Setting up a ‘code word’ helped save this ten-year-old’s life

In case of emergency, this simple parenting trick is potentially life-saving.

Every parent goes cold at just the thought of their child getting kidnapped and though it's unpleasant to consider, having a plan in place if the worse were to happen is a sensible decision. "Stranger danger" is a very valuable lesson to teach kids, but sinister individuals can often manipulate children into thinking that they were sent by their parents. As a solution to this, some parents establish a "code word" with their children. This is a specific word identified that children can ask strangers if they know, to distinguish genuine people from more threatening individuals. According to abc13, this tactic really worked for a ten-year-old girl from Arizona who was approached by a stranger while in a park with her friend.

EXCLUSIVE: 10-year-old girl who used family "code word" to thwart potential kidnapping speaks out. https://t.co/SjBC8McOqb pic.twitter.com/1CIPuwlsic

— ABC News (@ABC) November 14, 2018

An unknown man drove up to the girl and said that her brother was involved in a serious incident and he was there to pick her up. When she asked him what the code word was and he didn't know, the man drove off. Brenda James told the publication that:

"They know who can pick them up and who can't. But there's always that special situation where there might be somebody they don't know or don't know well so that's why we came up with a code word."

The clever plan is being praised by police departments who are encouraging other parents to do the same. It's not about scaring children, it's just about being prepared.