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mafub · Apr 02, 2010 at 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAAAA

I absolutely remember what it is like to be a teenager. But, hindsight being 20 / 20 I also see the lack of ability to accurately see the consequences of your actions in that mindset; which is precisely why we have things like parents and laws. If parents are too foolish or negligent to care what their kids are doing we have laws to attempt to legislate safer behaviors.

I trust my kids absolutely. Just because their motives being out in the middle of the night might be innocent doesn’t mean everyone out there have the same motives. There are also other forces that teens don’t take into consideration. As a teenager I did not understand that some places are physically dangerous. You feel immortal, everything bad happens to other people. Climbing the same bluff you’ve climbed a million times takes on a new danger when it’s in the dark.

I grew up in a very strict, restrictive household. My husband grew up in a home where his parent had no clue where their children where, or what they were doing (nor did they seem to care). The ironic thing is he’s the one that would be perfectly content locking them in the house until they’re 30 because he carries the baggage of the mistakes he made without parental supervision. Because of the baggage I grew up with, being much oppressed and having a younger brother with more freedom than I had simply because of his gender, I’m more permissive. We balance each other out. Having said that, our main goal is to have them grow up as happy, healthy, well adjusted human beings I’m not going to allow them to do something unsafe just because they REALLY want to.

I do not think that some form of tracking device will “save” my child. I would be happy to be able to afford On Star for all of our vehicles. If there were some form of an accident they could deploy necessary services immediately. I also think that has this device been available when my older children were teens, they might have had more freedom. So perhaps I’ve changed my mind. I don’t know what I would have permitted with that false sense of security.

Very good comparison! I necked right out in front of our house, under the street lamp!

My mom would come out and get me, I think my dad would have followed if I didn't come in quickly! I didn't sneak around, I didn't know I could! But today is a different kind of day in this world.