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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Polly Hudson

Is your kid off to a sleepover? Don’t forget the secret codeword

A teenage boy looks down at his phone while holding the back of his head with his other hand
‘Indulge your inner secret agent, and be the buzzkill scapegoat for your kid.’ Photograph: Posed by model; Olga Dobrovolska/Getty Images

The second you have a baby, people begin offering you unsolicited advice. Friends, acquaintances and – most fun of all – complete strangers you definitely didn’t ask will inform you that your child isn’t dressed warmly enough, or that you have to enjoy every moment. I once had the latter while my two-month-old was spraying me with liquids from both ends, which the wise sage had apparently not noticed.

In the sea of interfering nonsense is the odd genuinely useful life raft, though, such as one I’ve just learned for dealing with the tween period I’m now navigating. Your child needs not a coat, but a codeword.

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