Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
There's at least one place in America where you'll be able to order a chicken sandwich from a teen worker and not hear, "We're totes outta that ratchet sandwich. The burger, tho." And that place is a Chick-fil-A in an undisclosed location where an employer recently banned his young employees from using slang words like "bae," "cuz" and "3Hunnid."
The manager has reportedly told his teen workers that they are "professional so speak professionally" and included a list of words at the bottom of a note he wrote that he absolutely does not want to hear from the kids while they're on the clock. Not only is this employer doing his workers a huge service, he's reminding parents that it's our job to teach our kids about times when slang is totally unacceptable.
Here's the note this boss posted, which found its way to Reddit:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
He seems to have a sense of humor about it, but the point he's making is very important. Teen slang is fantastic. It allows kids to get creative with language and helps foster their sense of identity. When they use it in the right setting -- among their peers -- it allows them to express themselves in a way that I think is very important and positive.
But a well-rounded person should know how to speak to different people in different settings. When my daughter is 15 and hanging out with her friends, by all means she can "turn up" until the cows come home. But when she's at Christmas dinner, sitting at a table with relatives, she needs to put her slang in the drawer and tap into her vocabulary bank to use words and phrases that people over age 25 will understand.
Kids need to learn that it's great to have kid-code, but that the purpose of language is to communicate and that they need to know how to express themselves to different people. If you don't think someone is going to understand you, you change your words accordingly.
More from The Stir: 35 Teen Sayings Explained -- So You Know What the Heck They're Talking About
As an adult, I cringe when I hear other adults curse at work meetings or among people who, you just know, are sitting there thinking they sound unintelligent. But the same logic applies for people who are highly intelligent but refuse to choose simpler words and phrases when speaking with someone who, let's say, lacks English proficiency.
What we say to others -- what our teens say to others -- tells them a great deal about how much respect they have for them. When we hear teens using slang around adults or, heaven forbid, at a place that has agreed to pay them money for their services, we need to correct it and explain why it's not okay to use slang anywhere they please.
Do you let your kids use slang wherever they want or are there times when you correct them?
Image © iStock.com/Joe_Potato
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
