[Paddlewise] Kids and PFD's

It is always interesting to watch these debates develop. Invariably they 
boil down to a spitting contest between those who believe it is their duty 
to protect people from themselves and those who believe they should be free 
to make their own decisions (and those decisions affecting their children).

I agree with Craig about the use of PFD's. I also paddle solo, refuse to use 
a cell phone on trips, do not own or want a GPS, never carry an EPIRB in the 
far north, do not wear a wet suit in cold weather, and probably a whole host 
of other things that some people think are dangerous and would like to 
protect me from.

Horror of horrors I don't even wear a PFD when I go swimming. Strangely 
enough I have been swimming (sans PFD) beside kayaks where the paddlers wore 
PFD's  because they thought they should always wear PFD's. It raised the 
point that it was not being in the water that is the problem but being in 
the kayak. Clearly kayaks are unsafe and no one should be allowed to paddle 
one.

Silly? Of course. The freedom folks are happy to let you paddle without a 
life jacket and even swim without one. The safety first folks think you 
should be protected from just about everything they can protect you from and 
you can bet they have a lot of protecting to do. I am waiting for them to 
legislate against love because so many people are hurt by it. :-)

It boils down to how far our freedom to act in accordance with our own 
standards can or should be limited by others. There appears to be no 
solution to the controversy. Government will continue to intrude on our 
personal lives for better or worse and those of us who resent it will 
continue to do as we see fit so long as we don't get caught.

Cheers

John Winters
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