Last month one of the "My Turn" articles in Time magazine featured the experience of a dad bringing his daughter back home from her first year away at college. It was a west-to-east coast journey, made over the course of a few long days of driving.

Father and daughter held long conversations. The dad navigated, picking main routes, by-passes, restaurants, and over-night stops. The daughter drove, chose all the music, and chatted with her other girlfriends.

But Dad never left the house on the east coast. The daughter was on her first big solo adventure. Yet because of their joined-at-the-ear, cross-country cell phone connection, father and daughter were never out of touch. No one was really ever completely on their own.

The dad got peace of mind (sort of).

The daughter got her independe…