Latest / Equipped for Impact / Talkin' Teen (Slang terms you should know)

Transcript

Talkin' Teen (Slang terms you should know) · Equipped for Impact

0:08
Nate: Welcome to Equipped for Impact, the podcast designed to assist Christian parents, leaders and educators to raise up the next generation to stand firm in their faith and influence the world.
0:18
Nate: For Christ, we're your hosts.
0:20
Nate: I'm Nate and I'm Lewis, so let's get started.
0:24
Nate: And today we're diving into a fun but probably eye-opening topic, and that is teen slang.
0:32
Nate: Teen slang.
0:33
Nate: I've actually been laughing as I read through some of these Are you.
0:36
Nate: It is rather humorous, and those of us that work around teenagers most of our time, we pick up a lot of this stuff.
0:44
Nate: But here's the thing is that it is always changing, so by the time this episode releases, it probably will be out of date.
0:51
Nate: That's just the way it works.
0:52
Nate: But if you've got a teenager, we just want to help you out.
0:55
Nate: We'll talk through some of these.
0:56
Nate: We're going to have some fun.
0:58
Nate: I have learned stuff already myself, so I'm looking forward to sharing this with you all, and it's really not just about kind of understanding what they say.
1:09
Nate: We're also talking about for you parents why we should be checking our kids' devices especially and that goes especially during summer, when there's more time that they're going to be spending communicating with friends because they don't see them at school and we can see as screen time skyrockets.
1:27
Nate: They're going to be using some of these slang to communicate and if you don't know what they're saying, it's going to be hard to tell you know what they actually mean, like even if you are checking your phone right.
1:37
Nate: Go back and listen to those that.
1:40
Nate: Two parter about navigating in the digital world we had several episodes ago.
1:46
Nate: Two-parter about navigating in the digital world we had several episodes ago.
1:47
Nate: I think it was like episodes maybe seven and eight, I think is what those were.
1:50
Nate: But you should be checking.
1:52
Nate: But if you don't know what you're reading because it's slang, you're going to be lost.
1:56
Nate: So we want to give this to you as just a help to get things going.
2:01
Nate: So, lewis, what are you thinking when you see teen slang?
2:06
Nate: What's important for parents to know as we get going with this idea of slang.
2:12
Luis: Well, I think the first thing is that teen slang is another language sometimes, and words don't mean what we think they mean, right.
2:22
Luis: But we're not here to panic.
2:24
Luis: We're not here to be the slang police, right?
2:26
Luis: But as Christian parents and as educators and leaders, we need to make sure that we're paying attention to what's shaping our children, because a lot of these slang words that they might be using may have originated someplace where it probably isn't good for them to be connected to, and I think, with just the growing nature, the way that our world is shrinking because of interconnectedness with other culture through online social media, online gaming so I mean, kids are being exposed to language, and so the key thing to remember is that language is never neutral.
3:01
Luis: It reflects culture, it reflects what people believe and it shapes how kids think, how they interact with each other.
3:09
Luis: It impacts what they believe, and so we're here to make sure that we have an understanding of what these mean, so that we can make sure that we're stewarding every influence that's shaping the hearts of our children.
3:22
Nate: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
3:23
Nate: And on top of that, right, you talked about the connection, right, and sometimes we lose that connection and we don't remember, especially the teenagers.
3:31
Nate: They don't know where that word even came from.
3:34
Nate: Right, I couldn't tell you how many times I've had the conversation of if you don't know what it means, don't say it.
3:39
Nate: You know kind of thing, and so that's a discipleship opportunity we get to have as as parents.
3:44
Nate: But, um, it also is a way to connect, you know, um, so, lewis, you're, you're oldest, right, she's in the middle of the teen, teen years.
3:52
Nate: Um, when you use teen slang with her, is she one that is like rolling her eyes like dad?
3:59
Luis: that's dumb oh or is?
4:00
Nate: she one that's like wow, you actually speak my language.
4:03
Nate: No, no you know?
4:04
Luis: let me be clear.
4:06
Luis: If you learn some slang today and you try to use it with your kids, it doesn't matter how cool you think you are, it doesn't matter how receptive your child is to a relationship with you you are going to immediately get the eye roll.
4:22
Luis: You are immediately going to be labeled uncool because our teens don't, they don't, they don't expect us to know this stuff.
4:32
Luis: And when we do know it, they're like what are you doing?
