Words Of Wisdom: Taking Slang Out Of Your Kid’s Vocabulary

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

While somehow slang has become acceptable business speech and a way to communicate with family and friends, some suggest it has no place in our schools. After all, kids, especially those in their years of elementary education are still striving to master the language, so it’s best not to confuse local lingo with linguistics and language.

But, how can moms and dads, who so often inculcate slang into their own conversations curb their kids from doing the same? It’s especially important for school aged kids old enough who have learned the art of the Internet, texting, shorthand and emoticons; all concepts that won’t help them on school or scholastic proficiency exams. In fact, more and more state and college entrance exams are making the correct use to the language mandatory in their formal writing aptitude tests. And, parent’s can’t and shouldn’t wait until kids reach this age to teach them proper English. In fact, they recommend prohibiting any form of IM and Email style language not only when doing schoolwork, but when having conversations in the home, especially with other adults.

· Speak to your kids about using a variety of writing style to express themselves with different audiences, customizing the message and the words they use. And, teach them about formal and informal situations to help them better understand.

· Make creative writing fun, finding new ways to have kids practice punctuations, grammar and other writing skills. Consider having them write out Holiday cards with a personal message, thank you notes, or even make out the grocery list.

· Go over your kids homework making sure to point out any improper grammar, punctuation and the use of “inappropriate” language including IM and e-mail style “text”. You can even ask your kids to point out their own mistakes before you do, teaching them to be more away of how they write and how they speak.

· Set the ground rules by setting an example with how you talk. Kids “will” pick up on your mannerisms and habits and many will try to mimick mom and dad. Remember to cut them some slack by allowing them to use slang when chatting with siblings and friends or during certain times at home. Just make sure they know where to draw the line.

· Give your child his or her creative space. Set up a writing area that offers your child a well-organized place to write. And, make sure he or she has all the necessities including quiet, good lighting, a dictionary, etc.

· Make time to read. Reading with your kids, on your own, or encouraging kids to read a chapter a night exposes them to different types of writing styles, teaches them about grammar and sentence structure and exposes them to new words. The more your child reads, the better he or she will be at expressing himself or herself in writing and in speech.

Long Island Family Life & Parenting Articles > Words Of Wisdom: Taking Slang Out Of Your Kid’s Vocabulary