Anonymous wrote:Why don't you learn to have confidence in your kid? You're raising a good kid, right? Assume your kid is doing thd right thing.

We told our kids as teenagers we trust you -- unless you somehow give us a reason not to. They never gave us a reason.

I have never used a tracking app on any of our kids. I consider it too invasive.

I trust my teen but not others. I like to know they’ve gotten to a destination safely. You do you.

OP, you are piling-on stress for your family by tracking your kids

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously stop tracking your kid. People parented for thousands of years without doing this.

My kid is 14 so no

I assume your kid is challenging? What sort of things are they doing? I have a 13 and 16 year old and don’t track them, although I can see their location on iPhone if need be. However we text each other and that’s how I know where they are. If they ended up somewhere else, i wouldn’t look at it as a violation. Kids move locations. I suggest you use the iPhone but also reset your approach. Many years ahead!

Why don't you learn to have confidence in your kid? You're raising a good kid, right? Assume your kid is doing thd right thing.

We told our kids as teenagers we trust you -- unless you somehow give us a reason not to. They never gave us a reason.

I have never used a tracking app on any of our kids. I consider it too invasive.

Anonymous wrote:How about telling your kid that if they do that again, they lose their phone for a week.

And so how do you find out if the kid is “doing that again” if there are hacks all teens use.

I mean some of you sound so stupid.

Sure most kids are good. But there are groups of kids that get into trouble, shouldn’t be going certain places, are having mental health issues, or even possibly addictions or are just kids pushing their parents boundaries.

It sounds like OP has one of them. It isn’t always about parenting. I have seen kids use windows the ring camera is not attached to - to get out. Or learn how to skip/cycle ring so they can sneak out. Lots of hacks on trackers.

I would do Apple tag in backpack. Find my IPhone/Friends with family lock and do Life 360.

I would never allow sleepovers at other ppl’s houses. I would check my kids bed every night at 3am. Literally set an alarm.

I would disable everything on the phone but 4 contacts and school apps for a week each time they get caught and up another week each time. If they went to 3 times, the phone gets paused by phone carrier for 2 weeks each time.

OP also look for burner phones. Kids sneak out with phone at home and bring an iPad or burner.

The minute the kid did that, we said you have to pay the phone bill. Problem was solved in seconds.

Anonymous wrote:Seriously stop tracking your kid. People parented for thousands of years without doing this.

Not your business what other people do.

Anonymous wrote:How about telling your kid that if they do that again, they lose their phone for a week.

This.
I have a tween and use the same app. She would lose the phone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kid can’t be trusted, I get it. But if they’re generally trustworthy, why do this? With my three, including two teens and one young adult, I told them I wouldn’t track as long as they were abiding by our rules. We have Life360 for car trips and the like, but we otherwise never check. They know that if we have reason to stop trusting, they will get less freedom and independence. But I want to prepare them for a world in which no one is following their every movement to ensure they’re only making perfect decisions. Somehow all of us on here survived the teen years, and I can’t imagine there are many of us who didn’t make a few questionable decisions along the way. We learned from those as well. I do understand tightening the leash if your child is a habitual liar or meeting strangers from the internet at the mall or doing drugs, but otherwise, you’re doing no one any favors, including yourself. My anxiety would be through the roof if I felt responsible for tracking my kids all the time.

We use life360 to track each other for pickups and to know when to have meals ready.

My kids track us to see where we are when picking them up. My younger DC walks alone from one activity to another. I would have anxiety if I could not track them.

The older DC is 18 and at college. We asked them if they wanted to remove life360. They said, no, that they didn't care. This DC also goes to see their s/o at a big city every so often, so I like that we know when they get there safely and back.

How on earth did college students (adults) previously travel without mommy and daddy tracking their every move? My DH did study abroad in Australia in college in the late ‘90s and called his parents once every 2-3 weeks. Sounds like having an adult child who could function without you—which used to be the goal of parenthood—would drive you insane. But hey, you have Life360, so it’s all good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very few of you are answering the question.

Many of you have acknowledged that there are situations in which this type of oversight may be necessary- proven untrustworthy, specific location that child shouldn't go to but does, overall challenge. Let's just assume already that OP is not a perfect parent and does not have a perfect kid. They are trying.

OP, you did get one good piece of advice- air tag. And no this is not "secretly" tracking if the kid already knows they have Life 360.

