Nothing scares away an adorable grin like a parent whipping out their iPhone and swiping left to quickly activate the camera.
Kids can be the most gorgeous little cherubs, but the second they realize they’re about to be photographed, they turn into big, toothy semi-constipated, double-chinned robots.
One dad has shared a simple trick to get his son grinning naturally for any photo, and all it takes is one single word.
“My son when I tell him to smile”
Dad, Adam Perry, from Pennsylvania in the US tweeted about his simple photography hack and parents are loving it.
Adam shared two images of his five-year-old son side-by-side with the caption, “My son when I tell him to smile vs when I tell out ‘poop!’”
The first image shows his son looking slightly confused, bearing his teeth with his face so tensed up he looks like he’s constipated. The second image is a gorgeous photo of the little boy laughing and looking both relaxed and natural. And all it took was one single word.
“Poop!”
“Poop is apparently the new cheese”
Parents on Twitter loved this idea and some shared their own twists on this funny word, including “fart,” “butts” and even “testicles.”
“This is why I volunteered at my kid’s school for picture day when they were little,” commented one person. “If I’m paying $50 for those things, I want a good picture. Our code word was ‘fart’ though. Same reaction.”
Another added, “Poop is apparently the new cheese.”
“We say ‘cheesy farts!’” chimed in a third.
And this person suggested that when ‘poop’ begins to lose its appeal, there are other alternatives.
“Its efficiency wears off with time,” they said. “We’re at the ‘momma farted’ stage.
Adam, who is a children’s book author, later added that he was stoked to have gone viral. You can check out his books here, or head to Amazon to grab a copy of his latest book, Ghosts Come Rising, which is out next month.
Do you have a secret word reserved for taking photos? Share it with us in the comments on Facebook!