A family password is something that every family needs. From school pickups to emergency situations, a family password can be a life saver.
Normally I write about meal planning and yummy recipes. You know, the fun stuff in life. I apologize if this topic feels a little heavy but it’s something I have to share. I woke up in a sort of panic yesterday and felt like I needed to share this info. We all know that currently we’re seeing a lot of terrible things come across our tv screens and social media feeds. One of the things that makes my heart hurt most is seeing children go missing. From small children to teens, it’s happening all over our world. I can’t imagine the pain and heartache every one of those families are going through. My heart and prayers go out to them.
I know that this tip I’m going to share today isn’t going to solve all of the world’s problems. It’s just an added layer of protection families can add to their keep my family safe arsenal. I know it’s a concept that many families don’t know and it’s easy to put in place. I hope it’s something your family never actually needs to use but I hope you practice it just the same.
WHAT IS A FAMILY PASSWORD?
A family password is a secret word or phrase that only the family knows. Simple, right? It’s a word or phrase you wouldn’t use often or in most scenarios. Mason jar would definitely not be a password in our home. How you use the password is what is important. In our family, we have two. They’re used for two completely different situations in life. One of them is for situations when us parents are not around and the other is for situations when we’re together. This isn’t a new concept. I’ve heard about it several times over the years but many parent’s have not so I thought I’d share.
WHY DO YOU NEED A FAMILY PASSWORD?
I know that we try to be diligent parents and do the best that we can. However, there is so much chaos that’s going on in our world today. I feel like there are people sitting in the shadows waiting on us parents to let our guard down. They’re waiting for us to become overwhelmed with all that’s going on. It’s a harsh reality but with so many children going missing each year, we have to do all that we can to keep our children safe. Add to that all the violence that’s popped up recently. The world can be a scary place. Using the password system helps me feel a little safer.
Password #1
This password is mainly for when my children are not with us parents. I suggest using a single word for this password. Pick a word you wouldn’t use in normal conversation. Scenarios for this one would be if your child is anywhere and someone says something along the lines of your mom told me to pick you up. My children knew when they were little if the person who said they were there to pick them up didn’t know the password, they were not to go with them.
This is also great to use for school and daycare. I know that many families are shuffling to find care while they have to go back to work in the fall. Many places are great places and provide great care, however, sometimes caregivers sometimes flake out or have bad days. They also might be new or filling in for someone else. If someone new shows up at your child’s school or daycare and they don’t have the password, your child knows not to go. I realize this wouldn’t be a common situation but you never know. I try to cover all my bases. This would also work if a parent is working from home but has to go to work for a mandatory meeting and has to get a neighbor or teen down the road to watch the children. The child knows who they can go with.
Password #2
This password is for when we’re not in our home. It alerts my children to seek a safe place. I might use it if we’re in a parking lot and we see a fight break out or some other unsafe situation. They would know to get into the car and lock the doors. If we’re in a tense situation in the neighborhood (we have some interesting neighbors), they would be alerted to get into the house and lock the door. It’s basically a mental trigger that says get in the safe place and lock the door behind you.
Another way this is helpful is if we’re out somewhere and my children feel uncomfortable but don’t want to say it out loud. My daughter and I have a special phrase she can say to me if we’re visiting somewhere and she feels overwhelmed and needs to leave. She deals with overwhelm and anxiety occasionally. This gives her an easy out without feeling like she’s hurting someone’s feelings. It doesn’t have to be a external protection thing, it can be a way for families to communicate without letting the world know.
The last reason we have a password is for my teen to alert me. If she’s somewhere without me and wants me to come pick her up, she can use the password. I know peer pressure is a big thing for teens. I never want her to feel like she’s stuck somewhere because she doesn’t want to get bullied from her peers. If she calls home or texts and uses the password, I know to come get her without her having to say she wants to come home. It’s a simple thing.
That’s it.
Have you ever heard of the family password system? Do you currently use one? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!
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