What were the slang words of your generation? Mine included groovy and bitchin’ among many others. Every generation has its own slang, dress, general look, and of course, its own music. Every generation looks back at theirs as the best and I actually think this is a darn good thing. For young boys and girls, dressing differently than their parents, listening to different music, and generally speaking their own language is the first step on the road to independence.

Once my boys became old enough to “run the radio” in the car, I let them and I began to learn their generation of music. Naturally, I disliked much of it, but there were those songs that defined their youth in my mind. The Hamster Dance and I’m Blue are two that immediately come to mind. Thankfully, neither of my boys ever fully embraced rap, though my older son did go through an Eminem phase up to and including cutting and dying his hair blonde to emulate Eminem’s look at that time.

Recently, I’ve befriended a couple of Urban Chicks. Sometimes, I literally have to beg them to slow down their talking because I can’t understand a word. I now employ dope regularly as they do when they describe something cool. Dope for me always used to mean weed or marijuana. When either of these 20-something gals takes over the radio, I’m lost simply trying to understand the lyrics that they often easily seem to sing along with – or rap with, depending on the song/artist.

They can rattle off a list of favorite artists – as can my boys – and I don’t recognize a single name. Talk about feeling ooo-llll-dddd!

But, let’s examine a bit more formally the notion of Kids as a Second Language beyond just slang and vernacular. Our kids think differently. Duh. Consequently, what they say and express may often mean something very different to us. Yes, we all use similar words much of the time, but maybe we need a translator on occasion? Or, more practically, we need to rephrase what they are saying and ask if we “got” it right!

My younger son seems to think dad speaks a foreign language when I’ll ask him something I think is very simple and he just won’t get what I’m asking or saying. I used to get mad at him and challenge him that he wasn’t listening. With therapist help, I finally learned that he heard differently and spoke a different language – almost literally.

This helped me get rid of the regular frustration I was feeling but still required special effort – or my wife’s involvement – to ultimately get my message across or understand his. This is not a joke. I am sure every parent has those times when our child simply confounds us. This isn’t a taste or style issue, but a communication one.

Since our job is to be the best parent we can be, then it is more incumbent upon us to learn their language. Just as understanding our spouses can be difficult at times simply due to our inherent gender differences, so can it be with our children. So, as with our spouses, it’s often advised to repeat back to the person what they’re saying or asking, in our words, and find out if we understood it.

With kids, this is so important to prevent us parents from jumping to the wrong conclusion or acting angry or confused when we simply do not truly understand what is being said. It is really THAT simple! To do this requires patience, something I lack and have struggled with my entire life.

How about going one step further and NOT jumping to a negative conclusion? How about NOT reacting in the moment. How about going to our spouse with what we think we heard and testing the waters a bit further? Most anything that was said does not need an immediate reaction so parents should be sure they really understand their kid’s language.

A helpful tool for me was all the years car-pooling the boys around. I relished that opportunity and usually kept as quiet as I could. Over time, the boys and their friends, would almost forget I was there. I picked up things – language, interests, and potential problems – that I might not otherwise have learned.

The same holds true for our moderation of their Social Media lives. We have to have access to all their SoMe accounts, especially in the early years of their online connectivity. But, as I’ve advised before, when we are their Facebook “friend,” we NEVER must make our presence known or they and their friends will not only clam up but WE will get blocked, as well. This includes saying ANYTHING nice, too.

It is harder being a parent today. The economy is worse than when we all grew up and the assault on our kids from every corner of the world is 24/7 and over-whelming. Indeed, Kids IS another language. Unfortunately, they don’t offer it at Rosetta Stone so YOU have to learn it on your own!

How about skipping that $5 Starbucks latte and splurging $2.99 (for the Kindle on Amazon) or $2.79 for the PDF of my new e-book? Enjoy my own informercial for it! This e-book is really a virtual journey. It’s filled with 100 photos, 7 original videos, and links to many of the stops on the trip. Click on the book cover image below to find your purchase options: 

Featured guests:

Cherylyn Harley LeBon - Co-Chairman of the Project 21 National Advisory Board

Pastor Drew Sams for “Spiritual Talk.”

