We use Waze quite regularly, but also the Share my Ride feature on occasion. I share with H so if he wants an update he can just click and see how close I am rather than call or text me when I’m driving. I sometimes share with my D so she knows how much more time she has to pick up her apartment before I ring the bell!
I also use Waze. I use it continuously whenever I drive. It has made my GPS obsolete. I don’t use the GPS at all any more. Just Waze. Your D should use it for navigation, traffic and hazzard reporting if she is not already familiar with it. I also didn’t know you could “invite” someone to track you with it, but ask your D if she doesn’t mind doing that. I use flight tracker to check the progress of incoming flights so why not a car? If it gives you a little peace of mind and your D doesn’t mind, why the heck not? (Ignore the haters). (But only use it if it prevents you from calling her every 5 minutes, and if she stops somewhere for more than 15 minutes don’t call her and ask her what she is doing!!!)
I’m not a hater. I’m a mom who worries about my children a lot. But not tracking them when they drove helped prepare me for things like often not knowing where D1 was when she traveled around the world by herself the fall after she graduated from college.
DH likes Waze too, though sometimes it has taken us on some pretty wild routes. It has rerouted us past some accidents in a good way from time to time. I hadn’t thought of using it as a tracker but it should work. That said what we do, is call just before we leave and then usually when we are about an hour away.
Im 17 and my friend and I have done multiple 3 hour drives to college visits even without our parents needing to check in all day. This is serious helicopter parenting.
iPhone also has “Find My Friends” which allows you to give permission to others to track you and is probably a more appropriate option. To use “Find My iPhone”, you’d have to have her iCloud password to track HER iphone, but to use “Find My Friends” she would be giving you permission to track her (without giving you access to her iCloud account).
My kids would probably never talk to me again if I tried to track them, for a three hour drive or for anything more extensive.
This is taking it too far.
What would you do differently knowing DC’s travel position updated real-time by satellite vs hourly by txt msg?
Does the commute home require off-road travel across uninhabited desert, like in the movie '127 Hours"?
I think the question about what you would do differently is good.
Also, what are the odds that if something did happen, the tracking would help? It seems that car trouble or an accident are the most likely problems. tracking the kid’s phone isn’t going to prevent those things. And unless it’s a very desolate area, it’s highly unlikely there would be a need to track them even if something happened.
Re: what would you do differently…
- They're still an hour away. I have time to run to the store / take a shower / take a nap before they get here.
- They're almost at the gate. Time for me to call the gate house to let them in.
- Yikes! Traffic is horrible. The rest of the family should eat now and we can warm up leftovers when they get here. (As opposed to holding dinner for 10 more minutes.)
- Oh, good. They're still on the freeway. I'll call and ask them to pick up a gallon of milk when they pass the corner store.
Sometimes it’s about convenience, not helicoptering.
I love Waze and I do use the feature where you notify someone you are leaving and they give you a link where the person can see your route and where you are. It seemed better than my previous ‘en route’ text. But now this thread has creeped me out so bad I will prob not use that Waze feature again and I would freak out if my parent wanted to track me, then and now!
Everything in #29 could be accomplished by asking them to let you know when they leave, if they are delayed, when they are close. All of which are especially easy with a second person on the car.
A lot of airline websites show the real-time position of the airplane on a map, when I look up the arrival time of that flight.
While the map looks pretty, there’s really zero I can do w seeing the real-time position.
Re #31: true enough
But often there isn’t a 2nd person in the car, and the tracker prevents the need for a phone convo or text while driving.
I guess for those of us with a techy / programmer-type mindset, the tracker is just more efficient. Plus I personally don’t care for talking on the phone while I’m driving, even hands free.
“Hmm, I wonder if I have enough time to go to the store before hubs gets here? poke phone Yep!”
Five seconds, tops.
Between those two options? I’m guessing nothing. I assume the OP would be happy with either but is trying to find a way to avoid distracting her D. Maybe the D would rather be tracked than have to remember to keep checking in or maybe the D is happy to check in–each person is different. OP is just asking about options.
What do you need to know that can’t be learned from a quick phone call from your daughter (before they leave) and from the friend (when they get close to your home)? I don’t know why you’d want to teach her that it’s okay for people to track her whereabouts because they “worry.” I wouldn’t do anything you wouldn’t want a future boyfriend or spouse to do.
If it’s about modeling boundary maintenance in relationships, then I’d have the conversation.
“D, what would you think about using a tracker app during your drive home?”
D then gets to express her feelings on the matter and engage in healthy communication regarding her own boundaries and comfort level.
Her reaction could range from “Eww, no. I don’t like that idea. I’ll just call you when we leave,” to “Sure, Mom, but just for the drive. I’ll delete the app after that.”
Either way, what’s been taught is that people communicate openly and negotiate about these things. Anyone who doesn’t, someone who pressures, intimidates or acts without consent - that’s what to watch out for.
OP says her daughter is traveling w a friend.
Many times while I’m driving w kid in car, I’ll say to kid: can u send a txt msg for me while I’m driving…? I have found it to be fairly low braincell intensive.
I’m, a programmer type and I wouldn’t put a tracker on my kid for a 3 hour drive.
I think there’s a lesson to be learned for the patents in these situations too. This is a time when we need to learn to let go. It seems to me that tracking your kid, particularly when you have t been doing it before, and In a situation where it won’t actually affect safety/outcomes, is going in the wrong directiion.
Focus on getting the house ready and they’ll be there before you know it! Relax!