Capt. Rodbone
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2020
- Messages
- 177
- Location
- U.S.
- Vessel Name
- SV Stella Polaris MV Sea Turtle
- Vessel Make
- 1978 VanDine Gaff rigged schooner, 1978 Grand Banks Classic Trawler
I’ll start with the question and then fill in with a bit of detail which may influence some of the answers you kind forum folks might be willing to share. What might you suggest I research as to an online finishing of high school option for my teenage son? He is just a bit more than his senior requirements away from getting his diploma.
He is 19. We have had quite a bit of trouble with him over the last few years. Making poor decisions on who he spends time with, doing drugs and drinking, and not taking his schoolwork seriously. He has spent some time in juvenile detention. We have tried very hard to get him to go to counseling since he was 15, but he refuses. Although he has said “the right things” before he is saying them again and there does appear to be at least an initial desire to put his life on a better path. About a year and a half ago my wife and I offered him the option of going cruising on our recently acquired 40 ft Schooner for a few months or even a year or so while he finishes school on board and he thinks about what he would like to do next. At that point he had no interest in doing so but now possibly out of not really having many more viable choices he would like to do it. My wife isn’t much for offshore sailing nor extended periods of being on board the sailboat, but we recently also bought a 42 ft Grand Banks. She would be more inclined to spend more time onboard if we were to take the trawler and not the schooner. We both think it may be a better idea anyway if we attempted this as a father and son thing with him knowing she would join us every few weeks or so in different ports. I should note he has basically the same relationship with each of us, meaning neither of us are better suited in our eyes or his regarding how we parent and communicate with him.
I’m going into this eyes wide open and realize that just by casting off there are not Magic changes taking place however such a change to a completely new and exciting if he will allow it to be environment could be what he needs, especially since he sounds more ready now than he has in the past. There will have to be specific rules that are followed and they will be laid out in detail with him. I’m going to also admit here that we’ve tried many things including home school and boarding schools that in the past haven’t worked. If he isn’t ready for a change in his life’s direction and this doesn’t work at least we will know we tried yet another way to help him.
So back to my initial question are there curriculums any of you would point me to, and have any of you been through similar situation and would offer advice?
He is 19. We have had quite a bit of trouble with him over the last few years. Making poor decisions on who he spends time with, doing drugs and drinking, and not taking his schoolwork seriously. He has spent some time in juvenile detention. We have tried very hard to get him to go to counseling since he was 15, but he refuses. Although he has said “the right things” before he is saying them again and there does appear to be at least an initial desire to put his life on a better path. About a year and a half ago my wife and I offered him the option of going cruising on our recently acquired 40 ft Schooner for a few months or even a year or so while he finishes school on board and he thinks about what he would like to do next. At that point he had no interest in doing so but now possibly out of not really having many more viable choices he would like to do it. My wife isn’t much for offshore sailing nor extended periods of being on board the sailboat, but we recently also bought a 42 ft Grand Banks. She would be more inclined to spend more time onboard if we were to take the trawler and not the schooner. We both think it may be a better idea anyway if we attempted this as a father and son thing with him knowing she would join us every few weeks or so in different ports. I should note he has basically the same relationship with each of us, meaning neither of us are better suited in our eyes or his regarding how we parent and communicate with him.
I’m going into this eyes wide open and realize that just by casting off there are not Magic changes taking place however such a change to a completely new and exciting if he will allow it to be environment could be what he needs, especially since he sounds more ready now than he has in the past. There will have to be specific rules that are followed and they will be laid out in detail with him. I’m going to also admit here that we’ve tried many things including home school and boarding schools that in the past haven’t worked. If he isn’t ready for a change in his life’s direction and this doesn’t work at least we will know we tried yet another way to help him.
So back to my initial question are there curriculums any of you would point me to, and have any of you been through similar situation and would offer advice?