to make teens wear lifejackets?

[Knitwit101]

My 15 yr old teen and his friends want to use our paddleboard this weekend. I've told him that's fine, but when they are on the board they have to wear a life jacket. And a parent needs to be on the beach to supervise.

He's raging because they are 15 and can walk down and go in the sea without a parent any day of the week.

AIBU in saying that if they are using our paddleboard they will be supervised and wearing lifejackets?

They can do what they like the rest of the time, but I feel like if it's our equipment it's our responsibility to keep them safe.

And would you want contact numbers for parents? Or is that a step too far? I'm confident about my lifejacket decision, less so about the phone numbers.

Damn teens, they mess with your mind and make you doubt yourself. Or at least mine do. They are world champions at arguing their case.

I guess I'm in the minority but that all sounds ott to me

Maybe, I'm happy to be persuaded I'm ott.

I think I worry because 1- it's the sea with waves and tides and all and not an enclosed body of water, 2- I don't really know how capable his pals are, I know they can swim but they don't have boards of their own so would be complete novices, 3- ds thinks he knows more than he does and thinks nothing bad will ever happen to him, 4- a bunch of teenagers together make less sensible choices than a teenager on his own.

I'm sticking to my guns about the buoyancy aids, if they don't wear them they're not going on the board.

I'm going to be in the vicinity the first few times. I'm not talking about being in the water supervising, but I'm going to be on the beach with a cup of tea and a book.

I won't ask for parent contact details, that is too much.

It's difficult when he's asking to do this for the first time aged 15. If he'd asked when he was 12 or 13 it would have been more obvious that they needed supervising. If they were a couple of years older they wouldn't. But 15 seems quite in-between in terms of how reliable and responsible they are for things like this

Normally I think they should be given independence but when it comes to the risk of drowning better to be sensible. If you go to a commercial rental place you wear a life jacket and there's a lifeguard there for good reason.

If I were a parent of one of your ds's friends I'd be really happy with the measures you're putting in place op.

Spent yesterday watching some kids float away on a paddleboard and have to be brought back by a patrol boat for a nearby activity centre. So, yeah, stick to your guns.

I've done water sports for a year and as a team, if I wasn't doing an organised activity with safety cover, my parents would come and keep half an eye/watch to check I came back when expected. I never questioned. Best practice is always to tell someone where you are going and when you expect to get back (and as teens mucking about on a paddleboard probably don't know that I would watch them).

And yes a paddleboard is a big flotation device but you can still get separated from it.

And yeah lifejackets and buoyancy aids are different but plenty of people use the terms interchangeably whilst chatting casually - doesn't mean they don't know the difference and shouldn't go out on the sea..

Buoyancy aid.

Put it this way, if DH took a bunch of teenagers to do any outdoor water sport which he was trained and certified as a coach for, without the proper equipment he could lose all his permits. If something happened and he didn't have them - and ensured they were being used - he would be hung out to dry.

He will sometimes see people out in public doing his sport, who are not using the proper safety equipment. His coaching and certification means he is obliged to try and approach them and explain why they shouldn't be doing what they are doing. If something were to happen, its him who would be doing the rescue if he was in the vincinity. That means that people thoughtlessly not using the proper equipment inadvertantly may be put him at risk.

Paddleboarding isn't his speciality, but he knows people who do coach it. They wouldn't let ANYONE under their supervision go out in their company without a bouyancy aid. Even if they were adult amazing competitive level paddleboarders. Purely because its about setting a good example. You are not a good paddleboarder if you don't wear the correct safety gear. You are an obxious prick who wants to endanger others who are much more likely to have to rescue you, if something goes wrong if you don't have a bouyancy aid.

No bouyancy aid. No paddleboarding. The end.

Its like people who go walking in the peaks/lakes/scottish highlands with inappropriate gear because the weather was nice. Its fuckwitted. Not cool.

