Nardi then my girl must be suffering exposure overload...when she was little just being around dad was the goal...when we went out on our boat it was always just the two of us...mum was out slutting...so off we'd go for a day on the coral reefs just offshore...when she was 4 she could drive our boat at 30kts, was comfortable (ok blissfully ignorant) in the water with reef sharks and delighted in watching starfish crawl off the side of her hand. Explaning that snorkelling was a slow quiet, passtime was met with swimming around with squeels of delight and excitment emanating from her snorkel.
She'd happily spend hours on the bottom of our swimming pool practicing with my scuba gear exploring every wrinkle in the pool liner like she was discovering some new marine life form previously undescribed by science. She finally got certified for open water scuba at 12 and she loved exploring underwater caves with the new dive torch I gave her.
I smiled quietly to myself when, while on a dive trip in Thailand together just after her dive course, she stood her ground with a german tourist who was into 'speed diving'. "Zo vy are zee group always vaiting for you und your fater to catch up ya"...."well what did you see? We saw xyz!"
When we went out for a fly in our C185 she would climb into the RHS and latch on to the controls. Taxiing it was "I can do it...don't help me"...Ok babe turn right...she didn't see my feet on the rudder pedals..."See I can do it..." She was 3 at the time....couldn't even see where she was going
These days when we are home in Aus for holidays and take our Bonanza somewhere, like interstate to visit family, she sits in row 2 with a discman and whines "Are we there yet?"...seemingly zero interest in sitting up front with me and having a fly....or enjoying the view....rather put the seat back down and snooze listening to crap
music.
At 15 (16 in feb) I have taught her to drive in our (manual) car and she's the designated driver when I have a few drinks. She finds driving our car more appealing than flying our aeroplane.
She's a very good driver...although she's picked up my habit of character assasinating other drivers who cut us off in traffic..."Did you see that MORON?...what a TOOL!!"
She's a teenager now....But I still get an arm round my shoulder and a spontaneous kiss on the cheek from time to time...in between the odd argument about just what % of life's answers (even an above average) teenager posseses...or what is suitable attire to wear outside in a Asian Muslim country.
