Tori Spelling Sounds Off about Parenting

I thought that once we were out of the baby stage, parenting would be a breeze.  Tori Spelling

I think that if new or potential parents thought differently than this, they may choice not to take on the greatest and most rewarding job in the world.  Parenting is not easy, and if anyone tells you differently they are not doing it right or lying, but there is nothing more rewarding.

Adult Children Need Parenting Too!

That's right I said it.  Adult children need parenting too.  Whether it is parenting about relationship, money or one of a dozen other topics, they still occassionally need parenting.  It isn't the parenting that changes when your children become adults, it is the delivery of the parenting.  Things that need to change:  tone of voice, relying on natural consequences to steer adult children and your reaction when they don't take your advice.   It needs to take on the appearance of advice giving.  Be there when they ask for advice and occasionally when they don't.  Fight the urge to intervene all the time because they will just ignore your advice all the time if you do that.  Save your parenting for those times that they really need it.

Parenting doesn't stop once your child reaches adulthood, it just changes and your role in parenting needs to change to keep up.

Children Being Forgotten in Hot Cars

All to often we hear stories on the news of children being forgotten in the back seat of a car.  Thirty-three children (mostly babies) died last year, a low number when you consider that the yearly average is thirty-eight.  Hearing these tragic stories we all think how could a parent forget their child.  Sleep deprivation and routine change, which we all know is part of a new parent's life, are the usual culprits.  There are a few steps that you can take to make sure this doesn't happen to you.  I know what your thinking "it could never happen to my child".  I am sure that that is what those other parents thought right up until the time it happened to them.  Isn't it better to be safe than sorry.

1) Don't ever leave your child in the car.  Quick errands sometimes turn into extended errands.

2) Keep items that you need to take with you in the back seat beside the car seat instead of in the front seat.

3) Keep a stuffed animal in the carseat when it isn't in use.  Place the large stuffed animal in the front seat when baby is in car seat.  Hard to ignore a large stuffed animal.

4) Use a child alert system that work like the key alarm.  ChildMinder Smart Clip System and the ChildMinder Smart Pad System, Cars-N-Kids Car Seat Monitor to name a few.  Note they only work if you use them.

5) If your child has a daycare or babysitter, ask them to notify you if your child doesn't show up.

6) Use the drive-thru services when ever possible.  If you don't get out of the car there is no risk of forgetting your child in a hot car,

7) Keep car locked at all times when not in use, to avoid having a child wandering into the car to play.

8) Of course!  There is a new app for this.

9) Let any caregiver who is going to be transporting your child know about these tips.

Immitation: Is It Cute for Your Child to Immitate Your Behavior

When I was a child, it was candy cigarettes and shirley temples during cocktail hour at my parent's house, now children are partaking in Babyccinos and virgin margaritas in an attempt to immitate their parent's behavior.  Is this good parenting? 

Some professionals believe that engaging in these "harmless" behaviors as a child encourages them to engage in the behaviors as an adult to excess.  Other professionals feel that by engaging in these "virgin" behaviors takes away the novelty that such behaviors present to a child and therefore lessens the draw towards the activity later in life.  I think that it depends on your child, and that all children will not react the same way.  You know your child best, trust your feeling with regard to these mock behaviors and your child.

There is no one size fits all when it comes to parenting and children.

Glamourous at the Risk of Your Unborn Baby

Some studies suggest that there is a link to birth defects among babies and mothers who have used nail polish, nail polish remover, hair dyes, hair sprays, lipstick and other cosmetics.   Is there really a risk?  The medical profession seems unsure.  Is it worth the risk? 

Reading the label on the package for hidden ingredients that have been found harmful and avoiding the use of the products that contain these ingredients seems to be a logical step.  Some ingredients that you should be avoiding contact with during pregnancy:  nail polishes or removers containing methyl methacrylate and acetonitrile; lipsticks containing lead (this is true for anyone wearing lipstick because as we lick our lips we ingest the leaded lipstick); and makeup containing phthalates and parabens. 

Consider waiting until after the first trimester to dye your hair and when dying your hair try using vegetable dyes like henna instead of those with synethetic chemical compounds.  Check the label on those all natural products because they sometimes use synthetic chemicals as well.  Be sure you really know what you are using.

