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We use Life360 for our teenager right now, but at 18 and away at college...nope. That is when you just have to hope you did your job, raised a young adult, and be there for them when they need you. It is an invasion of privacy to monitor a college student like that.
I have zero desire to track anybody. I have no intentions of digitally tracking my kids when they're old enough for phones.
I can only imagine the schemes I would come up with had my mom tried to pull this on me. I didn't get a cell until I was in college and I would go weeks without talking to her. That doesn't mean I was in any kind of danger or she had any right to know where I was.
Clarifications - It's more for in the case the parent can't get in touch with the kid( she's away at college) and/or emergency she can locate. Not tracking the kids every move. I think there's a difference.
If it makes the kid feel more safe then fine. Otherwise no.
What's with the 'in case they can't get in touch'? That's a part of letting go, trusting that they can take care of themselves and are capable of handling things that come up, and knowing when to call mom or dad for help. Otherwise you text or leave a message and wait for them to get back in touch with you, and pray they aren't inconsiderate enough to leave you hanging for a week.
Its a tough period when your "child" is no longer a "child" and making their own choices. You have to adjust. You have to deal with not always knowing where they are. You'll survive. We're doing this too.
But how do you feel if the parent was checking daily to see their kids location? But I believe with the "find the find my phone" the kid can tell if the parent is checking their location or is it not alerted on the kids phone?
One of my co-workers tracked her children in college by use of their campus ID card and credit card. Every time that they charged something or used it to buy food in the cafeteria, at campus coffee shops/book stores, neighbor hood shops, or rode a bus the mother received a text message with exactly what was purchased, where it was purchased, etc. The mother received multiple notifications each day. Her children did not know that she was tracking them. Frankly, I thought that it was pretty creepy.
For those that may not know...a cell phone that is on and does not have GPS enabled can still be located by cell tower triangulation, even when the phone isn’t making a call.
This suffices for me for emergency situations, albeit it’s not as exact or reliable as GPS.
No, most assume that at 18 that person is legally an adult with all the rights and responsibilities thereof and that, at that point, there's very little parenting that either can be done or is desired to be done. If, as a parent, you haven't accomplished your "goals" by that point, it's too late.
Pardon as I disagree with your "most assume". I choose to give greater thought to circumstances that WOULD warrant the necessity to track another person....and Health comes to mind. I don't care how much you wager in on "at "18" they are an adult". So are 60 year olds that have trackers so that family can at least be at ease . Perfect example was a snow storm we encountered a few years back. The Elder parents were driving to visit the family from another state. the car got stuck. Triple A couldn't get to them. They froze by the time the next passer by found them. Had a tracker been initialized the daughter could have alerted the authority. So do tell, how is it that at 60 its okay to inquire of the parents well being but at 18...by golly they are miraculously immune to elements or circumstances?
I do agree that most who are helicopter parents need to cease such....where I vastly disagree is that the AGE determines things....quite honestly good judgement in character and responsibility play a factor. But thats just me being reasonable and taking things on a case by case stance....
Its a tough period when your "child" is no longer a "child" and making their own choices. You have to adjust. You have to deal with not always knowing where they are. You'll survive. We're doing this too.
It's funny, but I and my neighborhood and school friends started going out to places unknown to our parents, beginning at about age 5. Many times on weekends, we'd be gone most of the day and there was no communication and no concern. We always stayed out of trouble and got back in time for dinner and in one piece. That was a much better way to learn independence and how to take responsibility for ourselves, than what is going on nowadays. And by the way, our parents didn't drive us anywhere. We walked or rode bicycles, including to and from school.
One warm, sunny, fall afternoon, as our Kindergarten class was letting out, the nicest, smartest and prettiest girl in class came up to me and said, "Let's walk home together". I thought that was just about the best idea I'd ever heard. No kid would have that delightful experience today, with all the parents hovering overhead.
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