Communicating with Teenagers – In Their Own Words

Do you sometimes feel that when you communicate with your teenage son or daughter, it seems like both of you are talking about the same topic but using different languages? I do. At times, when my 16-year old son speaks with me, I feel like I’ve been warped to a different universe or time zone. I’d usually end up blinking my eyes, totally at a loss at what he just said.

My son teases me about my seemingly-amusing reaction and would patiently explain what he meant using some “old school term” (his words, mind you) just so I’d get it.  I hear acronyms like LOL, BRB and IDK all the time that I sometimes couldn’t help rolling my eyes. At first, I was mildly annoyed. It took a while but I eventually I caught up and can now fairly communicate with the kids using “their language.”

Ok, so I mentioned LOL, BRB and IDK a while ago. Just so we are all on the same page (for Moms like me who kind of need some catching up with teen language), here are just some of the usual Teen terms that I have gotten familiar with and what they mean:

• BRB – be right back. Yes, instead of uttering all three words, they abbreviate it.
• LOL – laugh out loud. This is fairly basic and is actually a chat acronym until I heard it being spoken out. For instance, instead of saying “Mom, that’s funny,” the kids will say “LOL Mom”
• IDK – I don’t know. I get “IDK” when at times I ask the kids about some item that I may have misplaced.
• DL – download. They’d say “I already DL’d that recipe you asked me to.”
• My Bad – meaning “my mistake”
• BFF – Best Friends Forever. The kids declared me as one of their BFFs. Yey!
• Chillaxin – Chilling and relaxing

The list goes on and on… And yes, we heard it a lot of times – “the only thing that’s constant is change.” In every generation, teen language also tends to evolve depending on the highlights and major influences of the prevalent culture. Seeing how different media platforms have influenced the younger generation is such a marvel.  Information travels so fast these days from one end of the world to another that it only takes one click, and zoom! Information is accessible to practically everyone at anytime. A big part of its powerful influence is the continuous evolution of the way young people communicate be it verbal or written.

I must admit, as entertaining or as novel as this may seem, I did worry about how this has influenced their writing skills. With the paranoia of a typical OC Mom, I checked on their essays and their completed home works. I breathed a big sigh of relief when I saw them still using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.

I see no problems with some of these language variations. As long as disrespectful words are not used (and no cussing please!), that’s fine with me. In fact, in my experience, learning to adapt to their language keeps me “in the loop” and makes bridging our age gaps pretty much natural. It makes it easier and more comfortable for us to converse about things that matter. It’s sort of a smooth conduit that allows us to share our individual way of thoughts and feelings in a manner that is often light, fun and engaging.  

Healthy communication with my teen is something that I take seriously. If it sometimes entail learning their ‘lingo’ to be able to continue maintaining our lines open and to further keep tabs with what’s going on, count this Mommy in. 

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Vegetarian Cooking Class

Image credit: Science of Identity Foundation and Greens Vegetarian Restaurant and Cafe

Last Saturday, my daughter and I attended a vegetarian cooking class for the first time. For as long as I can remember, that has been on my bucket list. Unfortunately, due to one reason or another, I have not been able to do so in the past.

The class is an initiative of Science of Identity Foundation. They coined it “Easy Vegetarian.” I learned about this activity from the Greens Vegetarian Restaurant and Café Facebook newsfeed.  Being a big fan of Greens Vegetarian Resto and Café (I swear they serve the most delectable vegetarian food) , I was so looking forward to meeting Green's Restaurateur, Ms. Mary Ann Duran, who will be facilitating the cooking demo.

The venue was easy enough to find. It’s very near LRT Pureza station. My daughter and I arrived on time. The place is so cozy and relaxing. The sound of soft, beautiful music greeted us upon entrance. There were also warm lights and the aroma of something sweet made my mouth water.  The ambience is like being in a spa; all the elements in it placed me in a very pleasant and tranquil disposition.  What a way to start the day, right?

A free recipe booklet was also handed out upon registration. The fee costs only PHP 500. This is the menu:

• ·         Veggie Waffle Dog
• ·         Assorted Dips
• ·         Vietnamese Spring Rolls
• ·         Fruit Crumble

The activity started with a brief discussion on vegetarianism. The talk touched on identification of the different types of vegetarians as well as some of the major reasons why people choose the vegetarian lifestyle. Immediately after that, Ms. Duran started demonstrating how to prepare Apple Crumble Bar.  The scent of cinnamon was simply divine!

Ms. Mary Ann Duran, Restaurateur of Greens Vegetarian Restaurant and Cafe conducted the cooking demo.

While the Apple crumble bar was placed in the oven, Ms. Duran moved on to the preparation of the assorted dips. She showed us how to prepare vegan sour cream and onion, spinach dip, and fresh tomato salsa. Again, the aroma of the different herbs and spices is definitely a treat to the senses!

Pouring the apple crumble topping.

The veggie waffle dog was easy enough to prepare. The wafting vanilla scent while the waffle dogs are being fried is heavenly. I definitely loved learning this simple dish because it will be great to serve for children’s parties or it could be a healthy, light snack for friends who visit and hang out at home. The veggie waffle dog may either be fried or cooked using hot dog waffle maker.  

Frying the veggie waffle dog.

We had the most fun with the hands on preparation of the Vietnamese spring rolls.  We each managed to come up with our culinary output of the spring rolls. Some rolls were fat, some too thin. But it was enjoyable!

My daughter enjoying her hands on experience and doin' it like a pro.

My daughter's culinary output.

Vietnamese spring rolls

Spinach dip, Fresh Tomato Dip with tacos and bread sticks. Nyum!

Vegan Sour Cream and Onion with veggie munchies. 

Afterwards, a small buffet was laid out and we ate the mouth-watering food to our hearts’ content. Amongst the three dips, most of us loved the spinach dip. It was definitely the tastiest and creamiest. The apple crumble bar was definitely a hit and the veggie waffle dogs are my daughter’s favorite. I love the Vietnamese spring rolls. The ingredients are so fresh and crispy and I am mad about the smell of mint on this dish.

Ms. Duran was very accommodating in answering all of our questions and was very helpful during the hands on activity. It’s very evident that she loves what she is doing and that positive energy permeates within the room. I really like it that she is warm and very approachable.

I really count myself lucky for having attended this. Primarily because it is so hard to find vegetarian recipes that include ingredients which are easy to find in the Philippines. Most of the vegetarian recipe books that are offered in our local bookstores have recipes involving vegetables that are mostly grown in other countries.  Aside from meeting new friends, we were also able to swap information on the best places to purchase vegetarian ingredients (i.e. mock ham, veggie meat, veggie hotdogs, etc.). Plus, we got to learn from one of the country’s best vegetarian chefs. How cool is that, right?

Overall, the experience was educational and delightful. So much so, that I am definitely looking forward to SITEC’s next vegetarian cooking class. You bet I’ll be there. 

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