We are all over the ‘quick fix’ in our society.  Our hectic schedules and lifestyles lead to a tendency to cut corners.  This includes the use of technology.  We feel good when we can hand a GPS enabled cell phone to our kids thinking ‘they will be alright.’

Technology never replaces being there in person and performing your responsibilities as a parent.  However, we continue to go down this road.  Here are some things that you must never relegate to technology:

Spending Time. If you miss this one, then you are in big trouble.  Spending time with your kids to help them understand that they are loved and are important to you is the one task that you absolutely cannot avoid.  Using cell phones to text or talk to your kids is a poor substitute for being with them.  They get most of their security in life from being with you.  Plus, you cannot pass along values and important character traits any other way besides being there with them.  You must schedule time to be with your children in order to make it happen.  Busy lifestyles crowd out the important.  Make dates to be with your kids and you can accomplish the above.

Knowing Facts. You know your kids better than anyone else.  You should also know what they are doing and are capable of doing.  Unsupervised children who are not properly instructed on rules to be followed create an environment for disaster.  If you have kids that you know are followers rather than leaders, then you need to place higher restrictions on them.  Monitor the friends they hang out with and help them make wise choices.

Here are things that GPS Tracking devices can help you with when it comes to watching your children:

Knowing Location. There are small, unobtrusive GPS Tracking devices that can be placed into a backpack, small stuffed toy or even clothing that will allow you to track their location.  Also, vehicles that are outfitted with GPS Tracking devices will give you the location of your car by looking it up on the Internet.

Watching Speed. When teens drive, they are at risk and their age group is the most vulnerable for accidents due to lack of experience behind the wheel and distractions that take their mind off of their driving.  Also, they often exhibit an attitude that says ‘I know what I’m doing’ and that doesn’t help.  Again, GPS Tracking can help you with this by setting rules and standards for your teen drivers and then letting them know that they are being ‘watched.’  It can make a huge difference in the way they drive.

Monitoring Routes. Teens that drive on their own to a destination that you know about is worrisome enough without knowing the route they take.  You can see where they are going and how they are getting there with GPS Tracking.  Part of keeping them safe comes in the form of directing them on the roads and streets they drive upon.

Monitoring your children is a full time job.  But don’t turn over your responsibility to an electronic device.  Perform your functions as a parent and get involved.  Then, use technology where it makes sense to help you further your efforts.  Good luck.

Read more about GPS Tracking Devices on my blog.

This is a statement of the benefits of GPS Tracking.  One of the best ways to look at this is to realize that there didn’t use to be anything like this in our society.  Talk about vulnerability!  And, with the complexity of today’s lifestyles and difficulty with economic times in which we live, it is hard to think about life without tracking devices.

Tracking Anywhere Anytime. From the 24 satellites that are in orbit around the earth, we can track almost anything anywhere it goes at anytime.  That is, unless it goes into an area that is impervious to satellite signals.  But, even that is not completely hopeless, because the tracking history on an item can help at least provide a location of its last known address.  That gives a starting point for authorities to begin a search.  Think about how this could have helped Amelia Earhart in her effort to circumnavigate the earth in her airplane.  She could have been located and rescued.

Vehicle Tracking. We spend a lot of time in our cars.  And, some tragic events have occurred in them that could have been mitigated with GPS Tracking.  Would the outcome of Chappaquiddick been any different if a GPS Tracking device had been onboard?  Is it possible that Mary Jo Kopechne would be alive today?  Pure speculation, but the use of GPS technology has already produced results that have save people’s lives.

If only, if only, if only…but who wants to live in the past?  Let’s use technology that is available to use to better our lives and communities.

Safety and Security. People who place themselves at risk should use GPS Tracking devices.  This includes those who are involved in simple things like cycling and running for exercise.  It can be a dangerous thing to run or bike on the streets and roads around the cities and towns in which they live.  So, why not include a tracking device to help in case something should happen?

This also goes for people who enjoy long treks in the wild or repelling down mountainous crags from dangerous heights.  Extreme sports activities carry their own risk for the participants.

Even those who are just taking a vacation with family and do not plan dangerous activities would benefit, too.  During the summer, some of the worst accidents occur and GPS Tracking can be there just in case.

The old cliché applies:  it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Read more about GPS Tracking Devices on my blog.