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Preteens

Parenting a preteen can be a minefield. Find support here.

Original poster

11 year old saying "like" all the time

109 replies

Beccabell · 14/12/2011 11:52

My 11 year old dd (year 7 at secondary school) has started to use the word "like" constantly as a filler in her conversation. It's not just the odd one or two, it's constant. For example "It was like not there" "that's like so cool". She's been doing it for a while now, but it has got worse in her new school. I think they all do it, but she takes it to a new level. I am starting to worry about the future - interviews etc. I know it's a teen culture thing, but really she is doing it "like" all the time!! Do you think there is any cure for this, or any way I can get her to do it less? I'm even thinking about bribery - a prize if she stops doing it so much. The trouble is, she's not aware of doing it. It's driving me mad.

OP posts:
triplets · 14/12/2011 22:58

Thank goodness...................I thought it was only my trio! Ever since they started secondary school they changed, everything is "like" and in the past 2 months its "random"..................nightmare!

KarenMillenCoat · 15/12/2011 00:00

Has anybody mentioned "blatant" yet? Arghhh!

startail · 15/12/2011 00:45

Help! I fear I have this all to come.
My 13 year old gave up trying to fit in with her peer group before she left nursery.
She has her few special friends, but generally teen culture totally passes her by.
However, DD2 is her poler opposite.
She knows exactly what's fashionable and she starts secondary next year. She's sure to come out with lots of this rubbish.

smokeandglitter · 15/12/2011 02:01

Haven't read the whole thread, will do though, but just wanted to say that although I agree, most of it doesn't last. "like" however, I have noticed most people under 28 say. Also, if everyone at school talks like it, then it's very hard to not pick it up. Some people pick things up more easily than other linguistically, such as if you move from London to Glasgow, you might find your children start using "piece" (as in pieces/ piece and ham for sandwich). When I went to Uni we had a lot of laughs over the different slang we all used as friends, but we ended up saying most of it by the end of the first year. "Gozzy" for example, is used by us without thinking for cross-eyed. Not that parents shouldn't try and reduce usage but just that it's hard not to say it without thinking so it might not disappear.

Sidenote, my mum used to 'dare me' on shopping trips to replace 'like' with another word. She gained a point when I failed, and I got one when I suceeded. Haha. Made us both laugh. Especially hearing her repeat like 50 gazillion times! Grin

SealLullaby · 15/12/2011 07:05

I remember my mum banning me from watching Grange Hill in case I started speaking like them! Hmm

PessimisticMissPiggy · 15/12/2011 07:53

My 20something friend was pulled up on her use of 'like' and her upwards intonation by her manager following a presentation that she made to the senior management of her organisation. I was horrified when she told me.

When I asked what her response was she said 'I explained that in Kent, like, everyone our age speaks like I do. I suppose it's because i'm, like, younger than them.' I found this hilarious! She's almost 30 FFS!!!

HSMM · 15/12/2011 08:28

My 12 yr old DD

"Mummy. Is Child A like Child B's little brother?"

No DD, Child A is not like Child B's brother, Child A is Child B's brother!

RodentOfUnusualSize · 15/12/2011 08:46

This is great:

Nyunya · 15/12/2011 09:05

When my brothers and I were teenagers and used to come home from school dropping the ends of words and using slang, he used to say that we could speak however we wanted to at school, but at home we needed to pronounce words correctly and not use slang etc. It worked really well at making us aware of what we sounded like without being the odd ones out at school!

whatdoiknowanyway · 15/12/2011 09:09

We kept a tally once. Was on train back from a university open day with DD.
University in question very popular with independent school kids. One group settled themselves across the corridor (ie blocking the path of anyone who wanted to go up or down the carriage) and talked incessantly and loudly about their schools, mutual friends, gap yahs, holiday homes... Every other word was like. Thanks to the volume they spoke at,there was no ignoring it and it was really irritating. DD kept count on her iPod as we couldn't get over just how many they used. I'd be really fed up if I was their parents. Mine aren't perfect but we've always picked them up on sloppy speech and they manage to keep it reasonably in check.

mummytime · 15/12/2011 09:18

How times have changed then. When I went to Uni interviews you could spot the Public school boys by the amount they swore.
Funny my kids don't use like. DD does a good teenager impression when she is in the right mood (a lot of the rest of the time she is a teenager).

MmeLindor. · 15/12/2011 09:26

My DD has started dropping Ts - she says "li'l" all the time. And rolls her eyes when I correct her.

Just as I used to roll my eyes when my mum would tell me off for saying "ken" instead of "know". For which I am now very thankful.

Aitch
That is very interesting, because when you watch the clip of the Peaches Geldof someone linked to earlier that she is talking about Scientology while not really believing a word of what she is saying.

BarryShitpeas · 15/12/2011 09:26

Dds (7 and 10) say trufax if something is true.

I am like this. Hmm

legspinner · 15/12/2011 09:36

My 11 yo DTs say "that is totally awesomeized". like the previous poster I am Hmm

melika · 15/12/2011 09:40

Ah... America, what would we do without its influence. Sounds legally blonde to me.Xmas Wink

MmeLindor. · 15/12/2011 09:43

Melika
Oh, but "totes" is British, I think.

I kept reading it on Twitter and thinking, "Totes? Isn't that a brand of slippers?"

Must unfollow Tulisa.

Akiram · 15/12/2011 09:48

My DS responds to anything with "innit blud/blood. I have no idea what this means.
When I told him that my equivalent of his "sick" was "bad" as in bad=good he just looked at me wide eyed and said "like, that is just so wrong" in a fake gangsta style. Sigh, he'll grow out of it hopefully

SindyW · 15/12/2011 09:51

Nearly fell off my chair when my DD (19) talked about 'randomers'. An insult for outsiders who arn't even worht thinking about. As in some randomer.

DiscoDaisy · 15/12/2011 09:54

'like', 'cool', 'awesome', 'well funny' and that's just from my 11 yr old DD2, never mind the other 4!

SindyW · 15/12/2011 09:56

I found it exclusive and elitist. She hasn't been brought up with those values. Also the word random is slightly threatening brings up thoughts of random acts of violence. How can people be random. Did they just occur? Were they not planned? Maybe I've done too many stats.

Akiram · 15/12/2011 10:12

Also the word random is slightly threatening brings up thoughts of random acts of violence.
Sindy possibly you are over thinking it.
Do you not remember being at school and having your own language that your parents didn't get? For me it was "bad" "reckOn" "fresh" "hows it hanging". All teens have their own language and it doesn't always mean that they are about to go out and commit violence.

AstroidPrincess · 15/12/2011 10:41

The subject of this thread is just ill

AstroidPrincess · 15/12/2011 10:43

GrinAkiram

'I'm telling you blud'
'Nah blud'
'yes blud'
'That's sick blud'....Grin

rootietootie · 15/12/2011 10:45

This really would not bother me. I consider it evolution of language (may not like all of it though!). Think about how you speak and compare that to language even just 100 years ago?

Akiram · 15/12/2011 10:46

Oh my God astroid do you live in my house?? That is all I hear! Never heard "ill" though.
Xmas Grin