Letting Children Roam and How to Protect Them When They Do

If you’re like me, you want your children to be able to go out into the world someday without you having to follow them everywhere. Back in the 70s, parents didn’t worry the way they do today about letting their children play out in the yard, at a neighbor’s house or in the street. That’s all changed … for the most part.

I know a few parents who have no qualms about letting their 10-year old roam the neighborhood. Their thoughts are, “We did. Why shouldn’t they?” And while I totally agree with their mindset, I just can’t seem to fall into step with that type of parenting. And here’s why?

Predators are everywhere. You know that. I know that. And they’ve always been there. But the thing is that today’s pedophile, rapist and murderer is, in a way, more sophisticated—at least in the way they go about doing what they do. To make matters worse, many of them have found support for their perversion online. Porn sites have revved their sexual motors. Illegal material—and even legal images—can often be found with disturbing comments. And these comments are followed by positive replies attached to them—each and every one more sickening than the last. There is so much of that type of behavior—and support for it—that it can make you scared to let your child or teen go anywhere. That’s why I’m not ready to let my 10-year old out of my sight.

The problem is, I can’t hold her back forever. Pretty soon she’s going to insist on going. Yes, I can say no, but if her friends are all hanging out, aren’t I just stalling the inevitable? So what can I do? What can you do?

Well, let’s say your child is now 12 or 13 and you’ve given them a smartphone—something completely normal in this day and age—the next best thing you can do is to install spy gadgets for cell phones. Why? Not only will a good cell phone surveillance app enable you to check your kid’s calls, texts and social media interactions—which is perfect for making sure they are not being preyed on online by pedofiles, pushers, and peer pressure—it will let you track them via GPS feature of spy gadgets cell phones software. A good app to spy for cell phone information will also allow you to listen in on their environment by turning their microphone on. You can also turn the camera on and snap a picture to view their surroundings.

I’m not telling you to spy on your children for the sake of spying, I’m telling you to do it in order to keep an eye on them when they are ready to head out on their own—which, like it or not, may be sooner than you think.