My mom kept me safe with the text code.

She just used it.

Written by Katara Nera.

My mom was my whole world when I was growing up.

When I was seven, my father left my mom and me after she found him having an open affair

with the coworker.

He beat her up for having the audacity to leave him, but she got the house and scrubbed

him from our lives.

She decided that she would focus on herself and taking care of other women, so she worked

for lots of women shelters and such.

She eventually became a court counselor and a social worker for abused women and children,

and she really helped people get out of abusive situations.

She understood that the world isn't always kind to women.

Being the amazing woman she was, she knew growing up as a girl is already hard, so we

had safety codes and phrases built in to keep me safe.

She also had a special rule that if I was in trouble, I could call her or text her in

our special way and she would come get me, no questions asked, and no consequences.

That way, if I was in trouble, I could call her without fear of her reaction or punishment.

She told me that she understood being a teen means making choices of your own.

And sometimes, those are really stupid choices, but they shouldn't cost me my innocence.

She cared first and foremost for my safety.

When I was 11, I went to my first sleepover and I just wasn't comfortable.

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