4:34
Nate: And so, and so.
4:35
Luis: I think I think my daughter is going to fall in that category of like dad, like don't even, don't try, but I think most kids are probably going to fall in that, in that category.
4:45
Nate: They're going to roll their eyes.
4:46
Nate: But I think most kids are probably going to fall in that category.
4:48
Nate: They're going to roll their eyes, but I think underneath the surface there's a little bit of mad props for the fact that you tried and failed miserably.
4:53
Nate: But the eye roll is the classic teen response, I think.
5:03
Luis: But it's the eye roll and then the walk away and go to the room, kind of thing.
5:04
Luis: That's the ultimate walk of shame for a parent.
5:07
Luis: When they're like the eye roll, they sigh, they don't even say anything and then next thing you know they're walking away and you hear the door to their room close.
5:15
Nate: Like you just, you just ruined their day because, because you use the word bet, bet, that's right, I, uh, I own that as as a of honor, not a walk of shame.
5:26
Nate: That's the camp I'm in as a dad, so let's kind of get into this why this really matters.
5:32
Nate: So slang we already said it's a different language, it's a secret code.
5:35
Nate: It can be fun, it can be expressive, a way for teens to bond, maybe for you to bond or annoy your teenage child.
5:43
Nate: But it can also hide some deeper meanings, and so we're going to kind of go through some of those together as we think about, like maybe it's something you might miss, that you need to be aware of, or maybe it's just a fun thing that you know you don't need to be scared of because they're just, you know, being teenagers.
6:02
Luis: And your kids are going to be spending more time on TikTok, right, they're going to be on Snapchat.
6:06
Nate: If you let them on TikTok, If you let them right.
6:08
Luis: If you let them on TikTok, if they use Snapchat and Instagram, and then, now that school's getting ready to be over right, and they go into the summer, they're going to have more access to their devices, they're going to be doing more online and social media, and so students are going to be exposed to this wave of language that for us, as parents, oftentimes flies under the radar.
6:29
Nate: Yeah, yeah.
6:30
Nate: And so if your kid texts something to a friend and they're like, oh, you know that fit was straight fire, she ate and left no crumbs, you kind of need to know that they're not talking about food.
6:41
Nate: Like there were no crumbs to begin with for them to leave.
6:45
Nate: You know they're just talking about, uh, you know some, something fun, Right, and they're there.
6:50
Nate: It's their way of expressing themselves.
6:52
Luis: And really what that means is that someone looked really good or that somebody did something exceptionally well, right and left, no, crumbs and left no crumbs.
6:59
Nate: I throw that in occasionally.
7:05
Luis: Um, and, and the kids here at school don't think it's cool.
7:08
Luis: I had never heard that phrase until you just said it.
7:09
Luis: I had never heard it spoken in the human language, but I also had never even been exposed to it, until I read an article by access that used that phrase, and so yeah yeah, and that's.
7:21
Nate: We've talked about access before.
7:22
Nate: Right, great um resource um that you can use and you know, in yourment kind of use that as a resource, but it's called the access parent guide to teen slang and that's going to be a helpful thing and they update that right.
7:35
Nate: So go on there and you can check it out and, as slang will inevitably change, you can.
7:41
Nate: You can look that one up.
7:42
Luis: I feel like kids change their slang when they figure out that we have figured it out right, and so the good thing about this parent guide is that it's going to break down the meaning, it's going to show you how it's used, and it's also going to let you know that there may be possible concerns behind some of these terms, and so let's look at some fun or harmless slang that you might encounter, I bet I bet right, yeah, that was a good one.
8:07
Nate: So that first one right bet.
8:09
Nate: Uh, it just means okay, or I agree, or like all right, like, like I said the way I just said it.
8:14
Nate: I've heard that countless times in the middle school hallway you are agreeing with what I just I am agreeing with what you just said.
8:20
Nate: Yes, certainly, I uh confirm your uh consensus.
8:24
Nate: How about this one?
8:25
Luis: uh, slaps or bop.
8:27
Luis: Have you heard that one before?
8:28
Luis: I've not heard bop, but I've heard slaps like that, that slaps, that slaps, and so that usually means that, uh, a song is really good.
8:36
Luis: So so, um, you know, depending on your generation, right like you may think that the song achy, breaky heart, uh like that song slaps right and so uh, or you know, if you listen to uh just christian music, maybe uh that next hit song by chris tomlin, that song slaps, slaps, yep uh.
