As a brand new father, I'm sometimes amazed at the changes in my personal views about some things, like this article about parents putting devices into automobiles to monitor teen driving (the same monitoring devices trucking companies use to keep track of their drivers). When I was a young adult, or even a few years ago, I would have thought it was a ridiculous invasion of privacy, and that young drivers need to be given responsibility if they are to be expected to take responsibility for their actions. Part of me still believes that, but I definitely see the other point of view too.
I was saying to a friend over dinner the other day, that if I try to take the overwhelming love I feel for my daughter out of the equation, the feeling I'm left with is this weird sense of ownership. Not literally, but a kind of "I'm working so hard on making sure you're going to be the best person you can be, I'll be dammed if I let you you screw it up." She's not screwing anything up of course, she's seven months old, but the older she gets the easier I can imagine the moment when my idea of what she should be doing parting ways with her idea of what she should be doing. Would I put a computer chip into the car that I let her drive to monitor her driving? I'm not sure, but I'm sure she won't like it if I do - just like I wouldn't have liked it. Maybe the toughest part of being a parent isn't working so hard on making sure your kids are the best person they can be, but letting them make sure they are the best person they can be.
Jesus. When did I turn into such a dad?
Parents chip in to keep eye on teenage drivers [Fort Wayne Journal Gazette] (chosen because it doesn't require a freaking subscription to view the article.)