Awkward

It seems "slang" begins to infiltrate a child's language most profoundly at 9 years old (based on my research so far of my daughter and her friends n=3). They tend to use the word "that's awkward" for just about everything and it really doesn't 'fit' the context most of the time. I spent a moment to explain to my daughter that my definition of awkward is say, you get a rip in your pants on stage during a performance. Or, when great aunt Nellie bends down to kiss you with her red flaming lips and you try to move away but she still gets you. Or when you have to square dance with boys in 4th grade gym class (I didn't really use these examples). But they use it for EVERYTHING.

• I can't buckle my seatbelt: Awkward


• I got icing on my arm while making a cake: Awkward


• My brother is driving me crazy: Awkward


• Its time to go to bed: Awkward

Again, I am fabricating the scenarios, but truly it feels as though any scenario is awkward. How am I really going to know when she really felt awkward and I need to help her through a sticky spot? Soon she'll be calling me Phat and I won't know if she means cool or on the chubby side. Or Dope when I'll think that someone is slipping her drugs when it just means "cool". Or fo shizzle...which then I'll be really confused because I will think that something is fizzling (or I don't know what) when she really means "for sure". Oh my lordy...what am I going to do? Gone are the days of the easy slang words like "cool", "right on", "groovy"....somehow those are easier to translate. So...we're just at 9 years of age...who knows what is still to come. OMG LOL