Leaving home without a cell phone is almost unimaginable. It seems that we have cultivated a need to be accessible any time of day or night. In fact, when we forget our cell phone, most of us would prefer to go back to get it and arrive late rather than go without it.

Not only is the cell phone a way to place calls, they are now a small computer with many applications, such as text messaging, media messaging, video and audio recording, social networking, etc. And more and more applications for mobile phones are being created everyday.

The latest one and one that is quickly becoming increasingly popular is cell phone monitoring software. For those of you who don't know, cell phone monitoring is a software application that allows you to observe the calls and text messages of a smartphone, such as a BlackBerry or an iPhone.

What if you were able to determine exactly where your teens are at any time? Occasionally, children and teenagers get into trouble, but refuse to share them with their parents because they are embarrassed, afraid of being punished, or are being intimidated by bullies. By reading their text messages, you can determine what the situation is. Sometimes the problem comes from an external source, like a bully that intimidates your child into secrecy. In any case, you really want to find out so can do something about it before it gets out of hand which is usually when parents learn about these things.

Mobile phone monitoring has its share of controversy as like any tool, can be abused if it not used properly. If you're tired of wondering where your kids are, then a mobile phone monitoring application will give you peace of mind. It will allow you to make sure your kids are where they are supposed to be.

In order to do this, you connect the mobile phone (and only a mobile phone that you own!) to a computer and log into a website. Then, it's just a matter of importing the mobile phone monitoring software on the phone. The software is commonly referred to as spy software. The term "spy" (which is used for marketing purposes, much like the term "power" in power drinks) refers to the fact that the phone gives no piece of evidence that such software has been installed.

Finally, because mobile phone monitoring software is not meant to be illegal, sites that sell it make you sign (or click) an agreement that says you'll only install the application on phones that you legally own. Moreover, despite what some people believe, you can't use phones that have the software installed on them to spy on other cell phones.