When using any of these products be sure to do so in a well ventilated area, don't blow your nails dry as you will ingest some of the fumes, and try not to lick your lips.  These simple steps will reduce the risk to your baby but sometimes habits are difficult to break. 

My personal recommendation is to limit the use of all these products as much as possible and read the labels before using anything, but use them when you begin feeling bad about the way you are looking during pregnancy.  Feeling bad about yourself is not good for the health of the baby growing inside you either.

Hiccup Remedy Update

I had a serious case of the hiccups yesterday which afforded me the opportunity to try out some of the "proven" remedies that I posted last week from the New England Journal of Medicine.  Tickling the roof of my mouth where the hard palate meets the soft palate  didn't work.   Placing my finger in my ear didn't work.  Since I was out and about when the hiccups struck, I didn't have a teaspoon of sugar with me in order to try the third method.  I think I will start carrying a packet of sugar with me just in case. 

Please post any treatments that you have had success with, since my hiccups lasted over twenty minutes this time I am desperate to find an effective remedy.  Hiccups can be so annoying!

In the Good Old Summertime: To Benedryl or Not To Benedryl

As many parents take to the roads for vacation this summer, they are giving their children a dose of Benedryl (or a similiar drug) in order to make the trip more bearable for all family members.  Is this a safe practice?

Some things to consider when making your decision:  some children get wired or hyperactive instead of sleepy when taking such drug and with all drugs there are some side effects associated with the use of this medication.  This medication has been widely used on children for many years so the side effects are probably minimal.

If you decide that the benefits of using this medication exceed any risk, a few things that you should do well in advance of your trip: 1) check with your child's doctor as to whether this medication is safe for your child specificly.  Some children are at greater risk taking any medication do to their personal health issues,  2) Check with your child's doctor about dosage and frequency of dosage for your child.  3) Test this medication on your child prior to your trip.  You may find that your child is one of those who becomes hyper when taking this drug,  As a mother whose daughter bounces off the wall when taking this drug, I can tell you this reaction during a long drive is not pretty.

Is Building Your Child Up Just Setting Them Up for a Fall Down the Road?

When we build our children up unrealisticly just to enhance their self-esteem, are we setting them up for a fall down the road?  Yes, yes, and yes.  Think about what happens to their self-esteem when other people hit them with the reality of their ability later in life. It isn't pretty.

Absolutely necessary to build your children up, just make sure that you are being honest when  complimenting them. 

Is "Brave" a Movie for Healing a Mother/Daughter Relationship?

Disney's new movie "Brave" (although I have yet to see it) has a few qualities about it that I think make it the perfect movie for mothers to see with their daughters.  Mother/Daughter relationships may seem strained at times or maybe all the time in your mind.  "Brave" is a story that for one thing explores this sometimes troubled relationship between Merida and her mother the queen.

If you need a second reason to take your daughter to this movie, it is the story of a girl hero.  How many movies portray the girl in the role of hero.  Not many that I can think of.  I think that's what makes this a good movie to see with your daughter no matter how old she is.  I am picking up the phone right now and setting a date to see it with my own twenty-something daughter.

Some Proven Cures for the Hiccups

I suffer from some pretty intense, loud and long lasting hiccups so when I came across this information I thought that I would pass it on to others who are also afflicted. 

The New England Journal of Medicine reports these as proven remedies for hiccups:   eating a teaspoon of sugar, tickling the roof of your mouth where the hard palate meets the soft palate with a Q-tip, or placing your finger in your ear.  I haven't had the opportunity to try them yet.  I will let you know if they work for me.  Let me know if they work for you.

Is Bariatric Surgery Right for Your Overweight Teen?

Is bariatric surgery right for your overweight teen? My initial answer was absolutely not but after researching the data available on this issue I can see that in some situations this drastic surgery may be a viable option for a morbidly obese teen or tween's health. But I urge parents to exhaust all possibilities before considering this life changing and dangerous surgery for your child. Research all the information available, consider that there have not been any studies done to date on the long-term effects that this surgery may have on children and then make an informed decision. This is not an easy solution to an obesity problem, it is one that will have life altering consequences.

