Have you ever paused mid-conversation with your grandchildren or just nod silently and wonder what they’re saying?
You see them talk, you hear them talk but you don’t quite understand what they’re saying.
You feel the disconnect, you want to be a part of their lives but don’t know how to fit in?
Well, fret not as in this article, you will learn how to communicate with your grandchildren and understand to not offer them a drink when they say they’re ‘thirsty’ or wonder why they’re so persistent on spilling tea everywhere.
Here’s a list of new-age lingos and phrases that may sound bizarre to you but actually hip and cool to the younger ones and how you, too, can start using them.
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1. Fam
Yup, pretty straight forward right, you think it is a short form for “Family”. To the younger ones, this is term they use to address anyone they speak to, it could be their friends, colleagues or even someone they meet on the road.
Possible ways to use this word could be “Hey fam, thanks for the drink” or “Do you want to go out today, fam?”
2. Spilling the Tea
There could one be one meaning for this phrase and it is not a pleasant one. Fortunately, our lovely younger generation have found another meaning! This term is now used to describe the action of gossiping or sharing information.
Here’s how you can you use it in a sentence, “I heard you talking to this boy, spill the tea” or “How was your group project meeting, spill the tea”
Bonus: If you are thinking of replacing the word ‘tea’ with your favourite ‘kopi-o’, do NOT, as this is a strict pairing just like our ‘kaya and toast’.
3. Thirsty
What else could this mean besides wanting to drink a glass of water? Plenty apparently.
Our young ones are now using to describe someone who is desperate.
Remember how when you liked someone and really wanted to go ‘steady’ with them? You’d do things like buy them flowers and compliment them. It’s exactly that!
Here’s how it used in a sentence, ‘Wow, you’re so thirsty for him/her”
4. Flex
The next time you hear this, please know that your grandchild is not asking to see the muscles you’ve build over the years. It actually means to show off and brag.
Try this the next time your grandchild brings their results back home, “Wow so good marks, let’s go flex to aunty” or when you’re ranting about a character in your favourite TV show, “I don’t like that character, she’s always flexing and being rude”.
5. Yeet
Are you thinking this is a typo? Because it’s not.
Things are starting to get a little tough. This is actually a unintelligible noise our younger ones make when they are really excited and happy about something.
You could think of it similar to the word “Yay” but a modern version.
Let me teach you how to use it.
Let’s say it family game night and you have a high chance of winning the game of cards and you are really excited about it. This where you go, “YEET! Let’s win this!”.
Yeet! Now that you can talk the talk, it’s time to flex your new skills and spill the tea, fam! Let us know how you’ve used it to communicate with your grandchild and what their reaction was!
