A mom recently posted on Reddit about how she cannot understand what her young daughter is saying anymore. She went to the UK version of Ask Reddit to ask if other parents were having the same problem with their kids and their weird new slang words.
The post got over 6,600 upvotes and 2,300 comments before the mom deleted it. She talked about being confused by words like “my bad chat” and “so mid.” The mom said her daughter sends her messages like “chat I need a bus ticket” and uses “chat” because they are talking to each other. But the mom thought this was strange, like walking up to someone and saying “talk” before you start talking to them.
Many people on Reddit told her this is just what happens when you get older. One person wrote, “You’re getting old, dude. I’m sure you and I both said loads of stuff that sounded stupid when we were kids. Every generation creates its own language of slang, and with how popular streamers are with kids, none of this surprises me.” The comment showed that all generations make up their own ways of talking, and parents always have trouble understanding it.
Every Generation Makes Up New Words That Confuse Their Parents
People in the comments explained where words like “chat” and “mid” come from. The word “chat” started with people who stream videos online. These streamers talk to their viewers through chat rooms and call all the people watching “chat.” Young people thought it was funny to use this word when talking to just one person, even though you need more than one person to actually chat.
Some people shared a famous quote from a cartoon character named Abraham Simpson who said, “I used to be with it, but then they changed what it is.” This made sense to a lot of parents who remembered using slang that their own parents did not understand. One user joked in old English style that if kids never talked differently, we would all still be speaking like people did hundreds of years ago.
Social media has made new slang spread much faster than before. What used to take years to catch on at schools now spreads in just days on apps like TikTok and YouTube. This makes it even harder for parents to keep up with all the new words their kids are using. Just like how viral TikTok trends can confuse people when they blow up online, new slang words can leave parents feeling lost.
Some Reddit users gave tips on how to deal with kids who talk like this. One parent said, “My son is into this Italian brainrot nonsense. I walk into his room and say ‘good morning ballerina cappucina’ it’s suddenly not cool anymore and I don’t have to listen to made up crap.” Another person suggested, “Just do what mums of my generation did and parrot their nonsense back to them with a mild hint of menace.”
The mom who made the post even said she tried to fight back by making up her own slang. She told her daughter that “Yak Yak” meant “yeah ah know” to see if her daughter would start saying it. She also said her other daughter does not talk this way at all and is just as confused by her sister.
Published: Oct 17, 2025 10:45 am