The information that changed my "absolute no" to a "sometimes" involved data from the research collected by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. They have been following nearly five hundred teens who have received either gastric bypass or gastric band surgery for a year. These teens were at risk or were already developing medical issues associated with obesity: high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. They were at risk of dying. Researchers found that a year after surgery, these teens had lost on average 50 pounds and their health had improved greatly. It should be noted that one of the teens did die six months after surgery. Many researchers are concerned that this procedure disrupts the absorption of nutrients which will effect the growth of these children. Since these studies did not look at long term effects, this suspected side effect has yet to be researched. A case may be made for waiting until your child has stopped growing if that doesn't somehow put them at greater risk of stroke, heart attack or diabetes.

This choice will require your child to make difficult diet and life style changes after the surgery. A component of getting this surgery requires that the patient meets with a counselor and a nutritionist.

The question that continued to jump to my mind was "why gastric bypass instead of gastric band for teens when the gastric band is reversible?" I couldn't find an answer to that question.

Good Old Summertime: Teen Girls and Make Up Counters

What teenage girl isn't cruising the mall during the summer time sampling all the latest cosmetic choices?  The problem is that these cosmetic samples have been found to contain bacteria, yeast and fecal matter when independently tested.  The results were the same whether the cosmetics came from an upscale store or a drug store.  Interestingly, eye shadow and foundation were found to be the worst offenders.

Share this information with you teenage girls.  Let them know how to keep themselves safe, well safer anyway, at the cosmetic counter.  Here are a few suggestions:  use disposable applicators, test lipstick and shadows on your hand and foundations on your neck, and be sure to keep all of these sample products far from your eyes, lips and cuts.

Friends...Real or Fake?

How many times in your life have you been stabbed in the back by someone who you thought was your friend?  It's definitely happened to me more than once.  How can we protect our children from experiencing this upsetting event in their life?  Help them to identify qualities of a good friend which should include things like loyalty, fun, caring, nice, kind, and having some similar interests. Be sure to warn them off of fast friends because they usually are only looking to be friends with them just to get something they want from your child and once they have what they wanted in the relationship they usually hit the road.

I would much rather my child have one or two close friends that they can count on then hundreds of friends who will be long gone when troubled times come. This is an important point to make with your teen because they are in the stage of life when peers mean everything to them

Some of My Favorite Father's Day Quotes

It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping.    John Sinor


By the time a man realize that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong.   Charles Wadsworth


Lately all my friends are worried that they're turning into their fathers.  I'm worried that I'm not. Dave Sevin


He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland


My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys." ~Harmon Killebrew


When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Author unknown


Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes. ~Gloria Naylor (I include this one for my 28 year old daughter who calls her "daddy" when she is having a problem)

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!    Author Unknown


I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter
(I include this one because MASH is one of my husband's favorite show)

Paying $1000 to Give Groupon the Honor of Naming Your Baby Clembough

Groupon has made an offer I hope we all can let pass us by.  For the low cost of $1000 dollars they will name your baby for you.  Your child's name will be "Clembough".  The official wording of this Groupon opportunity can be found below.  I seriously hope that this was Groupon's way of  making fun of what people are willing to spend money on in order to get in on a deal.  

$1,000 for Groupon to Name Your Baby ($1,000 Value)

All too often, the importance of a child's name takes a backseat to other "needs" such as food, shelter, and clothing. Groupon, the World's Foremost Authority in Baby Naming™, has stepped up to address this issue. Upon your child's birth, Groupon will relieve you of the burden of naming your baby by bestowing a specially selected, custom first name upon your infant son or daughter. Purchasers will e-mail Groupon with their voucher number, and we will e-mail you back with a name for your child based on the name's aesthetic value and for how it might look emblazoned on a trophy one day—for a child named by Groupon will grow tall and proud, and he or she will be a beacon of hope in a world that is in such desperate need of one. Don't settle for non-Groupon-approved names such as Kevin or Bridget—let us gift your sweet child with a moniker for the ages.

