GPS for kids

[Brenda]

I saw this on CNN.
hmm, I think I would to my child just for the whole kidnapping issue.

I really think this will be more and more popular as time passes by. Gov't officials and high up careers that deal with money or plans are now being asked to have one inserted. Whenever they go into a vault of something they scan their chip! Isn't that crazy!

[TheWife]

I agree Tanya, I know it would give a lot of parents a level of comfort that they should not have. There are some watches already that are made for kids like autistic children, it beeps when they are out of range of the monitor, so that you know they've wandered off. I know stuff like this can be helpful, but it's like putting up a fence in a way, it makes you too comfortable that something else is keeping them safe, when it still needs to be a parents #1 job. I'm still baffled by how many 3-6 year olds I see out wandering the streets w/ friends and not a parent in sight.

The down side of microchipping is knowing for sure you were the only one with access to the info. If there was a general database company that you'd call for location (the way you call On-Star for a stolen car), then could someone get access to that info that shouldn't have it? The gov't could use it to track down criminals, which may be a good thing, but could a parent w/ a restraining order, or someone in the Witness Protection Program be tracked down by "those w/ influence"? KWIM? Maybe I watch too many movies lol.

[Brenda]

LOL, oooh, I never thought about the witness protection program.

[jr_lenz]

Originally Posted by Brenda

LOL, oooh, I never thought about the witness protection program.

they could remove theirs....

but how about this thought....should they GPS track sexual offenders that are still on parole?

[jr_lenz]

Originally Posted by Bigsweetie

No. I wouldn't. If I did something like that, and didn't tell them, what a HUGE breach of trust when/if they find out when they're older.

Teenagers... I think if you can't trust your teenager to be where they say they are, then you need to talk to them. Of course, kids will be kids, but secretly putting tracking devices on them is over the line IMO. They ARE still human beings, and treating them like you don't trust them at all simply because they're teenagers will ENSURE that they'll be untrustWORTHY. If they've done something to breach YOUR trust, then THAT needs to be dealt with.

just playing devil's advocate hear...but what if your teenager wasn't being trustworthy...had turn to drugs, and was running away for weeks at a time, where you couldn't find them. Do they still have the *right* of your trust...or do you as a parent have the right to over step the *trust* issue and phyiscaly pull them from danger?

IMO, until my child turns 18 and can leagaly get rid of me, I feel that I am responsible for all of his decisions. Let me explan that better...I have a friend who child is deep into drugs, in fact right now is on the run...they have taken the road of he won't change unless he wants to...TRUE but IMO I would be fighting for him every step of the way. true he wont change unless he wants to, but at 16 in my house continuing with drugs wouldnt be without a fight, my child would be in rehab and treatment programs until thier 18th b-day if that is what it took.

Here is a true story...I work with a lady whos's daughter got deep into meth. long story short, they got her into a great treatment center, the only problem was that she ran way the night before. They never could find her. Mom quit her job to look for her full time. They found her three years later. She had been selling her body for drugs. They got her clean but she nows has HIV and hep c. So in reality they never did save her. Maybe if she had a GPS tracking they could have found her ealier.

[UKcats06]

Dh thinks everyone should have GPS. If you aren't doing anything wrong, then why worry about privacy? As long as the information is being used properly, like tracking murder, abductions, theft, things like that, then what would be the harm? I know there is no fool-proof way to make it so it would never fall into the wrong hands, but lets just pretend that it couldn't.

[Bigsweetie]

Originally Posted by jr_lenz

just playing devil's advocate hear...but what if your teenager wasn't being trustworthy...had turn to drugs, and was running away for weeks at a time, where you couldn't find them. Do they still have the *right* of your trust...or do you as a parent have the right to over step the *trust* issue and phyiscaly pull them from danger?
.

You answered your own question in the very first post. If my teenager was proven to be untrustworthy, and i put a microchip in them, they'd just cut it out! Not sure you could "sneak" one of those things under someone's skin LOL!

And even if you COULD sneak one in (eye roll) and the kid eventually got clean and earned your trust back. Would you then tell him/her that he/she still has a tracking device implanted in them? What do you think that would do to their recovery?

ETA: these are just MY views. This wouldn't be acceptable for US, but if other people choose to do this, so be it. For me, the day I had my daughter, I had to come to terms with the fact that she's not immortal (at least not here on earth). I worried soooo much about SIDS when I brought her home from the hospital. I freaked about it, actually. I went out and bought a monitor that checked her breathing, I woke up 20 times/night to check on her, etc. I realized, that I was spending more time worrying about her and her safety, than enjoying her. I had to give her over to God everynight (like I still do).

When I take my daughter out I put a harness on her, and even then I NEVER take my eyes off of her. But this is more than a harness, IMO. This is violating her only personal property on the face of this earth... her body. Especially if you're planning on doing this and not telling them!

I want to keep my kids safe just as much as everyone else, but I do it using a combination of, in my opinion only, "reasonable" measures and a HEAVY dose of faith in God.

[roz]

I saw something on the CBS Early Show yesterday about the chips with medical information. They were really concerned about privacy. I dunno.

I remember when DS was about 5, we went with parents and members of his pre-school to a lunch and Christmas Organ/Light show that is held every year in what was the John Wanamaker (he started the first ever department store in the USA) store in Philly. After the show, you go shopping--at that time it was a 12 story department store, The elevator door opened up and my friend's son dashed in and the door closed. We spent the next frantic hour looking for him! We found him, but it was panic time for an hour and I'll never forget it!