And advice to take the phone away is not all that helpful if you have a teen who puts themselves in dangerous situations. Taking the phone away means you lose the ability to not only locate, but also contact your kid or have them contact you.

Now you want to hide AirTags on your teens? That’s even worse.

Don’t you have to pay for Life360? We just use find my friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very few of you are answering the question.

Many of you have acknowledged that there are situations in which this type of oversight may be necessary- proven untrustworthy, specific location that child shouldn't go to but does, overall challenge. Let's just assume already that OP is not a perfect parent and does not have a perfect kid. They are trying.

OP, you did get one good piece of advice- air tag. And no this is not "secretly" tracking if the kid already knows they have Life 360.

And advice to take the phone away is not all that helpful if you have a teen who puts themselves in dangerous situations. Taking the phone away means you lose the ability to not only locate, but also contact your kid or have them contact you.

Now you want to hide AirTags on your teens? That’s even worse.

Why?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously stop tracking your kid. People parented for thousands of years without doing this.

My kid is 14 so no

They don’t drive so your tracking their walking?

Are you kidding pp

Tracking whether they are sneaking out. Or really at a friends house. Or really at a sleepover, or really studying at home (if you are elsewhere)

Some teens lie and sneak. I have 3 of them and 1 is trying to break the rules every darn day. So I get it.

So let me get this straight. You did such a poor job raising your child to this point they engage in these behaviors? And you haven’t learned from your past mistakes and want to hover still?

Glad you have a great kid! It’s easy to judge when you do. I have multiple kids. One is harder and a rule breaker and the other two wouldn’t dream of it - it’s not always parenting.

dp.. I understand you, PP. My teens are well behaved, but we still have life360 for pickups. I wouldn't judge another parent for tracking their teens movements. I know some teens are harder than others.

Anonymous wrote:Very few of you are answering the question.

Many of you have acknowledged that there are situations in which this type of oversight may be necessary- proven untrustworthy, specific location that child shouldn't go to but does, overall challenge. Let's just assume already that OP is not a perfect parent and does not have a perfect kid. They are trying.

OP, you did get one good piece of advice- air tag. And no this is not "secretly" tracking if the kid already knows they have Life 360.

And advice to take the phone away is not all that helpful if you have a teen who puts themselves in dangerous situations. Taking the phone away means you lose the ability to not only locate, but also contact your kid or have them contact you.

Now you want to hide AirTags on your teens? That’s even worse.

Anonymous wrote:If your kid can’t be trusted, I get it. But if they’re generally trustworthy, why do this? With my three, including two teens and one young adult, I told them I wouldn’t track as long as they were abiding by our rules. We have Life360 for car trips and the like, but we otherwise never check. They know that if we have reason to stop trusting, they will get less freedom and independence. But I want to prepare them for a world in which no one is following their every movement to ensure they’re only making perfect decisions. Somehow all of us on here survived the teen years, and I can’t imagine there are many of us who didn’t make a few questionable decisions along the way. We learned from those as well. I do understand tightening the leash if your child is a habitual liar or meeting strangers from the internet at the mall or doing drugs, but otherwise, you’re doing no one any favors, including yourself. My anxiety would be through the roof if I felt responsible for tracking my kids all the time.

We use life360 to track each other for pickups and to know when to have meals ready.

My kids track us to see where we are when picking them up. My younger DC walks alone from one activity to another. I would have anxiety if I could not track them.

The older DC is 18 and at college. We asked them if they wanted to remove life360. They said, no, that they didn't care. This DC also goes to see their s/o at a big city every so often, so I like that we know when they get there safely and back.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously stop tracking your kid. People parented for thousands of years without doing this.

My kid is 14 so no

They don’t drive so your tracking their walking?

Are you kidding pp

Tracking whether they are sneaking out. Or really at a friends house. Or really at a sleepover, or really studying at home (if you are elsewhere)

Some teens lie and sneak. I have 3 of them and 1 is trying to break the rules every darn day. So I get it.

So let me get this straight. You did such a poor job raising your child to this point they engage in these behaviors? And you haven’t learned from your past mistakes and want to hover still?

Glad you have a great kid! It’s easy to judge when you do. I have multiple kids. One is harder and a rule breaker and the other two wouldn’t dream of it - it’s not always parenting.