Skydiving as a Single parent

[ropediver27 0]

I have recently become a single parent. I was wondering how people are able to skydive as a single parent of preschool age kids?

[jsaxton 0]

carefully?

[KennC 0]

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I have recently become a single parent. I was wondering how people are able to skydive as a single parent of preschool age kids?

I did it, but I had great people at the DZ who watched out for the kids when I was up in the plane. Over time however, they needed shoes and such .. which is how my time off skydiving came about, couldn't afford both.

They're pretty much grown now and so I'm back!!

[cam 0]

what do you mean by 'can'?
if it's just the logistics - well, you need a dedicated babysitter, either on or off the dz. I have taken my son (now 3) with me, and he absolutely loves it.
if it's the ethics of what will happen to your child if you die or are seriously injured, well it's obviously a person thing. how good is your life insurance? how good are the people who would look after child if you are not there? I've wrestled with this for 3 years, and gone both ways. currently 'off' jumping after another crash involving the jump pilot, and I just can't kid myself about aviation safety in the region I live in. your situation may be different.

[linestretch 0]

How??? Is it $$ your talking about? I still do it and it takes penny pinching and a LOT of side jobs to make it doable.

my pics & stuff!

[tetra316 0]

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How??? Is it $$ your talking about? I still do it and it takes penny pinching and a LOT of side jobs to make it doable.

And it would be even more doable if you could get him packing

[ropediver27 0]

I meant the logistics part. I am earning enough money to support my hobby. I would love to take my daughter to the drop zone with me but what do I do when I want to go up and make a jump? You are right about needing to have a dedicated babysitter. I thought about going to the drop zone the first few times and see if I can meet other people with kids.

[dreaming13000 1]

I am a single mother just getting into the sport, I am doing my AFF 1 next week so I took my daughter to the DZ and hang out there for a couple hours, watching and learning, both of us. I justify my need for this sport by making her as much a part of it as I can.....in fact, she can't wait to make her first jump in a minimum of 10 years! haha.

Good luck!

"A man only gets in life what he is believing for, nothing more and nothing less" Kenneth Hagen

[sapplegate 0]

I'm a single father of three kids , ages 8,6, and 3. In general, I don't bring them to the DZ. I skydive when they are with a babysitter or their mother (which I call the "baby mama" just to piss her off :-)).

The DZ is a pretty dangerous place for kids. That meat grinder on the front of the plane called a propeller is invisible when spinning. An eager child running to give mom or dad a hug in the plane can easily run right into it. Scares me too much. If you had some VERY reliable help watching the kids at the DZ, and they were no where near the airplanes, you might be able to pull it off. But realistically speaking, from one parent to another, how many times have you had a child disappear for a minute or two, when around your house there's not too much to get into... the DZ is not really "child proofed".


One of the best gifts you can give to your kids, is the happiness of thier mother. Take a little time, find a friend to watch the kids, and skydive. In the long run, the kids will appreciate your outlook on life.

Blue skies!

[ffp1974 0]

I really don't like having kids or dogs at the dz. They get in the way, and they are witness to some of the worst language around.

I use skydiving as an escape, why should I have to endure your kids, when I never brought mine to the dz.

As for dogs, just because you don't have kids, doesn't mean we want to see your dog. I am tired of hearing them bark, plus I have to watch where I am walking, after I have landed.

Bond with your children, with childrens activities. Scouting, etc.

FF

[skymama 37]

Just remember that if you bring your child to the dz, they could also witness you being injured or killed. I was taken out in an ambulance once and I was so glad I didn't have my kids there with me. I'm sure it would have freaked them out, but I also would have been worried about them the whole time I was being seen at the hospital.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[CazmoDee 3]

Your attitude SUCKS. I bonded with my dad every weekend on a dropzone. So did every other DZ kid that I grew up around. If you don't like children, just say so.

I'm behind the bar at Sloppy Joe's....See ya in the Keys!

Muff 4313

[Broke 0]

So would it make it more appealing to other parents if there were someone at the DZ who did kind of a DZ daycare. For a few hours a weekend in a safer area on the DZ where all the kids can be corraled?

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[ffp1974 0]

I have no problem with kids. But why should the people who pay to jump, just like you, have to put up with kids running around the dz?

[MichaelMoore 0]

It depends on how important skydiving is to you.

Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. It’s too dangerous.

Nobody who died thought their jump would be the last.

[shropshire 0]

Live and let live. So long as folks don't expect me to watch out for their kids.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[ffp1974 0]

Boy am i being bitched at via personal email.

You would think I advocated forced abortion on the dz. Excuse me for having an opinion. BUT a dz is not the most wholesome place for children.

I guess it is okay, if you don't mind them hearing fuck about a zillion times.

Plus they either play in the packing area or in the landing area. Never mind that big silver thing with the spinning propeller.

[skydemon2 0]

I agree with you, while I dont mind kids, the DZ is is where I go to unwind and act like I want. I spend all week being nice to people who dont deserve it and I hate having to do it on the weekends too and if there are kids around I will act nice, Im not going to run my mouth off around kids. But its my time and I shouldnt have to. I consider the DZ and skydiving adult activities.

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone!

I like to start my day off with a little Ray of Soulshine™!!

[ffp1974 0]

I have raised two boys, so I don't dislike kids. But they were only at the dz twice within 10 years. There mother was there the entire time.

But I surely wouldn't have wanted them there to hear the stuff I hear.

Heck sometimes I don't want to hear that mess

[shropshire 0]

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Boy am i being bitched at via personal email.

You would think I advocated forced abortion on the dz. Excuse me for having an opinion. BUT a dz is not the most wholesome place for children.

I guess it is okay, if you don't mind them hearing fuck about a zillion times.

Plus they either play in the packing area or in the landing area. Never mind that big silver thing with the spinning propeller.

Sorry to hear that some people are bitching at you; I'm not. I just don't have strong enough feelings about it either way, so long as I'm not expected to modify my behaviour or watch out for any kids that are around (that's the parents job - full stop).

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[dreaming13000 1]

I have given a lot of thought to that scenario...and I am still not sure how I exactly feel about having my daughter there when I jump. So far I have only taken her to "hang" out with me when I was gathering information for my first AFF level....

Of course to address the other concerns mentioned, I don't think any drop zone would be an appropriate place for any unsupervised children (no matter the age)...

What ended up happening with your incident involving the ambulance, if you don't mind my asking? Just trying to get as much information as possible so that I can handle situations I may find myself in with the best possible outcomes!

"A man only gets in life what he is believing for, nothing more and nothing less" Kenneth Hagen

[padu 0]

In my old home DZ we had a very tight community of skydivers, and lots of them had kids that grew on the DZ... they did know better how to be safe around airplanes, what to be carefull with, etc... so I don't believe that's safety is problem 'iff you raised your kid on the DZ'.

Having said that, if I were a single parent, I don't think I'd be confortable with raising my kids on a DZ because I don't believe it provides a healthy environment for kids.

I did take my daughter (3yrs old) to the DZ once or twice so she would know "what daddy does", but her mom was there to watch her all the time.

Una volta che avrete imparato a Volare, camminerete sulla terra guardando il cielo perchè è là che siete stati ed è là che vorrete tornare.