There can’t be anything more horrifying than having to watch your child in danger with no way of helping or protecting them — but what if they’re paragliding into the open air, and you put them their yourself? That’s the case with paragliding instructors Carlos Alberto Dal Molin and Marcia de Almeida, and their 6-year-old son Luan. Both Luan and his 10-year-old sister Jade have been paragliding for years, and are perfectly at ease out there in the winds.
For those unfamiliar with the activity, paragliding is the mixture of parachuting and gliding, where instead of dangling from a lightweight fabric canopy, the practitioner is strapped to a sort of inflated wing. The person’s movements within the harness determine how the paraglider is steered.
Proponents say it’s a lot safer than it looks, and Luan’s been doing it since he was 2-years-old. “I think it’s a lot crazier every time I strap my kids in the back of the car and take them for a drive,” said the children’s mother.
Our immediate reaction to any implied threat, real or imagined, is to clamp down and restrict. But sometimes that’s a reaction that can cause more harm than it prevents. As parents, we will always want to shield our children from danger, but it’s by taking risks that we are able to perceive some of life’s most amazing experiences. Try to imagine what Luan sees and feels as he wheels through the sky, and the sheer sense of freedom he enjoys. It’s likely the closest we humans can come to natural flight — can you possibly blame his parents for giving him this gift?
Comments
Karen
July 14th, 2009 - 11:39:02 AM
As long as you keep safety in mind, I see no reason why your child shouldn't be able to paraglide - so long as they want to and know how to. No harm, no foul