If you were on a boat in the center of the lake with your spouse and child and the boat tipped over and only you can swim who would you save first your spouse or your child?

Answer 1

A marraige should come before a child. Both can be replaced, but save the spouse. Hopefully the spouse can swim and the child can be saved, but I bet you were asking this one for fun. Now, if your mom were on board too...she can't be replaced so a psychologist might logically say that you should save her, replace the wife and kid. At least that is what my psychology professor once told my class. You only say "spouse" but it may make a difference whether it is the husband or the wife who can swim. I cannot imagine a mother saving her husband and leaving her child to drown. It is also difficult to believe that she would not insist that her husband save the child first. You're correct. The question is a test of individual understanding about the seriousness of marriage and how the commitment is between the husband and wife not extended family members, children or even friends. The love of a child is deep and precious. Of course our natural instinct on a message board is to say we would go for the child. But if we really weigh the seriousness of the scenario it will make you think about just how serious the institution of marrigae is: " If you were on a boat in the center of the lake with your spouse and child, and the boat tipped over and only you can swim who would you save first?" The above scenerio doesn't present us with alternatives, excuses or rationalizations. If you were in this life or death situation who would you honestly save first? Best wishes Since the question is not "Which one would you save?" but "..who would you save first?" it implies that both individuals could be rescued. So one would use common sense (hopefully) rather than an emotional reaction. An adult would be less likely to panic and therefore could tread water longer and it is very likely that an adult being stronger could make it to the side of the boat and hold on, grab an oar, or any number of things Therefore using logic one would obviously rescue the child first. That aside, it would need to be a very forgiving (or selfish) woman who would stay with a man that allowed their child to drown. You didn't mention the age of the child so, it's possible they are quite able to swim to the over-turned boat. Instinctively and if the child couldn't swim I would head for the child, get them on top of the boat and try to make it to my spouse. It's only human nature to go for the young and helpless and tell me a mother who wouldn't do this? I'm not a mother, but I'd do it for any child if that child were in the same boat as my spouse and I.