but that's a rant for another email
list.  :-)

For my kids, if they were actually mature enough and responsible enough to
hike the PCT unsupervised at 17, I'd be thrilled.  I don't know if any of my
kids will actually *want* to, but my goal in any case is to get them ready
for challenges like that as soon as possible.  However, it's also my job to
not let them get too deep into challenging situations before they're truly
ready and equipped to handle them.  If that means I have to squash certain
dreams until they're ready for them, then so be it.

Of course, every 17-year-old thinks they're totally ready to take on the
world, whether they really are or not.  That's why they still have parents.
My best advice to any 17-year-old wanting to do something that their parents
don't think they're ready for is - prove yourself.  Build a foundation of
trust.  Don't whine and complain and act all persecuted.  Demonstrate by
your actions and your attitudes, in big things and in little everyday
things, that you're ready and prepared to take on big challenges.  If the
parents are reasonable (and most parents are, despite what kids think),
they'll respect that.

Eric