It’s hard to believe today is the first day of school for our children but it is and for a lot of families Back-to-school season has families thinking about backpacks, school supplies, new shoes, lunchboxes and all the things our children need before heading back to the classroom. But there is one thing that doesn’t fit neatly into a backpack—and it may give parents and families a little more peace of mind.

I’m talking about location sharing. Which I wish I had when Suzzane and Charlie were attending school. I plan on sharing this app with sister because my niece Lily and Jason start Middle School. Even though there School is across the Street from there home things can still happen and this way Debbie would always know where the kids are at all times.

As a wife and mom I started thinking about Life360 after Renee David Brown said she had it for her family because I have family members who work at night including my sister who sometimes works nights. Even though she can be annoying at times I have to admit I worry about her.

When someone you love is driving home late, especially as the days get shorter and winter approaches, it can be difficult to relax until you know they made it home safely. Or at least I do and so does David with Charlie although he tries to be touch and not admit it so I don’t worry.

My husband David works unusual hours, too, and he has had a flat or locked the keys in the car and my mother in law and father in law had to go help David. Having Life360 would have made finding David so much easier and less stressful than trying to figure out where he was with the directions he would give us.

Then there are times when Charlie is out late at night hanging out with his friends or coming in from work at dark 30. As a mom this worries me and keeps me from sleeping and having Life360 would give me peace of mind and allow me to finally get a good nights sleep. Or at least I hope it would.

I’ve even thought about using a location-sharing app for myself because I sometimes go walking at night. Life360 isn’t only to be used at night I can use it 24/7 when I go walking because sometimes my knee gives out on me and I don’t have my phone to call anyone but with Life360 they would be able to come look for me. Which would be a Godsend.

Then I realized something. Why are we thinking about these apps as something only parents use to keep track of children? Maybe location sharing isn’t just about knowing where our kids are. Maybe it’s about helping the people we love know where we are, too.

I mentioned Life360 to my mother-in- law the other day and I found out she already uses Life360 with my step-daughter Leslie and my niece Alex because sometimes they work evenings, and being able to see that they made it home gives her peace of mind. But the relationship works both ways. If my mother-in-law gets lost or needs help, they know where she is, too.

That changed the way I look at these apps. A teenager or young adult coming home from work or hanging out with his friends is one reason to use location sharing. But so is a husband driving home from work.

A sister working a late shift. A college student traveling across town. A grandparent going to an appointment. A friend heading home after dinner. Or an adult taking a walk after dark. Sometimes we’re not trying to keep tabs on someone. We’re simply trying to know that the people we love are okay.

if your family is like mine then Life360 is probably the name many people recognize first. Because it is advertised on TV Also, it is designed around groups of people called Circles, where members can share their locations with one another.

The important thing for families watching their budgets is that Life360 has a free plan. You don’t have to purchase a membership just to begin using the basic service. The free plan currently includes location sharing, limited location history, Place Alerts and other basic features, while paid memberships add additional safety and driving features. That makes Life360 worth considering for a family that wants an ongoing location-sharing system rather than sharing a location only once in a while.

And there is another part of the Life360 ecosystem that caught my attention: Tile. Tile Bluetooth trackers can be attached to things such as keys, bags and other belongings and can be located through the Life360 app. That means the conversation can eventually go beyond “Where is everyone?” to “Where did I put my keys?”

There is one thing I wanted to point out I didn’t know before downloading another app, check your phone. Google Maps includes real-time location sharing. You can choose who can see your location and decide how long you want to share it. Google Maps can also provide information such as a device’s recent location and battery status, and location-sharing notifications can tell someone when you arrive at or leave a location.

For a family that doesn’t need all of the extras offered by a dedicated family safety service, this may be all you need. And because many people already have Google Maps on their phones, it is worth checking out before adding another app which is what I plan on doing this week before I download another app to my phone.

If everyone in your family uses Apple devices, which I refuse to use but my sister and her family have iPhone and they are by Apple they already have another option sitting right on there phone. Apple’s Find My app allows them to share there location with friends and family. Apple’s Find My App can also notify people when they arrive at or leave a particular location.

Find My App isn’t simply about people, either. Apple also uses the Find My network for supported items such as AirTags, making it useful for locating belongings. For an all-Apple household, it may make sense to explore the tools you already have before deciding that you need another service. This evening I’m going to call Debbie and see if she knows about this App and tell her to set it up and share it with the kids so she knows where they are at all times.

Then there is Glympse which takes a different approach and was something I didn’t know about until I begin to search apps like Life360 because I wanted to make sure my family was safe when out of the house.

Instead of thinking about location sharing as something that stays on all the time, Glympse is designed for temporary location sharing. You can share your real-time location for a specific amount of time, and when that time expires, the sharing ends.

That could be useful when you’re driving home late, traveling somewhere unfamiliar, meeting a friend, going for a hike, or simply wanting someone to know where you are until you arrive.

The consumer Glympse app is free, works across iPhone and Android, and the person viewing a shared location doesn’t necessarily need the app installed. For someone who doesn’t want ongoing location sharing, this could be a very appealing alternative. It might be easier to get Charlie and David to use this than Life360 because its temporary. But God only knows with them and they may refuse to use anything.

So Which One Should Your Family Choose? There isn’t one answer for every family. If you want an ongoing family Circle with additional safety features, Life360 may be worth exploring.

If you want simple location sharing and already use Google Maps, Google Maps may be enough. If everyone uses Apple devices, Find My may be the easiest choice. If you only want someone to know where you are temporarily, Glympse may be the better fit.

And that’s why I don’t think families should automatically download the first location-sharing app they hear about. Take a few minutes to compare what you actually need. Then share the choices with your family so you can find something everyone would be happy to use.

One thing I really like about this comparison is that families don’t necessarily have to spend money to get started. You can explore the free options first. Which is a Godsend for my family because we don’t have extra money to spend.

Ask yourself: Do we need to see everyone’s location all the time? Would we rather have temporary location sharing? Do we want arrival notifications? Do we need driving or emergency features? Does everyone have an iPhone?

Are some family members using Android? Would we like to track belongings, too? Do we want something for the kids—or something the adults can use as well? And perhaps most importantly: Does everyone understand what is being shared and agree to it?

Location sharing should be about communication, trust and safety—not secretly monitoring another person. I haven’t decided exactly how our family will set everything up yet.

I may create a Life360 Circle with David and Charlie. I may add my sister because she sometimes works nights. Granny Sherry already has her own Circle with my nieces, and we may eventually connect other family members, too.

And that’s the funny thing about this whole discovery. I started looking at Life360 because I wanted to know that the people I love were getting home safely. Then I discovered that there are several ways to do it.

And maybe that’s the real back-to-school message. We’re always looking for ways to keep our children safe when they leave the house. But our children aren’t the only people we worry about.

Sometimes the person we’re waiting for at the end of the night is our spouse, our sister, our parent, our friend—or even ourselves. We’re not tracking them because we don’t trust them. We’re tracking them because we love them.

Before choosing a location-sharing service, make a list of what your family actually needs. Then compare the free options before paying for features you may never use. And don’t forget to test your chosen service before you need it. Everyone should know how to share their location, how to stop sharing, who can see their information and what to do if their phone battery dies.

A location-sharing app can be a helpful tool, but it isn’t a substitute for good communication, safe decisions or emergency services.

Family Location & Safety App Comparison Checklist — HTML

Sometimes a little technology can simply give a worried family member one thing they desperately want:

Peace of mind that you made it home.

Grateful, Thankful, Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates