A recent article in the Baltimore Sun discusses the use of GPS technology to allow parents to track the whereabouts of their children. The reporter engaged the issue by interviewing a mother who bought her 7-year-old daughter a cell phone equipped with a GPS tracking device after the girl was put on the wrong school bus by a substitute teacher.

The girl was dropped off at home instead of an after-school program and sat crying on the front porch until a neighbor called her mother and alerted her to the situation. Although no harm came to the child, the mishap brings the following issue into focus: Should parents be tracking their children using GPS technology?

According to the article, GPS tracking devices can now be embedded in watches and even in the heels of sneakers. Parents who feel a need to know where their children are at all times can keep track of them in real time if they want to invest in the technology.

How does this affect school bus operators? It could have a positive impact. If a GPS-enabled child (hate to phrase it that way) happens to be left on a school bus and no one knows his or her whereabouts, a parent could quickly find his or her location. Or, if a child gets on the wrong bus, or is dropped off at the wrong stop or, worse, abducted by a stranger while waiting for the bus, a parent could use GPS to track him or her down.

In addition, if the bus is hijacked, law enforcement officials could use the child’s GPS coordinates to track the vehicle. Of course, some school buses are already equipped with GPS tracking devices and more will be in the future, especially as prices come down for the hardware, software and wireless communication fees.

One of the parents quoted in the story describes GPS tracking of children as “another parenting tool.” I’m torn, though. Do I need to know where my children are at all times? Would I be a “bad parent” if I didn’t invest in this technology and weave an even more protective cocoon around my children?

I don’t want my children to feel like their parents are constantly worried about them or that they need to be afraid of the world. Yes, the dangers today are real and constant, but I wonder if we don’t do more damage than good by pressing our fears onto our children.

Let me know what you think.

Until next time.

Steve