Despite previous accusations I’m not a helicopter parent.
Yes I take an active interest in what my two adult children are doing.
Yes I regularly ask my daughter where she is, but she does live with us and usually I’m either asking if she is joining us for dinner or if she’s seen a piece of clothing I can’t find…
But I don’t ask to track them.
Maybe it wasn’t a thing when they were in their early 20s but I was shocked when a young 21 year old told me recently that his mother insists he shares his location.
And then a fellow mother said she too insists her 19 year old share location. For peace of mind.
On my soapbox I got and declared that they were adults and shouldn’t have to share their location with anyone!
Flash forward to a couple of weeks ago. Hugo (27) left to travel from Perth to Cairns in his little hybrid Honda. He offered to share his location with his parents (and grandparents).
Did I say yes? Of course I did.
Did I stalk him as he traveled across the country? Of course I did.
Did it bring me peace of mind? Kind of. I must say there was a moment when I could see the car had been driven off the main highway and I conjured up a scenario where he was bogged, or maybe the car had been stolen and dumped. But I didn’t voice those concerns to anyone and was quietly relieved when the next time I checked he’d moved on. A mother thing?
Hugo arrived safely in Cairns and is due to start his Masters in
Tropical Biology and Conservation in the next week or so.
But I wonder, where do you draw the line at sharing YOUR location?