DeDivahDeals

Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Would You Chip Your Kid?

Hello Lisa”

Oh hey girl…what’s up?”

Did Natalie go to CLSC today?”

No, she didn’t have classes today…why…what’s up?”

Tayair…he left the house this morning at 7:00 am and it’s almost 10 pm. He’s not answering his phone or responding to his text messages. His father left to check the parking lot at his job….”

My mind was racing a mile per minute and the only thoughts in my head were negative which directed me to this question…

Would you chip your kid?

Granted, my son is no longer a kid, he’s 23 years old , but he’s also intellectually disabled, but even if he wasn’t – I still would have been beside myself the night he didn’t come home after being out all day without a call or response to a text message.

Thankfully, the story ended well but it started me wondering, would I have chipped him when he was a kid. I remember BC, before children, I often thought negatively of parents who put those backpack leashes onto their kids but once I had mine, it only took losing Malik for 3 minutes to understand why they did.  

backpack leash

One minute he was standing besides me and the next minute he was gone…he had followed a waitress into the kitchen as we were being walked to our table in a very large restaurant. Needless to say, I swallowed my heart that day as well.  I almost bought a backpack leash the first time we traveled to Disney World, but chose instead to keep him in an umbrella stroller.

When the boys entered high school and started driving they each had a cell phone so I signed up for the ‘Family Locator”. Having this phone app with Verizon provided me with a sense of security.  I could set the alerts to text me when they arrived at school and also when returned home in the afternoon.

verizon-family-locator

I could track their phones when they were driving to the mall or to after school activities. Unfortunately, Malik learned how to deactivate the app on his phone and when they upgraded to the iPhone I lost the capability to track them. #TeamAndroid

However, with so much going on at college campuses, I sometimes wish that they each had an implanted tracking device so that I could just check in now and again to make sure they were where they were supposed to be.

I know in my heart that it would have been helpful to the parents of missing kids. Pet parents who chip their pets are happy when they find a lost or missing pup.  I truly think that it is definitely something worth looking into when it comes to the safety of our kids or adults with disabilities.

I understand that there are security and safety measures to take into consideration, as well as plenty of pros and cons on this issue, but once again my question to you is “would you chip your kid?”

ABlake5x7PC-Front-proof



19 Comments

  • LBAFG says:

    Toni, you know I had that same kind of day with Nat! Great article!

  • Both of mine decided to wander off in department stores as little ones and as teens they just wouldn’t call. I can see the benefits to this but it just seems so mechanical. I’m all for the phone locator though but even with that they can forget their phones or have them stolen.

  • DeDivahDeals says:

    Yes, unless you are a parent/caregiver who has gone through this you can’t truly understand the experience of losing track of a child even if only for a few minutes no let alone hours no matter their age.

  • Neti says:

    Yes I would. My son got lost in Belks when he was 3 and I aged 10 years that day even though it was only for 15 minutes. I bought one of those child leashes that same day and my then husband made me take it back.

    • DeDivahDeals says:

      I know what you mean sis – it is a frightening feeling that no parent should ever endure which is why my heart breaks every time I hear about a child being abducted! Hope all is well this week.

  • I’m not sure but I can tell you to this day, I do not like being separated from folks in stores and such because I lost once as a child. I was terrified for only like 5 minutes but that was enough. So yeah I probably would! http://www.robincharmagne.com

    • DeDivahDeals says:

      I know how you felt as it happened to us as well. When we were small our father and uncle lost us at Playland in Rye, NY – needless to say our mothers never let us go with them again!

  • renxkyoko says:

    I don’t know DeDivah, but my Mom would, that’s for sure. I’m also sure I’ll change my mind when I have a kid myself.

  • Robynn says:

    Knee jerk reaction would be to say no, privacy concerns etc etc. However, I have a disabled child who is now an adult and I still do not like it when she wanders out of my view unaccompanied. When she was very young on two separate occasions she managed to disengage the locks on the house, we found out later that apparently she had been paying attention and used a step stool to reach the locks. She actually left the perimeter of our condominium complex and walked to a nearby shopping center and proceeded to go grocery shopping. My family and friends were frantic, the neighborhood and our condominium security personnel turned out to look for her. A family member and friend finally found her after going back to the same grocery store twice, they were calling her name; however, she did not answer. They found her standing in line “paying” for her groceries. That was just one example, thankfully everything turned out fine. She does not like to use a cellphone so the family locator would not work. However, on those occasions when it happened, I felt like I had lost several years of my life span.

    • DeDivahDeals says:

      Every time you tell this story my mind wanders back to when Eboni was just a small child and can’t imagine how I would have felt not knowing where she was. God always looks over the babies and thank God he looked over Eb! Thank you for your comments as they always mean so much to me.

  • Robynn says:

    By the way, I no longer roll my eyes at parents that have the child “leashes” at airports or amusement parks. Some people may judge but at least the parents have peace of mind unless the child figures how to get it off; however, that is a topic for another day.

    • DeDivahDeals says:

      Cuz, you and I are in total agreement which is why I wanted your opinion even though I knew what it would be! Hope you had a wonderful holiday Memorial Day Weekend – thank you for your service #USAF

  • I’m so obsessed over my son that I think I would consider it! Lol!

  • I wouldn’t chip a child for many reasons

  • […] Today a NY Times article entitled, Microchip Implants for Employees? reminded me of a post that I wrote on my other blog DeDivahDeals, back in 2015, Would You Chip Your Kid? […]

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