The Fine Print

• Expires Dec 10, 2012
• Limit one per parent, unless you have twins, triplets or quadruplets, in which case you can buy one per child. Groupon, the official World's Foremost Authority in Baby Naming™ , will name your child or children "Clembough". No substitutes or modifications. Spelling non-negotiable. Any attempt to name your child "Clembough" independent of this exclusive Groupon will be recognized by the world as a cheap imitation. If you fail to contact Groupon on or before the expiration date to have your progeny anointed Clembough, we will reject you and refund every penny of the purchase price.

How to Teaching a Baseball Fan to Change his Baby's Diaper

Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitcher's mound. Put first base and third together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again.    Jimmy Piersal, on how to diaper a baby, 1968


Hope this helps with some of you who have a parenting partner who claims that he can't change a diaper even if his life depended upon doing just that. 

When We Say "Happy Father's Day" We Really Mean It

When you tell your Father to have a Happy Father's Day this year, you can be assured that he will.  Three recent independent studies found that married Fathers over the age of 26 are found to be much happier than their childless counterparts.  Good news for all those Fathers out there.

The news for Mothers is not as good.  They report being neck in neck with their childless counterparts on the happiness scale.  This difference in contentment with parenting may be due more to an imbalance in responsibility for home and children when it comes to mothers and fathers .  The lion's share of the work often times falls to the mother, whereas the lion's share of the play usually lands on the dad.  Who wouldn't be happier playing over doing the chores.

My recommendation for fathers everywhere is to take this weekend off and enjoy a wonderful Father's day and then first thing Monday morning begin taking on some of your wife's chores.  The reality is that a less stressed woman makes for a happier mom and wife, which makes for a happier relationship for you.

"I Got Caught" Helmet Safety Program

I have posted my feelings prior to this about the power of positive reinforcement with regard to shaping your child's behavior and it appears that many police departments are jumping on this bandwagon when it comes to getting children to wear bike helmets.  Many police departments around the world are providing children with certificates for treats from some of their favorite places if they are caught wearing their bike helmets while riding.  Dairy Queen, McDonald's,Cold Stone and Chic-fil-A to name a few. 

Having worked at schools where on occasion the resource officer could be found handing out citations for not wearing a helmet, I don't think that it had an effect on whether children wore their helmets or not.  It could have been ineffective because it happened only once or twice a year or because getting a piece of paper was not enough of a deterent for most of the children.  What I do know is that after a few days, the children at my school reverted back to their old habit of not wearing a helmet.

I couldn't find any statistics about how these positive reinforcement programs are working, but I just have to think that they are having an effect.  What child wouldn't wear a helmet if they had the possibility of getting an ice cream cone out of it.

I really hope these programs are working because during the summer months bike crashes are the leading cause of emergency room visits among children.  Having flipped over my own handlebars and landed on my head a few years ago, I will tell you that I was sure glad that I had a helmet on.  Other then a few cuts and scraps, I was able to brush myself off and get right back up on my bike.  This is something I don't think would have been possible without the helmet.

Note: that if you have been in a crash with your helmet on, it is probably time for a new helmet.  It was probably damaged in the crash and has out grown it's usefulness.

In the Good Old Summertime: Keeping Your Child Safe in (and Around) the Pool

I would like to say that the news story out of Georgia this weekend, where to five year old girls drowned in a pool as their caregiver was talking on the phone, is out of the ordinary but it is much more common place than we would like to think. No matter where the pool is located there are some simple (and a few not so simple) steps that you can take to keep your children safe.

It is important to remember that although most drowning occur in residential swimming pools, a child can drown in as little as an inch of water.  This may include a toilets, wading or inflatable baby pools, bath tubs, ice chests, fountains, ponds or buckets for younger children because once they fall over into them they do not have the upper body strength to pull themselves out.  Most drowning involving infants under the age of one occur in the bathtub.   Older children may not be at risk of drowning in these situations, but open water such as rivers, lakes and oceans do pose a drowning threat for them as well.  Therefore, it is important to be observant of what your child is doing when they are around water even if they are not swimming.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to take the following preventive steps to protect their children from drowning:

