My 13-year-old refused to share his location with me. I was annoyed — until I realized he had a point.

The author (not pictured) didn't think she was a helicopter mom until her son pushed back on tracking. Carol Yepes/Getty Images I let my 13-year-old spend time with friends without constant supervision. When I asked to track his location, he argued that he'd earned my trust. I stopped routinely tracking him and now rely mostly on communication. I don't think of myself as an overprotective parent . I began letting my kids stay home alone for short stints when they were around 10. I let them wander our neighborhood alone starting when they were 11 or 12. I don't heavily monitor their social lives or phone usage, nor do I check their grades constantly or make them give me access to their Google Classroom to monitor their schoolwork. But I don't do things the same way that my generation's parents did things.