By: Jennifer Ziemba
As a parent of many teens and a pre-teen I have been known to very frequently track my children on their cell phones. I need that reassurance that yes, they are at school or they made it home safely. I especially need that reassurance of my college freshman making it safely to campus and home. I am the mom that cannot sleep until I know all of my babies are home and safe. Once all are safe I can close my eyes.
I will occasionally call them when they are not home or where they say they would be, but they really don’t go many places other than school and home. Who knew I was creating my own little stalkers. Who knew my children need to know where I am just as much as I need to know where they are.
It took me awhile to catch on that they were tracking me a whole lot more than I track them. Maybe because it is 4 to 1 and they are ALL tracking me? It didn’t even occur to me when my children would meet me in the garage that they had been tracking my location until I was home. They would jump out at me with big smiles and greetings and I just thought they heard the garage door open. Nope, they were like little FBI agents tracking my every move from the moment I got into my car until I turned the corner into our development.
I also found out my oldest set an alarm on her phone to alert her when I am close to home. I didn’t even know that was an option. These kids are so smart. Originally, she set it when I was bringing food home so she could be downstairs when it arrived. They have figured out how to manipulate the system. They know when I am at the store, at a restaurant, at work and even getting coffee. I had stopped into a grocery store just to grab a couple things and got a text from my oldest that just said “muffins” I was shocked but impressed all at the same time. I simply asked, “What kind?” How long had she been tracking me? Did she see I went to the bank before I went to the store? Did she see I got coffee? No, she would have asked for some.
I am just thankful my children care enough to track me just as much as if not more than I track them. If I am stuck in a ditch, I have the confidence that my children will see my dot hasn’t moved in a while and call for help. I know I am never alone as long as I have my cell phone on me. And the same for them. I want them to have that sense of connection. Sounds strange but my son enjoys watching my dot move closer and closer to him when I am on my way home from work. It is the times we live in. Immediate gratification of knowing where someone is at that exact moment; knowing in that moment you are safe.
I know they like to see where I am when I am on a trip. The last time I went to Las Vegas they seemed to know my every move before I did.
“Did you have fun at your favorite hotel?”
“What did you get to eat at Hard Rock?”
“You are back early, are you tired?”
All texts received by various children over my trip. I welcomed the questions and felt more connected even though we were hundreds of miles apart. They even tracked my trip to Hawaii over the summer. When I called them, they knew where I had been. We had some fabulous conversations all because they already known where I had been but not what I did.
Just like I need the reassurance that they are all safe and where they need to be, they need that reassurance too. They need the reassurance that I am at work, the store, coming home and there for them always. The smiles on their faces when I pull into the garage are worth every track and question. Knowing that the simple ability of being able to track me gives them comfort in return gives me comfort. They need me just as much as I need them. And if that means they track me then I accept that I am being tracked!
