Once you become a parent, there is always that feeling of ensuring your kids are safe no matter how old they are. This often leads to many parents using every means possible to monitor the whereabouts of their kids all the time. One way parents do so is teen tracking using GPS technology apps.
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Several apps allow you as a parent to track your child in the comfort of your home. However, many teens find it irritating and intrusive. This begs the question, does monitoring the whereabouts of your kid through phone tracking a violation of privacy for teenagers?
Should Parents Track Their Child’s Movement?
As there are two sides to a coin, so is the answer to this question. Monitoring the location of your child using phone trackers can be a blessing or a curse to the relationship between you and your kids. The outcome depends on how you decide to treat the tracking.
The reason why this is a sensitive matter is most teens consider this as spying. To them, it is an indication that you do not trust them enough. Your child needs to be social and meet new friends. They need that freedom.
As a teenager, I wouldn’t expect my parents to track my location even when I go to seek help on my math homework or visit a buddy from school. What is wrong with that? Doing so will only make a teenager more rebellious and distant. Before installing that app to track teenager location, first consider the effect, it will have on the relationship between you and your child.
Effects of Teen Monitoring Using Phone Tracker
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As a parent, you definitely have good intentions when tracking your teen. However, the effects might not be as suitable and appealing as you imagine. Raising an adolescent is not an easy job; it is full of challenges and constant worries that you must learn to live with. The overprotective approach is not the solution to keeping one safe.
The age between thirteen and nineteen is quite a delicate stage, and you have been keen and understanding at the same time. You need to be protective but still, give your child freedom. Here are some effects of overprotecting your teenager through phone tracking apps:
- It breaks the trust between child and parent or guardian.
- It can lead to a leak of private information. Everybody is entitled to privacy.
- It can contribute to children being rebellious.
- It creates a wedge between a child and a parent.
- It makes teenagers do stupid things to prove a point.
The Alternative to Phone Tracking Your Teen
The only effective alternative to track is to build a good relationship based on trust. In that age bracket, I expected my parents to be free with me and understand when I need to do my math homework but needed help from my friend who lives in the neighborhood. If you trust your child and they know what to do independently, math homework away from home will just be that.
Work towards an excellent relationship with your teenagers based on trust and mutual respect. Make it possible for them to see you as more of a friend than an authoritative figure. It makes your parenting work easy as your child can confide in you.
With such a relationship, a teenager will trust you enough to tell you everything they are going through. There will be no need for an app to track their movement since they will freely tell you where they are going.
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How to Build a Strong Relationship with Your Teen
If your teenage daughter tells you, “I am going out for ice-cream with Sandy” or “to get help on my math homework,” would you believe them? Do you think your child trusts you enough to tell you the actual truth? Here are some tips on how to nurture and build a strong relationship with a teenager.
- Spend enough time with your child and get to know them for who they are and who they are becoming.
- Set a good example for them about honesty, trust, and respect. Teach them about the importance of these key values by walking your talk.
- Establish strict boundaries in the house. In as much as you are raising young adults, teach them to respect you as the parent and the authority figure in the house.
- Show them how much you care about their safety and well-being. Show concern for them and support them in every way possible.
- Respect their decisions, right to privacy and choices. Do not be too intrusive, trying to figure out what they are up to. If they trust you, they will tell you.
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Summary
Using apps for tracking your teen is not the ultimate solution to stopping them from making stupid life decisions. Understanding them and building a relationship based on trust is the best way to keep them safe.
You don’t have to rule with an iron fist. It will not work for adolescents. This stage requires love, trust, and understanding. When a teenager tells you that they are out to get help on a history or math homework, sometimes it’s nothing but the truth.
Tracking them is a bad idea. Only do so if they are repetitive offenders who cannot be trusted.
