What’s the password?
Dannah Eve, a criminologist and safety expert, revealed why every family should have a secret code word to protect them from dangerous scenarios.
“Here’s a safety tip for all of my families out there,” the Chicago mom said. “Have a code word that you can incorporate into day-to-day life.”
In a one-minute and 42-second resurfaced TikTok clip, Eve, who has a degree in criminology and psychology, explained the importance and the “many benefits” behind a family code word.
“This could be used in a dangerous situation or just in simple situations where your child wants you to be the one to say no to something,” Eve added, noting how she used this method and now practices it with her child.
“If somebody is to pick your child up from school that’s not you or your partner, give that individual this code word so that your child knows that that person is trusted by mommy and daddy,” Eve described.
She stressed the importance of your child knowing the code word and understanding how to intertwine it in a conversation when they feel in danger.
“Let’s say a child is home alone and somebody enters that home, or somebody that they know even enters that home, and they don’t feel safe, they can call their mom and dad and somehow work that code word into the conversation, and then the parent knows that something is not right,” the mom explained.
The code word can also be used in scenarios to help your child get out of something without feeling bad, such as a friend inviting themselves over to spend the night or wanting to leave a birthday party early.
“They could pick up the phone and call you and in a casual conversation, slip in that word, and you know that you are to come get them,” she said.
In a follow-up video, Eve described how to choose family code words and how to apply them in a conversation.
“This could be absolutely anything, but in my own personal opinion it’s not something that’s used in your family every single day,” she said. “This could be a sport that nobody in your family plays, or it could be a food that nobody likes.”
You can initiate using the word by phone call or text message and causally referencing the word.
If your family uses the code word “banana,” Eve suggests following a conversation along the lines of, “Hey, by the way, can you pick up some bananas? I need them for my smoothies.”
“This code [word] could be anything,” she said in the video. “Get creative, sit down with your family and figure out your own code word today.”
Eve’s TikTok followers appreciated the safety hacks she’s unveiled.
“This would work with my autistic daughter for letting her know there’s danger nearby,” confessed a mom.
“I’ve always had a word for my kids but with all these scams a whole family one is a good idea,” agreed another.
“We had a family code word over 45 years ago,” commented one person. “Our code word was raccoon in another language.”
