Ja inderdaad (idd), het is te lang geleden: juni vorig jaar en we beginnen meteen met een nieuwtje: voortaan is de voertaal engels.
So here we go.
I've got a lot to tell y'all, but I'm patient, as long as you are. A lot has happened the past year+ and I'll cover it all if you give me some of your time. Just tune in to 'Jan's Blog Theme Hour' and you'll be satisfied.
So, it's about LAURA today. Laura Dekker to be precise. This evening I watched a rather sentimental movie about Amy, who flew (YES she flew!) her self raised geese from Canada to Florida in a mockup Mother Goose-like plane. She was 13/14 years old when she planned/started this trip (BTW, the movie is called: FLY AWAY HOME, and you can find more info here:
A rather sentimental story as said, but it tells a story about a young girl that planned to raise her orphaned geese the best way she could think of....
Now we in Holland have our own contemporary heroine: Laura Dekker, also 13/14 years of age. She wants to sail around the world solo in her boat 'Guppy' (what's in a name).
The Dutch Child Protection Agency (Kinderbescherming...) won a law suit where the verdict was that such a young girl (=Laura) must not be allowed to persue her dream. She might get robbed, pirated or worse and so she was temporarily found insane (for 2 months) untill doctors could evaluate her case in order to find out if she WAS sane (or NOT).
I read a commentary on this story/news that had the following message (I adapted it a bit):
Is a parent qualified to be a qualified parent in one or more of the following cases?:
• allow your 13/14 year old (dutch) daughter to go to a beach party in -let's say- Hoek van Holland on a bright summer's day (remember the riots there only a week ago: 1 killed, a dozen wounded)?
• allow your 13/14 year old (dutch) daughter to visit and spend the evening/night in a disco in downtown Rotterdam (fill in your own -distrusted- domicile and/or metropole)?
• allow your dearest youngest daughter to fly to Ibiza, Sitges, Lloret del Mar, and other places, on her own, or only accompanied by her dearest girl friend, to spend a fortnight of holidays among drunken british, scandinavian or other hooligans, in order to be raped (90% probability), killed (2% probability) or be happy (5% probability)?
• allow your daughter to fulfill her dearest wish to go sailing solo around the world, including frequent stopovers at well-known harbours to catch up on her school homework, pass (or fail) exams, but continue the trip?
We have come so far as to only wish our children to grow up H.A.P.P.Y.... whatever that means. As I experience it, happy means 'without any worry in the world' which, I would like to stress, is the most harmful way to raise your baby. As if the world consists of H.A.P.P.Y..
Laura will raise a lot of money. Her father planned well. He knew/forecasted the child Protection authorities to do what they did. He received the bonus of global news attendancy for his little girl. Sponsors will now pay millions for their brand to be printed on the boat GUPPY. Laura, be she 13 or 14 years of age, is already a very rich woman.
I hope she will show insight in the choices of life that count: spend that money well.
I bid you: sleep well and wake up same time tomorrow for more of the same.
