Boating and the kids activities

wish2fish

wish2fish

Active Member
Dec 19, 2006
4,278
Locust Creek, Ohio River mm 433
Boat Info
2003 220BR
Engines
5.0 MPI
My boys have been involved in youth sports since their early ages. We are talking basketball, soccer, football and lacrosse. I have not encouraged them to get started early but support them if they choose to go that route. I also believe that if you do sign up for these activities you should be available throughout the entire season so we don't take vacations during game season of these sports. Two of boys have gotten older and have focused on lacrosse and football only but that doesn't really open up the calendar. Lacrosse isn't to bad as the season is over by mid May. Football is pretty much year round and during the summer they practice all summer long except for 2 weeks which the state mandates as a "dead period". I see the school's volleyball players and band working just as much during the summer months. We usually do take a trip during the 2 week dead period but the scrimages/games start in early August and cut into some of the best boating season. We are fortunate to have our own rivercamp about 35 miles away but I think I only got to boat 6 times from August to putting the boat away.

I wondering what most are doing about boating and their kids activities.
 
My kids are banned from all after school programs. We sat down as a family and listed out priority's .... I explained daddy was not going to BLOW more then the house mortagage per month if they were going to limit its use. So after school programs , b day party's , weddings etc... all get removed from the to do list from march until dec. As u guess we only have boat friends left... which im more then ok with....
PS my kids are 9 and 10


Rob
 
My son is 14 and into all the sports he can find time for; right now it's the junior school swim team, then in early spring he'll try out for lacrosse. By mid-spring he's getting ready for baseball, and once school is out that season starts in earnest. It's over by mid-July, then we get a few weeks free until football practice starts in mid-August, unless he decides to play on an arena soccer team.

My daughter is 19 and off at college now, we're lucky to hear from her once a week, but when she gets home for holiday breaks she will suck all the available air out of the room. When she was here, she was busy with girl scouting, dating, chorus, and theater at two schools (there wasn't enough stage time for her at her school, so she tried out for and got leading roles in plays at a local all-boys high school).

So we've had to find time to boat, and other than seven boating vacations when the kids were more or less captive, I can count on one hand the number of times we've had the whole family aboard our boat.

One of the reasons we're downsizing to a trailer boat is to broaden our opportunities for getting out on the water. I enjoy any excuse to get out on a boat, whether it's mine or a buddy's. My wife enjoys boating with me, and my son enjoys boating as well, but second to the sport of the season. My daughter enjoys going out on the lake, if she has nothing else planned....
 
The conflicts are just starting for us. So far we have been able to work thru them.

This fall a good friend’s daughter was getting married. A year in advance they picked a weekend that would not conflict with anything. After the date was set, church, hall, band reservations made, the school changed the week for homecoming by one week from when it had been for years and years.

The girl getting married has a younger sister that is in high school band. The teacher gave her a reprimand and punishment work assignment for ‘missing’ the homecoming parade.

It was not my kid and I was ready to go to school board meeting and raise heck. If it was my child, I would have.



The closest we have came is accommodating other guests. After a bad experience this summer, we have a rule that we leave when we leave and if the schedule does not work out for the other people we do not adjust our schedule.

With the high cost of boating and short season I estimate the cost of boating to be $1,000 per weekend or $500/day. Would I pay someone else $500 for their situation? A major life event my answer may be yes. If the event is not significant in importance to us paying $500 then we don’t go.

That’s how we look at it.
 
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We are in the same 'boat' so to speak. My 13 year old daughter plays club soccer year round and softball in the spring (she gave up basketball and volleyball). My 8 year old son plays soccer year round and baseball. By the time baseball and softball are done, soccer is starting. We also do not plan vacations during sports as I believe once the commitment is made, it becomes a priority right behind school. We made a lot of Sunday afternoon trips to the a local lake, at times not pulling the boat until dark and pulling through the local fast food place at 9:30 10:00 at night to eat dinner. We usually plan a week long trip to Lake Erie, specifically to go camping and boating. As the sports seasons grow closer together, I am wondering how long the Lake Erie trip will last. I have even looked into purchasing a campsite at a local lake that is within driving distance of the sports activities they take part in. I figure that will allow us to spend the weekends there and boat in the evenings when the games are done.
 
