Originally Posted By goodgirl My tech word of the day is "Big Mother." This is a new one for me. I'm not a parent but find this interesting nonetheless. I'm curious to know what some of our parents on the boards use to monitor their children "electronically." Here's the definition: Big Mother Big Mother is the concept of pervasive parenting, in which parents use modern geolocation, wireless and video technologies to constantly track the activities of a child. The term is a play on the Orwellian construct of "Big Brother," in which government "Thought Police" monitor a population by using human agents armed with hidden cameras and microphones. The Big Mother phenomenon has seen a sharp spike in recent years as relatively inexpensive wireless digital cameras and GPS devices have become available to parents who are unable to monitor their children in person but are still concerned about their safety. Cell phones are a common way for parents to remain in contact with children throughout the day. Other technologies, like RFID tags, may be embedded in schoolbags or clothing to track the location of children within school or daycare grounds, a practice that has already been implemented in select institutions in California. Some schools provide parents with access to secure Web sites, where they can sign in and watch their child at school or play and keep tabs on what homework has been assigned. Parents can even use debit or charge cards as a relatively low tech tracking device to monitor their child's dietary choices in the school cafeteria or purchases at the local convenience store. In the neighborhood, parents can use security cameras to watch children interacting with other children, enabling correction of deviance from a desired parental norm by cell phone or push-to-talk (PTT) phone. School-age kids are not the only people Big Mother is watching. Anyone who interacts with children is fair game. School bus drivers, for example, can have their busses equipped with GPS-navigation systems to let the parent know where the bus is and how fast the bus is moving. In the home, parents may use stuffed animals or other toys to hide cameras to watch nannies or babysitters.
Originally Posted By LuLu I just recently saw these cell phones with tracking devices. It does seem a little too invasive. I much prefer my method - my daughter is so ingrained to tell me everywhere she's going. The last 2 nights, she even called to tell me when she was leaving school from the drama production, even tho I didn't ask her to! I understand that might not be possible to inculcate in some children, so these devices may be useful for some, but I'd hate to see them become pervasive.
Originally Posted By LuLu >>Some schools provide parents with access to secure Web sites, where they can sign in and watch their child at school or play<< I wonder what kind of generation we'll raise, when one never knows when someone is watching them. That seems very creepy. I like the fact that our school has the "parent portal" where you can check your child's assignments, but now I realize I've only used it a couple times. I guess I'm extremely lucky that my daughter is so responsible. I hate to think what happens to kids who only comply because they're being "watched" every minute, once they turn 18...
Originally Posted By PlainoLJoe As with anything I think it depends on the child. If they are not as trustworthy as you think they should be than maybe these devices are necessary or if you have a completely trustworthy child than maybe these devices are not needed. Me personally, would probably use the tracking device for the car. Plugs into the OBDII port and logs vehicle info as well as tracks their location. You can see if your kid is out tearing it up in your car or where they went if you think they didnt just go to the "library".
Originally Posted By SuzieQ I'm with you, LuLu. Gee, how did other generations ever grow up without bottled water, spongy playground surfaces and tracking devices?
Originally Posted By Mrs 2oon My kids have cell phones so that they can call and check in with me. They are mostly responsible with the occasional slip-up now and again. It's nice knowing that I can contact them whenever I need to.
Originally Posted By EdisYoda SuzieQ: Exactly... How do kids learn? By trial and error. If we don't let kids make mistakes, how do they learn to think for themselves. Sure, I would want to make sure my child was safe, but I grew up ok, getting scraped knees, going places I probably shouldn't have, etc. Are these tools really to keep children safe, or just to sooth a parents peace of mind? Now I must post a disclaminer... I am not a parent, so I can't say if I would have a different opinion if I did.
Originally Posted By t1lersm0m Wow, that's just scary (post 1). BTW, happy belated birthday goodgirl!
Originally Posted By mrichmondj My parents were purposefully non-overbearing in their parenting of my brother and me. We certainly got a lot of verbal guidance on the right and wrong way to do things, but when it came down to making decisions we were pretty much left to our own devices. I find it ironic that my brother and I turned out so much better than our friends with strict curfews and overly watchful parents.
Originally Posted By Ursula A lady here at work wants to have a lojack-type device for her kids. She figures that if it works for dogs and cars, her kids should have one too. Seriously, she asked me to search the internet to find the company that would do this for her, and yes, I mean implanting a chip into both of her children.
