Parents are being told about a 'secret' emoji code' that their children can send them to get out of a difficult situation.
The clever trick was thought up by one parent whose son was feeling unhappy while staying at a friend's house and wanted to come home - but wanted it to look like it wasn't his choice.
The boy sent his parents a seemingly random hotdog emoji in a message - and his mum and dad knew it signalled he needed to come home.
Sharing the savvy hack on Reddit the original poster, u/jtboe79, said: "He was supposed to be staying the night with a friend, so I was concerned when I get this text after I've already gone to bed.
"I called him and told him "you were supposed to unload the dishwasher before you left, now you've lost your privilege of spending the night. I'll be there in five minutes, have your stuff gathered up," writes WalesOnline.
Readers loved the secret code and responded in their drives.
One response said: "I love this so much. I will have to remember this for when my little one is older."
While Isp2005 said: "I am always willing to be the bad guy for them. If they need to blame me to get out of a situation, to do so before things go sideways."
SweetMilkMan said: "Thank you, I will make a code with my son tomorrow."
The post has been shared on social media, with some people saying they used similar codes growing up.
One person who uses the letter X in a text as a sign they want to be picked up.
Other parents shared other ways for children to let them know what they really wanted.
One was a subtle twist on a phrase. If the child said; "so-and-so has asked if I can stay" meant the child wanted to go home.
If they said; "can I stay at so-and-so" it meant they wanted to stay with their friends.
Do you have a secret code with your kids? Tell us in the comments.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