8:57
Nate: This next one is is another one that, again, we hear a lot in the middle school hallway.
9:02
Nate: I'm a middle school principal, so where we hear that and it's Riz Riz, somebody's got Riz.
9:07
Nate: Yeah, you might even hear that changed as to someone is a Rizly bear, rizly bear, yeah, have you not heard that one.
9:14
Nate: I've not heard Rizly bear they kind of they work it in there and I feel, like that's a dad joke disguised as teen slang as teen slang.
9:21
Luis: Yeah, and what Riz means?
9:22
Luis: It's short for the word charisma right and so usually it's referring to somebody who has charisma, but specifically along the lines of somebody who may be a good flirt.
9:32
Nate: So if you have Riz, you have the ability to flirt.
9:36
Nate: I think in our generation it was game right Game, that's right.
9:39
Luis: Yeah, we had game, that's right, that's right.
9:40
Luis: There you go, drip.
9:42
Nate: Drip, or somebody or something is drippy, drippy.
9:53
Nate: Yes, that would be an outfit right.
9:54
Nate: Normally that's with clothes.
9:54
Nate: Another one that kind of goes with that is kicks.
9:56
Nate: I think that one makes sense, right it's your shoes, usually like Jordans or like name brand, like fancy nice shoes, and so you might have drippy kicks.
10:03
Nate: Fancy nice shoes, and so you might have drippy kicks.
10:07
Nate: Which that one?
10:08
Nate: So when I was in teaching in a classroom still, I would let my students teach me some slang and that was one of the ones that they taught me talking about drippy kicks, and I was asking if that the cereal kicks, if it had anything to do with that, and you put too much milk, so it was drippy kicks and I got the eye roll on that one because they didn't like it.
10:26
Luis: But there you go Now.
10:27
Luis: This one, this next one.
10:28
Luis: I think this one's an old one because I think I remember hearing this when I was younger the word bougie, bougie, bougie, yeah.
10:37
Nate: So that would be like high class fancy, like over the top, though, like it's not normally.
10:44
Luis: I think used in a compliment like at least what I've heard.
10:48
Nate: Maybe, if we're wrong, please send us an email.
10:50
Nate: Podcast at WayneChristianorg.
10:51
Luis: See, I've always used it like in a compliment, like a complimentary way, yeah, like it's high class, like, oh, that's bougie, that's bougie.
10:57
Nate: Yeah, I think the way the kids I've talked to, when they use bougie, it's like over the top, so nice, and so it's like, oh, you're being bougie, like you're being snobby, almost.
11:08
Nate: So I think it kind of context, right, yeah, read the room a little bit there.
11:12
Nate: And so one of my favorite, though here's our last one in this kind of fun section.
11:17
Nate: The last one is bussing.
11:19
Nate: Right, and that's not talking about the school bus where you have to get on the bus to go to school.
11:23
Nate: Bussing would be like really good food.
11:27
Nate: I've heard that one before, yeah this is bussin', so don't use that in place of drip.
11:33
Nate: I made the mistake of telling somebody that their outfit was bussin' and they're like no, that's drip, it's drippy, it's not bussin'.
11:41
Nate: Bussin' is only food, I don't know why.
11:43
Nate: So they're not interchangeable.
11:45
Luis: They're not interchangeable.
11:46
Nate: Do not interchange them, unless you want to encounter the wrath of a teenager.
11:51
Nate: Wow.
11:51
Luis: Okay, all right, that's good to know, because when I was growing up, some of our slang was interchangeable.
11:58
Luis: You could say that's cool, which was we all know that one, but you could also say that's hot, and it could be the same thing and they could be used interchangeably.
12:16
Nate: No, you do not interchange drip uh or bussing um that they do not work.
12:18
Nate: Bussing is only food and they might even like double it, like that's bussing, bussing, like that's really that's really good, okay, yes um, like having breakfast for dinner is like bussing.
12:25
Nate: oh yeah, sorry, had to make another appearance, had to make it.
12:28
Nate: So if you guys see these words right, you hear I'm talking about it.
12:32
Nate: You know, don't panic, they're just part of the teen vocabulary, like it's a normal thing, but they can be a good conversation starter, like you know.
12:40
Nate: Hey, you know why are you talking about Riz, like who's got Riz, or what does that mean for you, or what does that mean for you?
