What are kids Saying these days

What’s the Tea, Sis? Decoding Modern Kid Slang

Kid slang is evolving faster than ever with youth culture constantly introducing creative new terms. While parents were once fluent in their kids’ vernacular, many now struggle to keep up. In this blog, we’ll define some of the latest teen slang so you can get up to speed.

One of the most popular new expressions is “spill the tea” or just “what’s the tea”. But this tea has nothing to do with the drink – it refers to piping hot gossip. So if your teen perks up and asks “what’s the tea?” with excitement, they expect you to serve up a fresh story.

You may also hear teens describe things as “snatched” lately. No, their phone hasn’t actually been stolen. This new slang word means something is perfectly styled, usually referring to someone’s outfit. So if your daughter steps out in a cinched belt and lays her baby hairs just right, she might strike a pose and declare the lewk “snatched!” A variant is saying something looks “on point” or “on fleek”.

When you hear a dragged out “yassss!” or “QUEEN!” from teens, they’re hyping someone up. This enthusiastic slang puts the emphasis on the ‘A’ or ‘EE’ sound to signal extra support. The variant for disapproval? A sharp “Uh, no sweetie” or “yikes!”

Your kids are also shortening words down to single letters now. If your son groans “that test was such an L”, he doesn’t mean literacy. “Take this L” signals embarrassing failure, while “take this W” indicates a personal win. Teens might also use “MTFBWY” at the end of texts – translation: “may the force be with you”.

Zoomers even get creative with old-school punctuation, reinventing it as slang. Exclamation points can convey a tone (“So happy for you!!!” = genuine, “Sounds fun!” = sarcasm). While hyphens imply drawling tones (“Yeee-ah, no thanks”). And typed out ellipses represent uncomfortable pauses…

So if you catch your sullen teen sigh “I ceebs to go” before bailing on plans, just know that means “I can’t be bothered”. Or if your lovesick kid gushes about butterflies in their “tummy”, they aren’t feeling nausea – just new relationship excitement!

The next time you eavesdrop on some convo about snatched fits, ceebs moods, and piping tea, just consult this handy parent slang dictionary instead of feeling lost. Staying hip to the latest teen-isms can strengthen bonds and give you a laugh too!

Image Credit – YourDictionary.com

Yo Fam, Do You Speak Zoomer? 10 Essential Kid Slang Terms

Kids these days seem to speak their own language full of fleek fits, ceebs moods, snatched styles, piping tea, and ships coming to port. As Gen Z slang and TikTok memes shape youth culture, parents can easily feel out of touch trying to communicate with their teens.

To save you from blinking blankly while your youths yammer, we’re breaking down the hottest current teen slang words every millennial parent NEEDS to know:

1. Snatched – Styled to perfection, flawless, on point.
“Damn, Ashley showed up with her baby hairs laid and her outfit SNATCHED!”

2. Tea – The juicy gossip, typically shared excitedly.
“Girl, what’s the TEA??? Who is crushing on Sam???”

3. Vibing – Enjoying spending time together, getting along well. Not used sexually.
“Miles and Lulu have such bestie chemistry. Total friendship goals vibing!”

4. Mood – Same feeling. Used to affirm shared experiences and emotions.
“[Sends sulking selfie]”
“Big mood today.”

5. Cringe – Embarrassing, awkward, or dated.
“Ugh moms using old slang is so cringe. She said groovy again…”

6. Bee Tea Dubs – Short for “by the way”. Transition phrase used in texting.
“Bee tea dubs, I can’t go to the movies tonight.”

7. Bet – I agree, cool, solid.
“Wanna grab Chipotle later?”
“Bet! Just text me when.”

8. Salty – Bitter, angry, annoyed. Doesn’t only refer to tears.
“Why are you acting all salty with me?? Did I do something???”

9. Straight fire/slaps – Awesome, stellar, fantastic.
“Dude Kendrick Lamar’s songs are straight fire!”

10. Janky – Subpar quality, kind of a mess, disorganized.
“This quiz was so unfair. Janky teacher…”

…You get the gist! Mastering a few key teen slang phrases helps you connect and keep convos light. Just avoid using them as insults no matter how fleek their fit is. Ask your whippersnappers to translate more youth speak if you’re still confused. TTYL fam!

OMG Should We Ban Problematic Slang?! Parenting Teens’ Language

As teens chatter about snatched fits, ceebs moods, and piping hot tea, parents can feel disconnected from youth culture. We strain our ears trying to translate the ever-evolving Gen Z vernacular.

While silly new slang words mostly make me laugh and remind me I’m not as hip as I thought, some terms do make me raise an eyebrow…

Is All This Teen Slang OK for Kids?

When my 8th grader and her friends starting using “sus” constantly to call things weird or sketchy, I’ll admit it got pretty annoying. And hearing a 5th grader describe his classmate as “so thick” to mean curvy? Yikes.

I know language changes, but it made me uncomfortable to hear prepubescent kids using slang unpredictably. Some words have very adult implications in their original use that tweens may not understand.

As the guardian of young minds and futures, parents have to draw reasonable boundaries. But we also want to avoid lamely scolding every new phrase under the sun. Kids will just tune us out while inventing a mocking name for us behind our backs (may I suggest “Karen”?).

Creating Flexible Family Guidelines

So how can we thoughtfully moderate problematic slang while still giving kids room to create their coded cultural commentary? Here’s my advice…

First, don’t slap a total zero-tolerance policy on language that will just incite rebellion. Teach context matters. Slang fine for joking with friends may not suit the dinner table or classroom.

Next, discuss which themes and implications around certain adult-originated phrases make them questionable for middle schoolers mouthing nonchalantly. Don’t just state arbitrary words as “bad”.

Also pick your battles. Maybe eye-rolling acronyms like “IMO” and “TBH” flooding texts are harmless.

And offer alternative slang options that carry the feeling without uncomfortable baggage!

What teen lingo makes you squint your eyes in confusion… or concern? Where have you drawn flexibile boundaries in your family guidelines? Let’s discuss in the comments!