Buy a Boat, Be a Good Parent?

We all make strange decisions when we’re young. I certainly remember making a few myself; they’re burned into my memory, and unpleasant things tend to be.

But then you become a parent, and you’re stuck in the eternal minefield of which mistakes should you LET your child make. Some will teach them valuable lessons, and one very fine line later, you have the ones that will mess them up for life. No pressure or anything.

And now Cyan wants a boat. It’s not the financials that worry me, because we were already going to go halves on a car. He says he’s done his research on boat varieties, and he knows of several companies in Melbourne for good quality outboard motor repair. Not even 100% sure what an outboard motor is, but one thing I cannot deny: Cyan is really passionate about this. He’s done his research on outboard motors and anchor winches, whatever they are. He’s been talking about boats a lot, and for a lot longer than your average teenage phase. Then there was that last trip up to Brisbane to see the family, where Uncle Pete took him on the boat and said he was a natural, and of course, Cyan has always loved the sea. That’s never really been in doubt.

He also says it’ll save on train fares to uni. Not too sure about that one, but everything else is adding up. This could really be his passion, and I want to help if that’s the case. But then, he could go off the idea in a year and we will have made an awful mistake.

See what I mean about this parenthood thing? Does my head in. But he DOES know his stuff. He’s researched the…what was it? Anchor winch services in Melbourne? He knows more about them than I ever will. And if this is genuine, then we’ll be feeding his passion AND getting free boat rides. Sometimes as a parent you just have to roll the dice and hope you’re getting it right.

-M.B.