Recent news that a family who had taken a Domestic Violence workshop several years ago was tipped off by hearing a "Safe Word" repeated in several very brief exchanges at a Thanksgiving family gathering and "rescued a family" of three small children is glorious reason to count Blessings.

What I would like to know is how many of your family and friends have a "Safe Word" code with you to alert you that things are not as they might seem? Do you think this is necessary? How many of Mingle members have had a " domestic violence intervention" with in their circle?

Great Idea

Thanks for the thumbs up. Do you practice this idea in your circle? Would you want a parent of friend to have this arrangement with you? You appear to be young and strong; certainly someone might turn to?

My mom would always use a specific whistle that only family members respond to we still did things like that with my brothers to help keep us out of trouble.

That reminds me of a time I was working as a psyche ward records technician for the criminally insane in my early career. I generally chatted with patients or whistled as I walked up and down the corridors.

One patient fell out and I stopped whistling while I kneeled down assisting. Two orderlies came running like linebackers toward another (rapest) patient that was getting ready to garret me with a bathrobe tie he had ripped loose in the few seconds I forgot saftey protocols. A mistake I never made again.

Yeah you got be careful not to become complacent in places like that. I used to help my mom volunteer at a mental hospital when I was in my teenage years. I don't think she had to worry bout me to much I'm built like a linebacker myself and I knew that after raising six boys and jumping out of airplanes and helicopters my mom could take care of herself if she needed to.

Being a working single parent of 2 kids, we had a safety word. I told my children if anything ever happened that I couldn't pick them up, that I would have instructed the person to tell them the secret word right away and if they didn't hear it, run to somewhere safe. There were other examples for them as well.

It's kinda funny that my daughter who is now 31 recently told me the secret password and said she thought it was one of the best ideas ever. I thought that was pretty cool.

Good post Star!