I put a tracker on my teens' phones. It's for safety reasons more than lack of trust.

• I grew up in the '90s and didn't have a cellphone for my parents to track where I was.

• Now I'm the mom of two teenagers and I track their location on their phone.

• They both consented to this and it's more of a safety net than a lack of trust

My teen years were full of wild, off-grid adventures with my peers from morning to midnight. It was the 90s, and I didn't have a cellphone, so once I drove off, I was "out of sight, out of mind," and my mom got to be blissfully clueless about my shenanigans. All she could do was pray for my well-being and have faith that I was honest about where I was going.

Cut to today: I'm the mother of two teenagers, and our entire family is on a tracking app where we can view each other's location at all times. With one glance, I can see precisely where my teens are (or at least where their phones are), what speed they drove to get there, and what time they arrived at or left a destination.

Although I find this app somewhat quells the anxiety I feel as the parent of teens who are out testing their wings in the world, I also kind of feel bad that my kids aren't experiencing the same freedom and liberation I enjoyed throughout my youth. If my mom had a tracking app for me when I was growing up, I wouldn't have felt as carefree to venture through the world by my own design.

They consented to being tracked

This is a conflicting emotion that I have to navigate as a modern-day parent, but I think it all boils down to good, old-fashioned mutual trust with my family. The key to this dynamic working for us is that we all consent to being trackable — it's not just us watching our kids. They know where we are at all times and can open the app and view our locations, too.

When we first installed the app, I admit I checked it too frequently and would watch entire car journeys my teens took from point A to point B. Now, I check the app sporadically and mostly for logistical reasons, like to get their estimated drive times so I know when I should expect them home for dinner. I'll also get a text from my kids with a list of items they want when they see I've made a spontaneous stop at the store — it goes both ways.

It's not a lack of trust

We didn't install this tracking app on their phones as a punishment or due to a lack of trust; we share our locations for safety reasons and convenience. The benefits of using this app outweigh the cons because we use it to enhance a strong foundation of our family's open communication. We've never wanted our kids to feel like they had to lie about where they are, even if it's a house party we aren't keen on them attending. We'd at least like to know their location in the event of an emergency, and our kids are happy to have this safety net as well.

The independence I developed from age 16 didn't stem from not being watched via a tracking app. It was because I had faith in myself and a solid relationship with my mom, so I wanted to be honest with her. Although teens test the boundaries by their very nature, I want my kids to be mature and respectful enough to actually disclose where they say they're going and to trust us enough with the details of their lives. Their most important relationships in life will require honest communication, so why not lay the groundwork and set that standard now?

We've talked about tracking them once they turn 18

We've discussed sharing our locations indefinitely, even when my firstborn turns 18 and heads to college. She mentioned feeling comforted by the fact that someone would always know where she is in the world.

When I drove away from the house as a teen, sometimes my mom would wave to me from the end of the driveway until she couldn't see my car anymore. I watched her shrink into the distance behind me before totally disappearing from my rearview mirror as I turned the corner.

Once my kids are all grown up and have rounded the bend from my line of sight, I hope they'll want to continue sharing their journeys throughout life with me, whether that be via a tracking app or whatever way suits them best. I'll be honored and happy to go along for the ride.

Read the original article on Business Insider