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

Sometimes a child needs to say ‘I’m having a horrible time!’ without everyone around them realising. Ukulele! 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. Continue reading...