It’s a difficult business being a parent. Ask any mom or dad to one of these munchkins, and they’ll tell you about the zillion things they worry about daily. Whether it’s their health, happiness, or safety, many fears only get worse as the kids grow older. But instead of freaking out and feeling anxious about how to protect the little ones from potential dangers, some families come up with code words that give children a way out of scary situations.

But as one story on the ‘Made Me Smile’ subreddit proves, a simple emoji can suffice. Two days ago, Redditor Limitless_yt89 shared a screenshot where a mom reveals a secret code for “I want to come home, but I want it to be your fault.” Whenever she receives a random emoji from her teen son, a siren immediately goes off in her head, letting her know the little one is in trouble.

The mother knew she has to get in the car and be on her way to get him, no questions asked and no explanation needed. The story immediately resonated with other community members who wasted no time chiming in with their experiences and applause. Scroll down to find out how the whole story unfolded, and if you have any go-to emojis and phrases your kids can use to discreetly ask for help, we’d love to hear all about them below in the comments.

A mom shared a story about how her teen son uses a secret emoji code to let her know he needs help to get out of an uncomfortable situation

Image credits: Azureon2 (not the actual photo)

After reading the story, hundreds of Redditors came forward to applaud the idea, as well as chime in with their own similar experiences. On top of that, the original author of this story, user jtboe79, came across this screenshot as well and decided to clarify a few details in the comments. When one person asked what the man did to make her kid uncomfortable, the woman wrote, “He said the grandpa sat them all down and told them he loved them. Then he was hugging all of them and kissing the tops of their heads. He was talking about how he wouldn’t always be here and he just wanted them to know he was proud of them and how much he loves them all.”

The teen pointed out the grandpa wasn’t acting in a “creepy” way, and if it was his grandparents who would do this, it would have been completely fine. “But it felt wrong for someone he doesn’t know that well and he just wanted out,” she added. The next day the teen revealed he overreacted a bit, but the woman reassured her son he has every right to leave a friend’s house whenever something feels wrong.

After reading the post, Redditors applauded the teen’s move and chimed in with their own experiences

This story inspired many parents to have conversations with their kids about a go-to emoji, code, word, or phrase to help them feel safer in their everyday lives. In fact, it looks like this idea to help children safely identify who actually came there to pick them up and who is only bluffing has been around for quite some time. Moreover, this notion also helps to find a way out of problems they find themselves in because of peer pressure or other conflicts.

Bert Fulks, a writer and a father of three, came up with an “x plan” his family uses so that the children could signal they’re in need of being picked up. In a blog post, he explained that this simple yet effective tool is a lifeline his kids can use at any time. The idea came to Fulks after asking one question to a group of young people: “How many of you have found yourself in situations where things started happening that you weren’t comfortable with, but you stuck around, mainly because you felt like you didn’t have a way out?” As it turns out, every single one of them raised their hands.

“Let’s say that my youngest, Danny, gets dropped off at a party. If anything about the situation makes him uncomfortable, all he has to do is text the letter “X” to any of us (his mother, me, his older brother or sister),” Fulks wrote. Then, that family member will call Danny’s phone and create a plot for him to remove himself from the discomfiting situation. However, the writer explained that there’s one more aspect to consider. “Once he’s been extracted from the trenches, Danny knows that he can tell us as much or as little as he wants … but it’s completely up to him.”

Building trust and being open and honest with each other helps the parent-kid relationship flourish and creates ease in knowing that whenever your child gets into trouble, they won’t hesitate to ask for help. Do you agree with these suggestions, dear readers? Are there any helpful family words or safety methods you’ve heard of? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this matter, so be sure to share them with us in the comments.

And here are some reactions to the story from parents and grown-up kids

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