12:46
Nate: And it gives you a chance to like engage and have a conversation.
12:50
Nate: But none of these, you know, unless you see something else in the context that would make it a red flag, these words in and of themselves are probably not something to be concerned about.
13:14
Luis: You know, if they're saying that they ate and left no crumbs, like they're just, you know, they're just excited about something that they did, that they did really well.
13:16
Luis: And I bet that if you were to ask your teen, your teen or preteen because preteens are using some of this language too uh, you'd be surprised, right?
13:19
Luis: Those?
13:19
Luis: Those questions are going to lead to deeper conversations, like they might even want to know, like how do you know that word?
13:23
Luis: Where did you see it?
13:24
Luis: Like uh, and may even open up a dialogue that is a good for you and for them to have.
13:31
Luis: Now let's look at some slang that may raise some eyebrows.
13:36
Luis: They're not necessarily bad, but they're going to be a little bit more serious.
13:40
Nate: Yeah, yeah, it gets a little more serious and you might need to keep your eyes out for what's going on here.
13:45
Nate: They may indicate something for you to pay closer attention to.
13:48
Nate: So the first one, again, it for you to pay closer attention to.
13:50
Nate: So, um, the first one, um, you know, again, it could go either way, uh, and it's cap, uh, or no cap.
13:56
Nate: Yeah, uh, usually that's not having to do with a hat that you wear on your head.
14:00
Nate: Um, that would be like when they're saying somebody's lying, they're like oh, cap, I'm calling cap or something like that, or they're they're trying to say no, I'm telling the truth, I'm being serious, and that's no cap, no cap, no cap, no cap.
14:13
Luis: So that's the first one Again not really a big deal, but it could be.
14:22
Luis: So, just context, use your best discernment.
14:23
Luis: This next one I don't know how long it's been out.
14:25
Luis: I've only heard it recently.
14:27
Luis: I don't even know that I can say it Skibbity, skibbity.
14:30
Nate: Skibbity, skibbity, yeah, so that's, it's a nonsense word.
14:34
Nate: Okay, and again, if you talk about the, where a word came from, so Skibbity originally came from this YouTube video series about the Skibbity toilet.
14:46
Nate: Have you heard of the?
14:46
Luis: Skibbity toilet.
14:47
Nate: No, no, no, there's even like action figure, like toys of a skibbity toilet.
14:51
Nate: It really is nonsense, like, if you want to lose some brain cells, you can go watch the skibbity toilet YouTube videos.
14:57
Nate: But it's a nonsense word.
15:00
Nate: It can mean really whatever they want it to mean.
15:03
Nate: It can be cool, it can be silly, it can be insulting.
15:06
Nate: Yeah, I mean dumb or really, you know, just kind of as a uh, I don't want to say expletive, but it could be there.
15:12
Nate: Okay, um, it's actually, if you do some research on this, uh, it, it actually came.
15:18
Nate: It has made its way into certain lyrics of songs that are not, uh, fully appropriate, um, and so that's one that it's like best to avoid you know, just because that your, your child, may be using it just because they've heard their friends, and it's just that.
15:35
Nate: It's nonsense, ridiculousness, and there's nothing big going on there.
15:39
Nate: But it could mean, you know, it could be a way for them to mask, yeah, you know, uh, some emotions of upsetness or, you know, derision towards something else this next one is I am familiar with this one, I've heard it before Parents.
15:53
Luis: You might have heard it before Catch feels.
15:55
Luis: And catch feels is when you are developing romantic feelings for the opposite gender.
16:02
Nate: Okay, there we go, catch in the feels.
16:04
Nate: I've not heard that one, you've not heard that one before, I have not heard that one.
16:07
Nate: Oh, okay, so that was a new one for me.
16:09
Luis: And maybe that's an older one right.
16:11
Luis: Maybe that's you know if you're used to dealing with middle school, Middle school, maybe it's an older yeah.
16:15
Luis: Catching the feels.
16:17
Nate: Yep.
16:17
Nate: The next one I have heard Sigma.
16:20
Luis: I have heard it.
16:21
Luis: I've never heard it used by anybody.
16:24
Luis: Heard about it yep, yep.
16:26
Nate: so sigma, um, and, and it's kind of, this is one that has morphed over over time.
16:32
Nate: It originally had to do with, uh, a male who was like unbothered and just kind of like did his own thing.
