"Roger Long" wrote:


That's interesting- I'm finding that teaching seamanship on Tropic
Bird to my normally (previously) hugely recalcitrant and
uncommunicative 16 year old son has given us common ground and is
forging a new bond between us. He's listening and learning and
we're both enjoying the process.

I think a key point here is the singular. My sons are totally
different people when either of them is with me alone. Together, they

OH - well my dad used to say - one boy is one boy, two boys is half a
boy and three boys is no boy at all.

are performing for each other and every nuance of every event is
bouncing off the other. Seeing if they can exercise the power of
getting the other one to do what they were asked to do instinctively
more important than keeping a boat from hitting a dock.

If it is at all possible, let them do the whole thing themselves, and
you and their mother just sit by and let them do it (no coaching).
They've done it at least once at this point, so they should be able to
figure it out, and at least now, there's nothing there to hit in the
next slip.

The most vital thing to the future of this boat is getting out with
them one on one but it's a tough thing to work into all the other
family agendas.


Mom to 4
(dd#1 age 44, dd#2 age 42, dd#3 age 37, ds age 34)

grandmom to 10
(dgs age 25, dgd age 23, dgs would be 14 if still living,
dgs age 12, dgs age 11, dgs age 11, dgd age 9, dgs age 7,
dgd age 5, and dgd agev4)