Kids on a Boat

In the past I stressed about moving aboard with an eight month old baby. Will there be enough space? Will he learn to walk in such confined quarters? Am I somehow going to stunt his growth? But there was one thing that I did not consider: kids adapt. They don’t understand that living on a boat is a different life. To them – it is just the way life is. They don’t know anything different. My boy does all the things that kids on land do – eat, sleep, play, get into things, poop…

I sometimes hear people talking about how they have to buy bigger house because their family is growing. After all, little Johnny must have his own bedroom. What? Since when do kids ‘have’ to have their own bedroom? Do you think that Suzie will somehow grow up maladjusted because she had to share a bedroom with Sally? Kids get their sense of value, their sense of space and even their sense of ‘what is enough’ from their parents. These are not values that they are born with – they learn them. If you are content with what you have and the amount of space you live in, then they will be also. For the most part kids are just happy being where mom and dad are – no matter where they are.