Trust

I just saw on the news that there's a new app where parents can track their kids' driving. They can see whether their kids are speeding, texting while driving, or going out of a designated zone you want them to stay in.

And as much as I'm all for helping kids and teens stay safe, I wonder if that really accomplishes that in the long term. I feel like my parents parented me with trust...they taught me to choose right from wrong, and they trusted that I would. Not perfectly, of course...that's just not possible. But I think it's because of their trust in me that I wanted to make the right decisions. I wanted to be trustworthy and maintain their level of trust in me. And I think that's made me into a more responsible adult.

You can track your kid when she's 16, but there will come the day when she's independent and doesn't have to answer to your iPhone stalking anymore. At that point...will she feel empowered to make the right choices? Or will she feel freed from the bonds of overparenting and do whatever the heck she wants?

I'm not a parent (well, not of kids that will ever go out much...), so maybe I'm not an authoritative voice on this. But I have been parented and from that experience I think this app isn't a great idea.

Parents, what do you think? Would you use this app when your kids are old enough to drive?