I don’t think I’d wear an inflatable pdf on the sea, but as considering one as I only paddle board on lakes and rivers. But maybe something like this would encourage them more? I’m on the side, no safety no paddle.

Reread my message and sounds like I wouldnt wear anything - I would wear a bouyancy aid on the sea rather than an inflatable pfd is what I meant!

@Knitwit101

I guess I'm in the minority but that all sounds ott to me

Maybe, I'm happy to be persuaded I'm ott.

I think I worry because 1- it's the sea with waves and tides and all and not an enclosed body of water, 2- I don't really know how capable his pals are, I know they can swim but they don't have boards of their own so would be complete novices, 3- ds thinks he knows more than he does and thinks nothing bad will ever happen to him, 4- a bunch of teenagers together make less sensible choices than a teenager on his own.

I'm sticking to my guns about the buoyancy aids, if they don't wear them they're not going on the board.

I'm going to be in the vicinity the first few times. I'm not talking about being in the water supervising, but I'm going to be on the beach with a cup of tea and a book.

I won't ask for parent contact details, that is too much.

It's difficult when he's asking to do this for the first time aged 15. If he'd asked when he was 12 or 13 it would have been more obvious that they needed supervising. If they were a couple of years older they wouldn't. But 15 seems quite in-between in terms of how reliable and responsible they are for things like this

I think I worry because 1- it's the sea with waves and tides and all and not an enclosed body of water, 2- I don't really know how capable his pals are, I know they can swim but they don't have boards of their own so would be complete novices, 3- ds thinks he knows more than he does and thinks nothing bad will ever happen to him, 4- a bunch of teenagers together make less sensible choices than a teenager on his own.

Safety protocols for water sports are effectively graded based on how far from land you are. So if you are in open water (a big lake) even though its calm, you might actually need more rigous training than if you are on a river, even though its flat water. As soon as you get into tidal / off coast water sports you get even more safety training for a reason. The whole point is about understanding and managing risk. If you have someone who doesn't want to wear a bouyancy aid you have someone who isn't managing risk because they are straight away failing to identify the risks involved.

These safety protocols have been developed over the years, largely because of 'freak' incidents which have occurred which all have a pattern of similar of errors which lead to sometimes tragic outcomes.

Assuming that you are going to be ok because you have a big floation device called a paddleboard is dumb as fuck and neglects to acknowledge what actually happens in accidents. No one plans to be be separated from their board, but it does happen. You build a safety net to protect you in case that does happen.

So lifeguards and other members of the public don't have the trauma of having to save you or are put at risk themselves.

Don't be that dickhead.

I’d be worried about teens I don’t know on boards on the sea. Is it windy? Offshore winds? It always looks easier than it is

They must have a life jacket if there is nobody supervising. If they fell and hit their head on the board, without a life jacket they could be in serious trouble.

My point was not about spelling, op. It was that life jacket and buoyancy aid are different things and it matters.

I would ask for phone numbers of the other parents and actually call them. Tell them you have provided a life jacket for them to use, but ask them to tell their kids to use it. This also ensures they know exactly what the kids are doing, if they have told them they are just going out to lay around on the beach.

Stick to your rules.
What do the other parents say?

They are not adults.

Make sure the other parents know the plan ( if it is going ahead.)

I think you were spot on OP. The more experience I have in the water, the more respect I give it and this is especially true of the sea. Too late if something goes wrong to wish things had been done differently.

My 14 year old DD's best friend lives at the riverside (they have a jetty at the end of their garden) and they paddleboard frequently. Her BF is allowed to go unaccompanied, as she is skilled at it, after many years of practice, but when my DD joins her, either I or BF's parent always supervises. My DD is a strong swimmer, but there is plenty of river traffic and she's just not experienced enough for me to feel that it's safe for her to paddleboard without an adult keeping an eye.

Life jackets are totally non-negotiable. No life jacket = stay on dry land and I agree with PPs that if your DS is having a tantrum about wearing one, then he's not mature enough to be left unsupervised!