16:39
Nate: Um, you know so it wasn't like the alpha male that like tried to lead everybody, but just kind of a sigma who would just kind of he, he's just going to do his own thing and doesn't care, and be his own person, you know so, kind of harmless but whatever.
16:53
Nate: But it's kind of expanded Um, again, it can be a nonsense word that kids will throw in there.
16:58
Nate: Um, I've even heard, you know, people add it at the end of what the Sigma.
17:03
Nate: Um, you know, which I've always said, if you're replacing a word for another word, then you know you may be, you know, still kind of on the edge there, not a great thing to do.
17:13
Nate: So you hear that you know it can go either way.
17:17
Nate: So just kind of like no, listen, see what they're trying to say, and then it's a good conversation starter, yeah, this next one I've heard.
17:26
Luis: I've not heard this one used, I've heard one of the parts of it used, but thirst trap, thirst, thirst trap.
17:34
Luis: And that's a provocative selfie that's meant to attract attention.
17:40
Luis: And I think this one may have its origins off of, like the word thirsty Okay, because I've heard that one used before.
17:46
Luis: Yeah, and thirsty was the idea that somebody was Need some Gatorade.
17:50
Luis: Well, not the Gatorade, oh, okay.
17:52
Luis: But they need attention.
17:56
Nate: Oh, okay.
17:57
Luis: And so they're being thirsty.
17:58
Nate: They're thirsty for attention.
17:59
Nate: Yes, yes, yes, okay.
18:00
Nate: So they're like performing.
18:01
Nate: Yes, oh, okay.
18:03
Nate: There you go.
18:03
Nate: I had not heard that one before.
18:04
Nate: There you go.
18:07
Luis: Which is our next word?
18:08
Luis: Which is our next word?
18:09
Luis: Our next word sus, Sus.
18:11
Nate: Look at that transition right there.
18:12
Nate: You ruined the transition when you pointed it out.
18:13
Nate: But sus, so that would be suspicious.
18:16
Nate: It's just short for suspicious Something.
18:18
Nate: Sus.
18:19
Nate: Somebody can ask sus or act sus, be sus.
18:23
Nate: It could imply something inappropriate or questionable, or it could just be weird.
18:28
Nate: Like you're just being sus, like why are you being weird?
18:31
Nate: When you use teen slang with your child, they may say that you're being sus.
18:34
Luis: That you're being sus.
18:35
Luis: Yeah, that's probably a good one to use sometimes, Like when your kid is maybe acting shady right.
18:40
Luis: Like you know, that's sus.
18:43
Nate: That's sus.
18:43
Nate: And then they go wait and you catch them in their tracks.
18:46
Nate: I don't know what's going.
18:47
Luis: This next one is I do have some experience with this one because I had a student several years ago tell me that somebody had a Finsta, A Finsta.
18:57
Nate: A Finsta.
19:00
Luis: Okay, and this one's probably one to pay attention to, because a Finsta is a fake Instagram account.
19:07
Luis: A Finsta, a Finsta, right.
19:09
Nate: So instead of Insta.
19:10
Luis: right, it's a Finsta.
19:11
Luis: A Finsta follow their friends may follow, and then they have a finsta where only people that they allow to follow them, and then they see stuff that may not necessarily be appropriate.
19:38
Nate: Yeah, not it's.
19:39
Nate: It's a little sus if they got.
19:40
Luis: A fence, they got a fence, it is okay because they may be setting it up as a thirst trap this is just going downhill.
19:48
Nate: It is so going downhill um and parents.
19:51
Luis: This is where we encourage you to make sure that you're checking your child's phone and ask like, hey, what does this mean?
19:58
Luis: Why did you post this, or what's your intention behind this?
20:03
Luis: This isn't a time to accuse them, right?
20:05
Luis: You're not accusing them.
20:06
Luis: You're just asking and ask with curiosity, ask with love, because you care for them and you want to know.
20:12
Nate: Right, because we're wanting to shepherd our children's hearts right.
20:15
Nate: Proverbs 4.23 says guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life, and that includes helping our kids guard what they see, hear, say, all of those things that we let into our minds and then will come out of our heart through our mouth and our actions.
20:33
Nate: All of that is an important thing for us, as parents, to be paying attention to so that we can better shepherd what they're doing.
20:43
Nate: So those that we just kind of ran through here are good ones to keep an eye out for this next section, this next list we'll run through really quick.