When we got our first boat our boys were 9 and 7. The only conflict we had was baseball for the 9 YO. I was the coach, so I did the scheduling. Suffice it to say that we had VERY few weekend games. Then last year my yougest made a club soccer team after we bought a condo. That ended our 2007 season on July 31st - practice started August 1st.

We are dropping baseball for both boys in 2009 in an attempt to open our schedule. The older boy starts highschool in 09 and wants to play football. Incoming freshmen can't start to practice until mid-August, so we get June, July and half of August free.

We have always told the boys that if you decide to join an team, that is your first priority behind school and boating is third.
 
Robski97 said:
My kids are banned from all after school programs. We sat down as a family and listed out priority's .... I explained daddy was not going to BLOW more then the house mortagage per month if they were going to limit its use. So after school programs , b day party's , weddings etc... all get removed from the to do list from march until dec. As u guess we only have boat friends left... which im more then ok with....
PS my kids are 9 and 10


Rob
Click to expand...

So I need a more expensive boat? Good idea.
 
My sons are 13 and 16.....i try to allow each to bring a friend for a couple of trips.......i keep staying on a mooring to just a couple of weekends.....for them to get off of a dock when they want, have power and cable for the tv helps....we spend most of the day on the zodiac cruising, fishing or at a beach.....they also enjoy dad not on the zodiac and being out just the two of them.....we have playstation tournaments (they kick my ars) and have movie night....the day they say "dad, i hate the boat", i will sell them.....i need to become a kid and cater to them.....they each do their summer reading and do a little cleaning too.....do they love the boat, not like me, but they have monday through Friday during the summer to play with their friends and do what they want.....they understand that the weekends are our time and time to spend with dad.....my older son will go golfing or to the gym when in a port so he is happy with that....One thing we do is "talk" and "joke" around which is tough to do once we tie the lines back up to the dock...
 
When I was in school, I did 3 sports/ school year and ran local road races during the summer. I was also involved in Boy Scouts which I obtained the rank of Eagle. I now have a one year old so school activities don't come into play yet. I don't plan Saturday activities during the summer months as this is our boating day. If we are invited to a Saturday activity, I will attend if the weather is not condusive for boating. Boating months are shorts so missing one weekend is a big percentage.
 
Hockey shortens our season a bit, but not too horrible yet. And my 4 and 7 yr old LOVE to be on the boat, so we make it work... Our boat is right down the street, so even if we didn't get to head out because of schedules, we still spend the night on it alot so we can take advantage of the next day.
I wish we were out more, but we try to manage the schedule accordingly. We do hit the birthday parties, weddings etc of the summer...
 
My sons ages 13 and 17 play club and school lacrosse, soccer, ice/roller hockey and baseball. Early on, we used to take vacations around sports. Then, after we wised-up, we just take vacations when we can and hopefully they won't miss too many games. Last year was our first year with the boat. The summer here in Buffalo was not great (until the last week in August) but nevertheless we usually got to go out at least once a week for a few hours tubing or cruising.

I find sports gives my sons an outlet for thier energies and provides a vehicle for them to grow as people. It also instills discipline and character - something I feel is lacking in many youth today.

Does it cut into my boat schedule - absolutely. Would I change it - no, because until they are out of my house and into the real world its about them and not the boat.
 
My kids used to do swim team in the summer (very competitive here) and two years ago we said enough is enough. That basically ruined the whole summer... practices every morning, meets, etc. Ridiculous. They are on swim teams in the winter now and that's enough for us. My oldest actually has made it to state competition for two year and the big benefit is they are all very good swimmers and have been doing it since they were each less than a year old...

I still make them wear pfd's all the time though...

Anyway, the activities in the fall/winter do take up time but it is what it is...

Good thing the dogs like to go out fishing with me.
 
Four Suns said:
Good thing the dogs like to go out fishing with me.
Click to expand...

heh... Our pups head to the door when I mention 'boat'. Those days when I'm going to be tinkering, cleaning, etc and the weather isn't the best, the wife doesn't care to just hang out at the dock. While are kids are long gone out of the house, I can see the grandkids schedules are starting to limit their time with us at the lake.

Now when I can teach the pups the difference between a flat head and a phillips......
 
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