• Never leave your child unsupervised near water at or in the home, or around any body of water, including a swimming pool.
• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and infant and child first-aid.
• Do not rely on personal flotation devices (PFDs) or swimming lessons to protect your child.  Note that water wings, rafts and toys were not made to prevent drowning.
• Install childproof fencing around swimming pools.  Consider locking all doors that access pool.  Make sure that those locks are out of your children’s reach.  Small hands can be quite resourceful when they are on a mission.
• Make sure you have rescue equipment or an approved floatation device, a telephone, and emergency phone numbers near the swimming pool at all times.
• Insist that your child wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device on boats at all times.  The best way to get older children to wear them is to wear them yourself.  Think safety first, fashion second.
• Do not allow children to dive in waters less than 9 feet deep.  Many children sustain permanent neck injuries diving into water that is too shallow.  Check the depth of the lake or pool prior to allowing diving.
• Take any pool cover completely off before allowing your child to swim.  This is one that I have personally been guilty of.
•  Young children should not use hot tubs as they can easily get overheated.

Self-Esteem and Our Children...a Quote and Comment

"Parents need to fill a child's bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can't poke enough holes to drain it dry."-Alvin Price

Although I believe this quote to be very true, I think it is also important that the praise that you give your children be about real accomplishments.  If you are constantly praising your children about things that don't mean anything, your praise loses value. 

Remember, some failure is good for children.  After all important lessons can be learned through failure.

In the Good Old Summertime: Water Wings

Parents relying on water wings to keep their child safe in the wateriggest parenting pet peeves.  How many times have you been on one of those inflateable rings, when they deflated themselves?  Water wings are no different.  To me using water wings as the only means of keeping your child afloat is a disaster just waiting to happen.

Some More Funny Parenting Quotes

Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected. ~Red Buttons

Setting a good example for your children takes all the fun out of middle age. ~William Feather, The Business of Life, 1949

Give a Cheer, Good Sportsmanship Is Not Dead

Good to know that good Sportsmanship is not dead in our children.  A girl proved this statement true during a championship track meet in Ohio recently.  Megan Vogel may have finished last in the race but finished first in the hearts of everyone who was there, or has since viewed her video on YouTube.   She taught us all a valuable lesson when she stopped to help an injured opponent, Arden McMath, cross the finish line.  Maybe if we all followed Megan’s example and helped our fellow man or woman in this case, this world really would be a better place.

Was her coach angry about her actions during the race?  I am happy to report that her coach, who also happens to be her mother, was very proud of her runner’s/daughter’s actions.  In a time when one can see videos all over the internet of coaches behaving badly, it’s nice to see a coach supporting good sportsmanship. 

Hats off to both of you.

Improperly Stored Vaccines and the Health of our Children

Center for Disease Control recently reported that many vaccines are improperly stored: 75% of locations monitored had vaccines stored improperly and 25% had expired vaccines.  Very important to note that this study only checked 45 locations, and expired or improperly stored vaccines will not harm a child directly but may leave child defenseless from the deadly diseases that vaccines are suppose to be protecting them from.  The CDC says these problems with vaccines are not causing outbreaks of these deadly diseases; however they are investigating whether a recent outbreak of Whooping Cough in Washington State was caused by this problem.

Since this inquiry was so small, more than likely nothing will be done to rectify this problem until long after your child’s next round of vaccines.  Currently, the CDC is recommending that all doctor’s offices check how they are storing and handling these vaccines.  Self monitoring, great!  That is always so effective (Sarcasm)!

Despite these findings, I hope that this will not deter people who are not opposed to vaccinating their children from having them vaccinated on the recommended schedule. What you can do to insure your child is receiving a proper dose is to ask your doctor’s office about their storage procedures for vaccines and check the expiration date on the vial yourself.  This may just raise your doctor’s awareness about this troubling topic.  I believe that parents will be the key to eliminating this troubling problem.

In the Good Old Summertime: Road Trip

Summer is the time when many families venture out from their home on the ever popular vacation.  If you are planning amily vacation far from home with children, preparation is key to having a great time.  First, pack light.  You don't want to spend half your vacation lugging suitcases to and fro.  Even teenage girls can pack light if they know that they will be carting their own luggage around.  Check to see if the place you are going has washing machines just in case the need arises. 