20:53
Nate: These are, you know, red flags.
20:56
Nate: They really are not used in a good way, yeah, and they can actually hide some harmful behavior.
21:03
Luis: And these are probably some parents that if you hear your kids say, if you see them on their phones or on their social media, like you probably want to have a conversation with them, because these are going to be some that probably raise, like Nate mentioned some red flags here and this is just probably a short list of some that are probably okay for us to talk about.
21:26
Luis: But if you go back and we mentioned the Access Guide to Slang they have several more that you may want to check out that are probably good for you to know about.
21:39
Luis: But here's the first one, unalive, and that's a coded way to refer to suicide, and so I've not seen or heard this one used, so I can't give you context of how it would be used, but I think just the connotation of being unalive and what that means.
21:58
Nate: Yeah, and I mean you see that you kind of see how it fits together, right, they're unalive and a lot of these would be a way to maybe get around some filters, if you've got filters set up or even like social media filters, because the media companies themselves try to at least they say they do try to filter out content, and this would be one of the ways that teens would have conversations about suicide, depression, those types of things, without getting flagged by filters.
22:31
Luis: Another one to be aware of is the word plug.
22:34
Luis: Again, sounds innocent.
22:36
Luis: You may think plug, what are they talking about here?
22:38
Luis: But behind it is the idea of someone who is dealing drugs and so, depending on the context of how it's used and you see that word, you may wanna understand how it's being used and what they mean by that, because it could be used to hide that they are trying to find somebody who is selling drugs.
22:59
Nate: Yeah, the next one slay.
23:01
Nate: You actually may have heard, because this can be used innocently.
23:04
Nate: It would be kind of like the ate and left no crumbs, like, oh, they slayed, or whatever.
23:11
Nate: It just means that you did a really good job, like you dominated at something or you're just really cool.
23:16
Nate: But it can also, depending on the context, refer to things like violence or an intense confrontation, where you know you're going to want to come out on top and so they just, you know, slay, I'm going to go slay.
23:29
Luis: I've actually seen the word slay used in a confrontational way In a group chat.
23:38
Luis: A group of students were talking about confronting somebody and somebody was like, yeah, we're going to slay, and so that's an example of how it can be used in that way.
23:47
Luis: This next one's one that you probably need to be aware of.
23:49
Luis: It's the phrase body count.
23:51
Luis: One that you probably need to be aware of.
23:55
Luis: It's the phrase body count, and the idea behind this phrase is it's used to refer to how many people somebody has been with in a relationship that should be reserved for marriage, and so if you see your teen talking about a body count unfortunately this is one that I have seen as well you know they talk about so-and-so has a high body count they're talking about them engaging in behavior that shouldn't be reserved for marriage, right, right.
24:19
Nate: So whether your child's saying that about themselves or about one of their friends or classmates, it's going to be a red flag there for you.
24:28
Nate: And the last one is a little bit different NPC the initials N-P-C and it's short for, or it's an acronym for, non-player characters, which would be from like a video game.
24:42
Nate: You know how.
24:43
Nate: It's just an extra kind of in the game.
24:45
Nate: It's not an actual person playing that game and it's kind of a dehumanizing term.
24:49
Nate: Right, if you refer to somebody as an NPC, they're irrelevant, they're not really part of my life, they're not part of the conversation, they're an NPC.
24:58
Luis: And that's actually one that has originated, really, as games like Grand Theft Auto or even like Call of Duty or some of the games that can have some violent aspects to it, because oftentimes the non-player characters.
25:16
Nate: You can shoot them them.
25:16
Luis: You can hurt them, you can do things.
25:17
Luis: They're expendable, yeah, and they just and they're just there.
25:18
Luis: And so sometimes in games like that you have kids or people that are playing the games that they just, they just go on a rampage and they and they go and they slaughter you know hundreds of npcs, and so the idea behind it is just dehumanizing the person that they're talking about which, again, that's a place where you can have a conversation like even like kind of going off topic here, but even in video games, like why would you do that?
25:43
Nate: Like what does that?
25:44
Nate: How does that affect your heart and how you treat other people?
25:47
Nate: Because if you can dehumanize them as NPCs, then you knows, then that's going to be bad for building relationships with all people who are made in the image of God.
25:58
Luis: And so if you see any of these, so don't freak out, right?
26:02
Luis: I mean don't panic, just pause, pray, have a calm but serious conversation, because it's not just about slang, right?
