If you're ever confused by the words that make their way into your kid's vocabulary, trust me, you are not alone. As trends evolve, things fall in and out of favor. The words kids pick up from pop culture are constantly changing.
Life360, creators of a location-sharing family safety app, have come up with a solution. They're providing help to parents looking to stay in the loop. After all, not every kid is generous enough to make their parents a personalized guide.
Thus, the parent glossary was born. They sourced definitions for today's most commonly used slang terms from members of Gen Z. Learn what it means to be "salty," to "get the tea," and more. Since slang is constantly evolving, Life360 has decided to update the parent glossary every quarter, so parents never have to fall too far out of touch.
Are you one of those parents who would rather not know? Reconsider, seeing it as an additional communication tool, rather than something you need to incorporate into your own everyday life.
"Kid and teen slang is constantly changing, making it difficult for parents to stay in the loop," notes the Life360 team. "The Glossary will allow parents to keep up with the latest lingo, helping them communicate more efficiently and effectively, and feel closer to their kids."
Canceled
People are getting canceled left and right, so you should know what that means. Gen Z defines it as a verb meaning "to dismiss something/somebody or to reject an individual or idea." You might get canceled for taking the phone away or grounding your kids — so, beware.
Cap
Don't let the emojis fool you. The kids are not talking about hats. "Cap" is used as a verb meaning "to lie or say something false." If you're hearing a lot of "no cap," that means the person is trying to say they're telling the truth.
Fye
Sorry, folks, this has nothing to do with the store where you used to get CDs. Fye seems to be a derivative of Gen X's "fire." In other words, "a term that describes either a person or a thing that one greatly approves of."
GOAT
We're not talking livestock. GOAT is an acronym for the phrase "greatest of all time." You'll often hear it in conversations about important figures who stand to be legendary in the areas of sports and music.
Karen
Moms out there can only hope not to embarrass their kids with Karen-like behaviors. Karen isn't just a first name — it's also "a mocking slang term for an entitled, obnoxious, middle-aged white woman." Whatever you do, don't ask to speak to a manager with a Gen Z-er watching.
OC
OC is another abbreviation that sometimes shows up as OOC, meaning "out of control." Use is as an adjective to "describe something crazy, extreme, frantic, or wild." Don't find yourself getting roasted in the group chat for an OC reaction to something your kid says.
Salty
"Salty" is both a feeling and, at times, a criticism. It is "a word to describe being upset, angry, or bitter as a result of being made fun of or embarrassed," Life360 explains.
"Also a characteristic of a person who feels out of place or attacked."
Savage
Celebrities from Nicki Minaj to Demi Lovato are self-proclaimed savages, but what exactly does that mean? Think of it as ruthless, in a sense.
"Savage is when someone does or says something completely outrageous and doesn't fear the repercussions or consequences of their actions," they explain.
Send It
Send it is a pretty great one to hear from your kids. To send it is "to do something with full confidence and without fear of consequences." We all want our kids to have that fiery fearlessness when they're young, as long as it's well-directed.
Sus
This one's easy to remember and pretty important. If your kids think you're acting "sus," that means they think that you're being suspicious.
"Having the sense of being questionable or shady," Life360 notes.
Play it cool, and don't be very obvious if you're worried your kids think you're acting sus.
Tea
What's the tea, sis? It's not in the kettle. Tea is the latest term for gossip, the scoop, or the juiciest news out there. You'll hear kids talking about "spilling the tea," or revealing the latest to their friends.
We don't typically encourage gossip in kids, but tea is more likely to be about public figures than it is to be about other kids in most instances.
Track Pack
We're not sure how widespread "track pack" is, but we know it's relevant in the Life360 world. Since their app allows parents and their kids to be aware of each other's location, a track pack would be whoever you share your location with. Kids also share locations through a number of other apps, though, so be on the lookout.
Trash
This one's pretty self-explanatory. Something that's trash is all kinds of awful. It's "used to refer to something that is absolutely unacceptable because it's all-around terrible," Life360 explains.
Vibe Check
Vibes are all about the mood in the room. A vibe check is "a spontaneous and usually random time where someone checks your vibe," they explain. The friendly check-in has become more important to a generation who is aware of and active in managing their mental health.
"It's supposed to be a pleasant experience, like a check-in from a friend."
Woke
Last but not least is "woke," something you hopefully know a bit about. In this age where kids are more interested and involved in social and political issues, it's important to be woke.
"Woke" is defined as "being conscious of racial discrimination in society and other forms of oppression and injustice," Life360 says. "In mainstream use, woke can also more generally describe someone or something as being 'with it.'"
