Protection in childhood can take many forms. It means hiding behind your mother’s legs and covering your face with her rough skirt when surrounded by noisy strangers. Or if your grandmother says, “Oh, come on, give your aunt a hug,” she doesn’t comply. As children mature and gain more experience, they become more aware of uncomfortable situations and learn how to properly handle them.

In today’s article, we’ll explore a heartwarming story shared by a parent who reveals how their teenage child uses a secret code to communicate their need for support and escape embarrassing events.

Psychologists Families believe having a code word can help them avoid bad situations.

One Reddit The user shared that their child was spending the night with a friend and had a classic sleepover. When out of nowhere, parents will receive a simple text from their son: 🌭. Yes, the hot dog emoji and no more details. Initially, the parents had already gone to bed and seeing a text at this time worried them.

Parents revealed that the hot dog emoji – or really – any random emoji is their secret code when their child uses it. “I want to come home, but I wish it was your fault.” Seconds later, having accepted the coded message, the parent called their child and said, “You have to unload the dishwasher when you leave, and now you’ve lost the privilege of spending the night. I will bring you in 5 minutes, get your things ready by then” he said.

When the child got into their parents’ car, he shared that his friends grandfather was making him uncomfortable, but he didn’t know how to convey to his friend that he wanted out. He then thanked his parents for getting him out of there.

Parents shared their story in case anyone else needs ideas or tips on how to survive situations where kids feel like they can’t speak up.

• “I love having it with your child and they feel comfortable using it. I have the same deal with my kids, it helps them ‘get out.’ MommaG0614 / Reddit
• “My and my mom’s code is ‘red socks.’ For example, I can call her up and say, ‘I forgot I need red socks for my school event tomorrow,’ and she’ll be on her way. Any sentence that includes red socks come get me.” , means call me etc. I’m not comfortable. I’m 24 and my mom still remembers those words. bfammerman / Reddit

• “If my kid texts me, ‘Can I spend the night at Christine’s?’ It meant she really wanted to spend the night at Christine’s. If she texted me saying, ‘Christine wants me to spend the night,’ she wanted me to say no. It’s very subtle, but this way, if Christine grabs my daughter’s phone, she can read the texts and not be suspicious. . chipdipper99 / Reddit
• “The code for my family is that if we call our parents and ask for pizza, we feel uncomfortable and need to take it away, but we’re not in immediate danger/we’re not in an escalating situation before we get there. If we call and ask for fish and chips, something bad is going to happen.” Because it could happen, it meant we needed someone to pick us up right away. Solgatiger / Reddit