26:11
Luis: I mean, these are words that kids are using, but it's giving you a window into their mental, their emotional, their spiritual condition.
26:20
Luis: Like, what are they thinking?
26:21
Luis: What does this mean to them?
26:24
Nate: Yeah, and so just kind of to review as we wrap up some different things.
26:29
Nate: Like I said, we did a two-part series on navigating the digital world, or helping your teen navigate the digital world, and so this is just kind of like a specialized topic on that.
26:40
Nate: So just to kind of review some practical steps parents can take in this summer helping their child with navigating that world and how they interact with other people.
26:52
Nate: What are some tips you would give them?
26:54
Nate: Lewis, it just starts.
26:55
Luis: Simply make sure that you're checking your child's phone, their social media, their gaming, whatever they're using, Make sure that you're checking it regularly, not in a I'm going to get you kind of way, but as a form of just having that adult accountability, that parent accountability, and showing them that you care about their heart.
27:11
Luis: Use it as a conversation tool.
27:13
Luis: Don't use it as a weapon.
27:14
Luis: Right, You're not here to beat them over the head with it, but you're here to understand their world.
27:18
Nate: Yep, and number two we've already said this, right, but talk, have a conversation about what, what you see, about what you hear them say, um, you know, and and ask questions.
27:29
Nate: It's always best to ask and not lecture, and so you know.
27:32
Nate: Just a simple question of help me understand what this means, um, or what you mean by that Um, and and just get that conversation going with a kind of a from a place of humility, right, um?
27:43
Nate: Because maybe they just don't mean it in a certain way or the words have changed since we've just told them, you know, here in this podcast.
27:50
Nate: So, ask questions and.
27:52
Luis: I think along that line, right is.
27:53
Luis: You ask questions because you don't need to freak out, right?
27:58
Luis: If you freak out, you're shutting down the conversation.
28:01
Luis: But respond with grace, respond with clarity and correct what needs to be corrected, but make sure that you're always pointing them to Christ, right?
28:09
Luis: We see in the Bible Jesus didn't freak out when he confronted sin.
28:13
Luis: He led them through the process of understanding what they were doing and why it was wrong.
28:20
Luis: But you never see Jesus freaking out.
28:22
Nate: Yeah, that's definitely an important thing Stay calm in those conversations and stay informed.
28:28
Nate: Like we said, it's always changing, so go check out that Access Teen Slang Terms or Guide to Teen Slang, or just keep listening to Equipped for Impact.
28:39
Nate: Maybe we'll do another one.
28:40
Nate: We just try and help as best we can.
28:43
Nate: As we learn these things, we want to share them.
28:46
Nate: That's why we do this podcast.
28:47
Luis: And number five, but it's probably the most important one, is make sure that you're praying over your child's heart daily, because our job isn't just to monitor their behavior, but it's to help them grow in holiness, to point them to Jesus, to make sure that they're becoming more and more like Jesus every day.
29:05
Luis: My favorite Bible verse is Romans 12, 2, and that reminds us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, yeah and so.
29:14
Nate: That's great.
29:15
Nate: And this summer, as you're interacting, maybe spending more time with your teenager and their friends, don't let the teen slang just slip by.
29:24
Nate: Right.
29:24
Nate: Use it, even if they roll their eyes at you.
29:26
Nate: Learn from it, talk about it and have that bridge, not a barrier, right.
29:31
Nate: Make connections with your child.
29:34
Nate: So, lewis, any last words of encouragement as we close out this episode.
29:38
Luis: Your child's words are shaping their worldview, what they hear, what they say.
29:42
Luis: It's all helping them develop who they are going to be, and so be a parent who engages them.
29:48
Luis: Ask questions, lead them with love, point them to the truth.
29:52
Luis: And remember our goal isn't just to raise good kids, it's to disciple young people who are going to impact the world for Christ.
29:59
Nate: That's right, and so if you've got any questions or you hear some new teen slang or you want to correct maybe some inconsistencies that we've shared because it's always changing right Send us an email.
30:10
Nate: Podcast at WayneChristianorg.
30:12
Nate: And if you enjoyed this episode or you know of other parents who would love to hear this or could use it, please share this with them and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss our next episode.
30:23
Nate: So thanks for joining us today.
30:25
Nate: So thanks for joining us today and until next time, keep leading the next generation to stand firm in their faith and influence their world for Christ.