AT&T FamilyMap - reach out and track someone

Talking to parents of older kids makes me want to build a machine that will stop time in its tracks. While I look forward to my kids getting older (kinda), there is so much comfort in their ages right now and not having to question where they are at all times, who they're with and what antics they're up to. 

Big warning: I'm still on the fence about technology for monitoring and GPS-tracking kids. But it's nice to know that there are options out there for those families for whom it's the right thing to do. AT&T FamilyMap offers one such service that utilizes the mobile phones in a family's own network to figure out where the owner of that phone is. 
Friend of Cool Mom Tech, Marsha from Sweatpants Mom, gave us her very positive experience using FamilyMap with her two teenage daughters. Once, after she couldn't locate her daughter at school pick-up one day, through FamilyMap she discovered that she was at dance class a few miles away. Turns out the last-minute text her daughter had sent her didn't go through. (Though what's with that, ATT?)

I can only imagine the panic that might have ensued had FamilyMap not been an option for her. 
Another feature of FamilyMap that sounds very helpful is that you can schedule the device to alert you automatically when your kids reach their intended destination, giving you peace of mind knowing when new drivers or new walk-by-myself grade schoolers are where they're supposed to be.

I can only imagine what it's going to be like in a couple years when my own kids are older, more independent and don't need me to drive them all the time. Something like the FamilyMap may be a welcome addition to my arsenal of technology. In the meantime, I'm going to hit the drawing board on that time machine. -Jeana 
FamilyMap is free for the first 30 days and then is $9.99/month to locate two family members. FamilyMap is also available as a mobile app for Android devices on Google Play, allowing you to track whereabouts of family members on-the-go.