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Decoding Teen Lingo

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You've long since navigated baby babble and preschooler potty talk, so teen lingo should be a breeze, right? TWYT, newb. (That's shorthand for "That's what you think, newbie.")

Language is one way teenagers have always set themselves apart from adults (remember those coded diary entries from junior high?). With instant- and text-messaging acronyms and shorthand in constant, daily use, it's easier than ever for teens to communicate and harder for parents to understand them, as any parent knows who's been stumped by her child frantically IM'ing "PITR" -- "parent in the room."

So what's a befuddled parent to do, short of forcing Esperanto on her teen?...

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Jun 28, 2007 at 11:27:37 AM

OMG (oh my God), is this really the new lingo? What?s a parent to do? Good news, there are websites that break down these acronyms. Net Lingo http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm has a very thorough acronym dictionary. You can always print it out and keep it nearby but be warned, as soon as you figure it out, it is going to change. That?s just what teenagers do. BYKT (But You Knew That!)

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ShopandTell
ShopandTell
March 05, 2008

OMG! My MOM IM's!

I was using Twitter the other day and my teen daughter stopped doing her important teen things to scream in horror:...  read more

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Princess_Peg
Princess_Peg
September 12, 2007

Texting Nightmare

Recently, a friend of mine took away her daughter's cell phone privilege. Never mind the infraction that lost her the phone. What happened afterward was nothing short of comical....  read more

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