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.

I'm Generation X , and in my generation, there were no "playdates." Parents didn't track your grades, and they definitely didn't track your location.

You'd be walking around the neighborhood alone at 6 or 7 years old, often for hours.

Usually your parents had no idea where you were.

The hope was that you'd come home sometime before dark.

I didn't realize I was a helicopter parent When my youngest son turned 13, he started going out with friends on his own.