Hey Dibi: How Does a Worried Mom Survive in a Family of Extreme Sports Athletes?

Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away. Here’s this week’s dispatch from the Matriarch of Radical…

Hey Dibi…  I want to know how you handle the stress of having a family of extreme sports athletes. My son is a professional surfer and I’m so worried all the time, is there some secret? - BitingMyNails
Hey Biting My Nails… I hear that question from a lot of mothers and I admit I’m not always at ease with everything, but I’ve learned over the years how futile and unproductive it is to let my imagination create scenarios that only exist in my mind. They love what they’re doing and the exhilaration of the danger that makes it so intoxicating. If I have reservations, I keep them to myself as I do not want to burden them with any sort of doubt that might cause them some sort of hesitation when they least need it. If something is going to happen, it will happen no matter where they are or what they’re doing so have faith and enjoy the ride.

Hey Dibi….I teach art in grammar school and have some kids who most of the other teachers think are pretty incorrigible and have already written them off, I think they can be reached if there encouraged to do something they have interest in do you think surfers or skaters would come speak and how would I contact them? - Art4Kids
Hey Art 4 Kids… I think that’s a great idea, you might want to start by contacting a surf/skate shop in your town. They know the local scene and may have used boards they could donate to the kids to make art with. They may also have connections with distributors who have seconds they would be willing to donate. I believe that starting local helps the community rally and start building a net that can be the difference between the kids falling through the cracks and making it successfully into the people you obviously see in them…

Hey Dibi… I watched John from Cincinnati hoping for something like Big Wednesday meets Deadwood, but instead I got Jesus in a wetsuit and no real surf scenes. Was it really based on your family? - SurfXenophile
Hey Surf Xenophile…With the “no surf scenes” comment you kind of answered your own question, but the answer is No. David Milch even wrote in Surfing Magazine something to the effect “the story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event” to clarify any misunderstanding about the origins of the story that were entirely works of his imagination. It’s a long, bizarre story about how we became involved that’s probably worthy of its own show, but as far as JFC goes we were hired as consultants, who no one ever consulted.  It was a crazy experience from beginning to inglorious end, but an E Ticket ride for sure.

Hey Dibi… I found a board in my friend’s father’s garage that I think might have been an early Gerry Lopez model, do you think it’s worth much? - BoardCollector
Hey Board Collector… It’s hard to say not knowing anything more about it. My best advice would be to clean it up and take photos that you could send to a few of the various websites who buy and sell vintage boards to get an idea of the value. It will take some effort on your part, and who knows, it might be the beginning of a passion in board collecting and the surf stories that make them important you didn’t know you were interested in before. I’m sure you’ll learn a lot along the way, which will be its own reward. Happy hunting!

Hey Dibi… My two kids and husband are avid surfers; they leave their boards all over the house and yard and every meal we have together they tell surf stories. I get tired of nagging but it’s so tedious. What’s your advice? - TiredofNagging
Hey Tired of Nagging…Before you know it, the kids will be gone and you and the Mister will be in the house or the yard minus the boards and the stories, what then? The house may be cleaner, and the topic of conversation changed, but there will be a void that was once filled with the energy of kids that I’m sure you’ll miss like heck. So, forget about the boards if they bother you and listen to the laughter at the table and enjoy it, trust me when I say, it’s over too soon.