Second thing to consider is planning age appropriate activities for each child during the trip.  Whether you are going by plane, train or automobile, the children will have down time.  Better that they have something to do rather than annoy you.

Third suggestion is to pack snacks.  I have learned from experience that this is best down by setting out a variety of food and drink options that I don't mind having in my car and letting them pick what they want.  I keep the snacks separate in baggies with each child's name on it to prevent arguements down the road.  Operative words in this sentence are "I keep".  I hold on to the snacks to prevent gorging early in the trip and starving at the end.

Hope these few tips help make your next family vacation a little more restful for you.  Not very likely though.

In the Good Old Summertime: The Dreaded Camp Phone Call

So you have picked out the perfect camp for your child, dropped them off 30 minutes ago and you are on your way back home when you hear the dreaded ring tones that indicates your child is calling from camp.  You pick up and they begin pleading with you to come and get them.  What do you do now?

My recommendation is to calmly listen to their pleas and as long as there is no danger to them, fight the urge to turn the car around and pick them up.  I assure you that a little separation anxiety never killed anyone.  Each year on the first day of school this phenomenon occurs as well.   I have seen it hundreds of times in my career as a guidance counselor.  One thing is true in ninety-nine percent of child who experience this, the crying stops within about ten to twenty minutes and they begin enjoying themselves.

Reassure your child that everyone experiences some anxiety when doing something new.  Encourage them to hang in there and just wait it out.  They may have not only have an awesome experience but do a process.

In the Good Old Summertime: Picking the Right Camp for Your Child

There is no shortage of choices when it comes to sending your child to summer camp.  There are scout camps, music camps, sports camps, technology camps and church camps to name a few.  How do you narrow the choices down to the one that is right for your child and your family?

Start by deciding whether a day camp or an extended stay camp is right for your needs and the needs of your child.  Some things to consider when making this decision are the age of the child, whether the child has spent time away from you before, and the family's summer plans. 

Once this decision has been made start narrowing the choices by considering your child's interest, distance of the camp from home, and cost of the camp.  Much of this information can be obtained by visiting websites or asking other parents in your area who have children with similiar interest.  

Now that you have developed a short list of camps that meet the needs of your family, consider visiting these camps.  Remember that what appears great in pictures, may not be.  If this isn't possible, a phone call to the camp may assist in finding out valuable information as well.

In the Good Old Summer Time: Joy Riding and Your Teen

As the good old summertime approaches, teens will be spending more time on the roads without supervision.  Our teens being out their on the roads beyond parental control doing who knows what strikes fear in the hearts of parents everywhere.  In 2010, 3115 teens were killed in car crashes. Is more regulations on teen drivers the way to go or is it more parental supervision  that is needed? The age old question, is it the government's responsibility or the responsibility of the parent to monitor this activity?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released some startling projected statistics about teen drivers and changing the driving laws made specificly to govern them.  Their figures suggest that changing the driving age in all states from 16 to 17 would reduce car fatalities by 13%.  Statistics support that the longer teens wait to learn to drive the lower their crash rate.  In addition, these findings suggest that not allowing teens to drive at night or with other teens in the car would reduce deadly car crashes by 20%.  The Insurance Institue for Highway Safety supports tougher rules for first time drivers because it will allow these drivers to gain more experience while being supervised.

I remember when my first born got his driver's license, it sure was time saving for me to have the option of sending him to the store or out to pick up his sister.  I live in a state that allows a teen to get their permit at fifteen, but they must be sixteen and have had their permit for atleast six months prior to testing for their license.  We did not give our children a car, they each earned the money to buy their first car.  I think that this made them more cautious with their car because they were invested in it.  When they drove our vehicle, they told us where they were going and if they went somewhere else (got to love those systems that you can install that tells you where the car has been) without permission there was a consequence.    We took the keys away for a period of time.  Clipping their wings (or wheels) leaves a lasting impression.  A few words about those trackers and the right to privacy.  My children knew that the device had been installed.  I think installing this device without their knowledge and then using the information against them, will cause irreparable damage to the parent-child relationship so important to maintain when parenting of a teen.

Maybe the right answer to the question of who should be monitoring this activity to save the lifes of teens is both the governement and parents.