Mum shares texting 'code' she uses with teen son when he needs way home fast

04 September 2023 , 15:04

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Her kids use it all of the time (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Nobody said parenting is easy - but childhood isn't exactly a walk in the park either. To help out her struggling son, one mum came up with a 'genius' idea to save him from uncomfortable social situations when they arise.

Taking to social media, she shared how she implemented a secret code that lets her know her children want picking up from wherever they may be and taken home as soon as possible. She said on Reddit: "If the question was 'Can I do X?' they would try to make it happen, but if the question was '[Friend's name] wants to know if we can do X?' They would make up some excuse why that can't be done.

"'Can I have a sleepover with Frank?', 'Sure' vs 'Frank wants to know if I can have dinner at their place?', 'No, we already cooked. Maybe some other day'." Commenting on the post, one user said: "This is so subtle and genius!"

Another user added: "Took a screenshot of this! I love this over something so random. So much more subtle. And if my daughter's dad forgets what each one means, she can let him know he got it wrong by saying 'I was cutting out?'." A third user said: "That's amazing advice thanks so much for sharing."

Taking this one step further, another parent shared how she makes her children learn a "pass phrase" when they're being collected by someone other than her or her husband after school. She said: "If we have to have someone other than myself or my spouse gather my kids, we have to provide a pass phrase. Without that pass phrase, our kids know to not go with that person because we did not send for them. We then change the pass phrase after its used."

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Another user added: "My parents did this for me when I was in preschool. I still remember the password to this day. No one is kidnapping me from work any time soon!" One more user said: "Oh, I'm stealing this! My kids know not to go with someone they don't know but at the same time they're kids and they forget things."

Paige Freshwater