Dr. Jennifer Weberman (The Parenting Playground) for “Therapy Talk.”

Today’s radio show is inspired by this week’s “A Dad’s Point-of-View” column, Do You Compete with Your Spouse or Significant Other? But, we may also touch on the goings-on in D.C. How can we not?

Click on the link to stream online:

Part 1- Introduction and Opening Remarks by Bruce

Part 2 – “Political Rap” with Cherylyn LeBon

Part 3 – Pastor Drew Sams for “Spiritual Rap.”

Part 4 – Dr. Jennifer Weberman for “Therapy Rap.”

Part 5 – Closing remarks by Bruce

Downloadable files to take with you:

Part 1 – Introduction and Opening Remarks by Bruce

Part 2 – “Political Rap” with Cherylyn LeBon

Part 3 – Pastor Drew Sams for “Spiritual Rap.”

Part 4 – Dr. Jennifer Weberman for “Therapy Rap.”

Part 5 – Closing remarks by Bruce

Continuing my b-vlog reading of “The Empty-Nest Road Trip Blues: An Interactive Journal from A Dad’s Point-of-View,” we move on to Day Seven and our visit to Cleveland and the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Get the PDF for $2.79 at BruceSallan.com or the Kindle version for $2.99 at Amazon. Also available in Nook and at Apple.

Just click on the image above to download the Ptch iPhone app – FREE

After last week’s wild ride and scavenger hunt about photos, we’re turning to video – specifically mobile, but really all video – this Thursday, May 16th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PT/9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET, at #DadChat. There’s a FAB new app from Ptch - and it’s FREE for your iPhone! Download and play with it before #DadChat, during, or after. Our topic is how we preserve, capture, edit, and otherwise do our family videos. Our wonderful co-host is none other than TheGoToMom herself Kimberley Clayton Blaine! Follow Kimberley @TheGoToMom for the chat. Check out Kimberley’s awesome ptch page! Read what Fast Company has to say about Ptch! But, it wouldn’t be #DadChat – of late – if we didn’t have some prizes – which, of course, you will have to earn! Read on about Ptch and our prizes for this week’s #DadChat!

Retweet if you wish:

#Prizes, Fun, #Community at #DadChat when we look at #Video Thursday 6pmPT/9pmET

How do you use #Video? Win #Prizes, get a great new #FREE app, and more at #DadChat Thursday!

Kimberley Clayton Blaine

Ptch app picks up where your static photo feeds on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Viddy, Facebook, and Google+ leave off.

Dreamworks, the animation studio behind Shrek, is backing the iOS app, launched and lets users create, edit, and share 60-second mini-movies from their own photos and video clips. And you can finally use your iTUNES legally without getting in trouble! Then comes the movie magic. Ptch helps users drag and drop title cards, offers iTunes soundtrack help with one of more than 80 preloaded songs, and even integrates comments from your social networks. Like Instagram, Ptch lets mini-movie makers wrap their creations in one of eight styles. You can share new creations on Ptch, as well as on your desired social channels.

Here are our prizes for tonight’s #DadChat – two of each – four prizes in all!

Click on the above image to go directly to the PiMount website and learn more about these great devices!

pi Mount is a simple and elegant solution to a common problem faced by iPhone and iPod owners: it keeps the Apple devices off the floor or countertop while they are charging. No more stepping on your iPhone while it’s charging or tripping on the cable in the middle of the night.

Click on image to see more details about this very cool iPhone case – for any cell-phone!

Have fun wherever you go with a building platform in your pocket! Build, modify, play, then take your own LEGO® creations with you. Your BrickCase provides added environmental protection against bumps, scratches, chips and dirt. Go ahead, brick your iPhone!