| What parent has had that moment of fright when | | | | GPS transmitter implanted in a child via an |
| the child who was just at your side is gone? | | | | injection or some other simple manner. |
| Usually the child has seen something of interest | | | | There are other concerns also. Are only children |
| and just gone to investigate, or has gotten | | | | with parents who can afford this technology are |
| separated in a crowd, such as being at a carnival, | | | | going to benefit. Is this going to increase the |
| and although it may only two seconds to locate | | | | number of lower class children, whose parents |
| your child, it feels like two years and when you | | | | can't afford this new technology, being abducted? |
| do find them your heart is racing, your hands are | | | | Will someone, such as a child molester or |
| shaking and you don't know whether to hug them | | | | kidnapper, find a way to use a child's transmitter |
| or scold them. | | | | signal to locate the child? Also how are our |
| The possibility of someone taking our child is a | | | | children to adjust to the fact that they are |
| real fear every parent carries with them. Just pick | | | | constantly being monitored? |
| up a newspaper or watch the evening news and | | | | How secure are our children going to feel knowing |
| reports of children being kidnapped or abducted | | | | that the world is so dangerous that their parents |
| are constant and the heartbreak of the parents is | | | | need to know where they are at all times? Are |
| just so overwhelming. Now what if there was a | | | | we stripping a part of their childhood away from |
| technology that could find that child instantly? | | | | them? Who doesn't remember, as a kid, going |
| GPS technology is now being used to help keep | | | | somewhere you knew your parents didn't want |
| track of children and allow parents to know | | | | you to go, but as children we are adventurers, |
| where their child is at all times. These devices are | | | | and if we got into trouble or got 'caught' being |
| usually small enough to fit anywhere-backpack, | | | | where we shouldn't be, we more than likely not |
| pants or coat pocket, etc. and lightweight enough | | | | only got punished but also learned a lesson. We |
| not to be burdensome. Some of these have | | | | grow and mature by making mistakes and |
| pre-programmable buttons so the child can keep | | | | learning from them, are we going to take part of |
| in touch with their parents or call for help if | | | | this education away from our children? At what |
| necessary. | | | | age do we stop? Do we continue to monitor |
| These devices range from tracking devices that | | | | them through their teen-age years? A time that |
| will beep until the child is found, to cell phones with | | | | can be the hardest time of any child's or parents |
| GPS technology installed, to watches that if | | | | life, it's a time where a teenager needs to mature |
| forcibly removed will automatically activate. There | | | | and a parent needs to learn to 'let go' and allow |
| are even backpacks available with GPS technology | | | | the child to learn on their own-mistakes and all. |
| installed. Some of these will activate if the child is | | | | Although this technology has some very great |
| too far away from the parent. And there is even | | | | qualities in the protection of our children, the |
| one that is implanted in a shoe. | | | | possibility of abusing this technology must also be |
| Of course the main problems with these are the | | | | addressed. We all want our children to be safe, |
| child is going to lose them, or if the child is | | | | yet at the same time they must be allowed to |
| abducted they can easily be disposed of. I can | | | | grow to become functional adults. |
| envision the day when it will be possible to have a | | | | |