By DONNA SANTI / guest columnist
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- Donna Santi is a creative writer for LandAirSea Systems, a Woodstock, IL-based manufacturer and distributor of expertly-engineered GPS tracking systems, software and accessories. For information about LandAirSea, visit www.landairsea.com. To contact the writer, email donna.santi@landairsea.com
At what age and maturity level is a child ready to travel alone on a commercial airplane?
[caption id="attachment_957" align="alignright" width="300" caption="GPS & Current Events"][/caption]
That debate has been rustling around water coolers and coffee klatches worldwide since the Associated Press story emerged that a Tennessee woman placed her grandson on a plane, alone, to Russia.
The grandmother, Nancy Hansen from Shelbyville, Tenn. defended herself, saying the child was not frightened and that a flight attendant on the trip had been informed of the boy's status and was assigned to take care of him. The flight between the U.S. and Russia takes about 12 hours. He arrived in the foreign land physically fit, but psychologists feel he might have lasting emotional scars from the experience.
The boy, 7 years old, was adopted by Hansen's daughter from the Russian Education and Science Ministry. The grandmother said, shortly after arriving stateside, the boy turned violent and agitated at his new mother. Exasperated, the mother made arrangements to have him returned. The young boy was being sent back to the ministry where his American family assumed he would be accepted and cared for. A man in Russia was being paid $200 to deliver the boy from the airport to his former home.
Critics are sharply criticizing the family, dumbfounded how a human adult could reject an adoptee, and return him to his "supplier" damaged, with apparently no more feeling than if he had been a stale loaf of bread.
But would it have made a difference if the boy were wearing or carrying a GPS tracking device, specifically-designed for personal use? Personal tracking systems, based on vehicle tracking technology are plentiful today in the consumer market, and quite sophisticated. Some users say personal GPS tracking systems give them an added level of assurance that they, or their loved one, will not become hopelessly lost. Common applications are for aged parents or others with dementia, autistic individuals and even able-bodied children of all ages as a protection against abduction.
A 12-hour plane trip is an excessive amount of time to leave a young child with complete strangers. Plus the child is said, by his grandmother, to be violent and prone to outbursts. With that in mind, is it a good idea to stick him in an uncomfortable, confined space like an airplane?
On the other hand, the majority of GPS systems boast worldwide coverage because GPS tracking coordinates are obtained from satellites in space. In theory, the GPS tracking system, placed in a pocket, clipped on a belt or worn as a wristwatch, would inform Mom and Grandma on the ground where their young charge is in "real time." Some GPS tracking models even have panic or alert buttons.
Would that be an acceptable safeguard or excuse for their actions?
There are a lot of "what if" questions being raised regarding this current events issue and GPS tracking is one of those factors. Personal GPS tracking systems are a great security product, but under what circumstances can it substitute for a caregiver's physical presence and love?
Source: Associated P...
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