Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

i am very shocked i have to say on the overwhelming responses of yes but i am so fascinated with everyone's answers. The thing is very rarely does a CF couple get asked "what would you do?" and even if the question is asked typically we all know what happens if we disagree and a parent asks the question. "you don't have kids" and your CF point is not valid, etc. That is why I asked as a CF person to a CF audience.

I still am against it and I highly doubt I will change my mind on this one (i have changed my thoughts on many things regarding parents/children since reading the parenting board.) I also feel that there are so may what if's in life that if you go around obsessing over trying to prepare for what ifs you do more harm then good. Safety gates around pools are a good what if to prepare but swimming lessons are a must as well but to build a massive cage around it and have it under lock down with motion lights and alarms is a bit excessive. I feel the GPS is a bit excessive.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

I honestly dont think I can implant a device in my child. I am scared of the health issues. To me, I really feel that it is unethical. It just creeps me out. I really dont see myself changing my mind.

I dont post here cause I am a childless family in transition and feel like I am in limbo

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

Posted by KLSbear

Posted by eddiesmommy

Posted by KLSbear

I probably would not do it on a regular basis, but perhaps under some circumstances, such as if the child had a tendancy to wander, or had learning disabilities or perhaps if we were traveling. A childs safety is paramount and if that's what it takes then it's worth considering.

I am amazed at the parents who thought it was OK to barge into the conversation despite the fact that you commented on how it was discussed extensively on the parenting board and you wanted the opinion of NON-PARENTS. One even went so far as to say it was her "right" to interject her say because the topic came from parenting. What part of NON-PARENTS don't they understand? You already had the parents point of view and specifically asked for a different point of view.

It was perfectly civil???? No one came down on anyone, why try to start drama where there is none? Why can we not speak to one another?

Yes, it's perfectly civil, but she asked for the opinions of non-parents - NOT a reiteration of what had already been discussed on the parenting board with lots of statistics about missing and expolited children, etc. She already knew how parents of children felt. She wanted the opinions of non-parents as to how they felt about the possiblitly of doing it. This was NOT the place for the parents to push there opinion again, that had already been done on parenting and if she wanted that opinion she could head over there to read those posts. Exlcuding the comments from the OP, half the posts were ignoring her request for responses from those without children.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

Well, we're currently childless, but I'm pregnant. I guess I can still post here without technically invading.

I couldn't imagine putting a GPS on my child. I kind of get the argument for it, and my opinion might change when Baby M arrives. But for now it seems a little excessive.

There's no replacement for teaching your kid street smarts an common sense. My parents drilled that into my head. I was taught to scream "FIRE!" if a stranger tried to grab me. (Not that I was ever allowed out by myself. I was driven everywhere by my mom or another parent, or I didn't go). I memorized my address, so if I was lost, I could go to a policeman and be brought home. I wasn't microchipped as a teen. If I wasn't where I said I was going to be, I got into trouble. I learned that there were consequences if I lied. And I learned to make good decisions by making some mistakes first. A parent-controlled GPS might've prevented that.

Message edited 6/17/2010 10:08:32 AM.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

Message edited 6/17/2010 12:04:38 PM.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

Message edited 9/17/2013 2:14:18 PM.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

I do not have children but I would definitely be open to the idea. I would GPS my dog in a heart beat. I wish his microchip could double as a GPS tracking device.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

Posted by KLSbear

I probably would not do it on a regular basis, but perhaps under some circumstances, such as if the child had a tendancy to wander, or had learning disabilities or perhaps if we were traveling. A childs safety is paramount and if that's what it takes then it's worth considering.

I am amazed at the parents who thought it was OK to barge into the conversation despite the fact that you commented on how it was discussed extensively on the parenting board and you wanted the opinion of NON-PARENTS. One even went so far as to say it was her "right" to interject her say because the topic came from parenting. What part of NON-PARENTS don't they understand? You already had the parents point of view and specifically asked for a different point of view.

Message edited 6/17/2010 3:25:21 PM.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

The only situation where I would see myself considering something like this is if I was involved in some sort of ugly custody battle. The majority of child abductions are by people known to the child/family members in these type of situations.
Here are all my reasons why I would say "no" and why I think it's a bad idea:
1. Anytime people have a false sense of security they tend to let their guard down...this device might trigger that in someone responsible for the care/safety of my make-believe child.
2. There are a lot more potential threats to childrens' healthy, safety and well being...I believe (someone correct me if I am wrong) that "accidents" while under someone's "supervision" are the #1 cause of injury/death in children.
3. This is my "you think too much reason". Suppose that a person that works for the company that oversees these devices in a pedophile. They could put search "criteria" and activate these devices in a radius and locate children that they could stalk or worse. It's unfortuante but with all technology and advances, someone is always going to look to mis-use it and do more harm than good.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

I'm a parent about to be a parent of two and I'm not sure I could ever do this. I have two dogs one is chipped because I got her that way from the previous owner the other is not. I personally was too concerned about the possible long term health effects. The technology is too new for me to know what long term affects there are. That being said I think there are many circumstances where this is a great tool. Such as a child with learning diabilities or autism that wanders.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

I am not a parent and am on the fence...sometimes I am like H-E-L-L yes and other times I am like "NO WAY!!" I think I would actually consider this. I am a total worrier. To say that "our parents didn't have this and we are fine" is cop out kind of argument. I think had they had this technology they would have considered it. As generations grow and technology does the things that are available do as well...our parents didn't have computers and internet and spyware protectors and all that junk as well, and I can't remember what life was like without my iphone (nor do i want to ) This is the generation we live in. That being said...there will always be those people who will try and take advantage of the system...we have atms and credit cards and there are those that will try and steal your identity, because of that I wouldn't throw it all away and go back to a cash only society. As far as the trust repercussions that go with the Gps monitoring of a child, I would ONLY consider this is I could be guaranteed that it would only be used in emergency situations...such as kidnapping..there are so many what-if's about this but it is definitely something I would look into if I had children...whatever I can do to keep them safe, I would do it.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

Message edited 6/23/2010 12:19:07 PM.

Re: perhaps its because i am childless but...(GPS)

With regard to the microchipping pets argument... is that really even a comparable thing? Because my dogs are both microchipped, but it has nothing to do with GPS. If they ran away, the microchip doesn't have the capability to be "activated" and tell me where they are - all the microchip can do is give my contact information if they get picked up by a place (shelter, vet, etc.) that has a microchip reader device, so then the people there can call me and tell me "Hey, we have your dog."

So is there actually another type of pet microchip that involves GPS that I don't know about? I'd like to know if there is, because it might be worth the investment!

And to answer the original question, I can't say for sure yes or no, but I think I'd at least consider a GPS chip for a child. I'm wary of the ways it could be misused or cause health issues, but it'd also be one more tool to potentially keep them safe.... google "Amber DuBois" - horrible story. Her parents didn't know where she was for over a year before they found her body If she'd had a GPS chip, they could've potentially found her before it was too late, or at least saved themselves so many months of anguish and desperation without any answers.