Dear Dr. Karyn,
I recently heard you on a radio show discussing the topic “20 things dads don’t understand about their teen daughters.” I only heard the last half, and I was completely glued to the radio. Can you share with me again the top 20? I want to share these with my husband, because I really believe he doesn’t get our four daughters at all. Thank you.
Dear parent,
Great question! The wonderful thing is that the top 20 list was created by a group of female teenagers. I received dozens of emails from teen girls and parents the following day telling me that the list was “very accurate.”
To all mothers and fathers: sit back, enjoy the read, and think about how many relate to you!
Twenty things dads don’t understand about their teen daughters
1. We are going to have boyfriends, face it
2. We can’t even go to the grocery store without being bombarded on how to look and dress
3. Yes, a bad hair day could result in a three-day bad mood
4. We may buy an unnecessary amounts of clothes, but shopping is more than shopping — it’s therapy
5. Some of us just may never be satisfied with our hair color
6. Even though I may switch friends week to week, I still expect you to remember their names
7. Getting into a fight with a present friend does not always mean it’s over. She just won’t be calling for the next hour
8. We think that we are amazing drivers, even though we’ve never had lessons from you
9. If a boy calls, please act as normal as possible. That means no jokes or my old nicknames
10. And if a boy comes to pick me up, the only necessary topics of discussion are: a. sports, b. sports, c. sports, and d. the fact that I will be returned safely and at a decent hour
11. Unfortunately, some of us don’t know that we look beautiful every day, so make sure you tell us, and mean it
12. You’ll never understand our online lingo, so please stop trying
13. At our age, you’re never going to convince us that your career is the best choice
14. Our room is our space, so please let us decorate it in as many non-damaging ways as possible
15. Dad, there are some things that you’ll be happy we just speak to Mom about
16. Beautification is a long-practiced process, that nearly always requires loud music. Please do not disturb us from this concentrative art
17. Our life, especially school, feels like a lot of pressures, and you are one of our toughest critics, so please just try to keep the criticism constructive
18. One of your hardest jobs is watching us grow up, but deep down we will always be your little girl
19. A teenage girl’s life is bumpy, and we are going to need our strong and supportive fathers to keep us grounded
20. And finally, just remember that you were a teenager once, too
Texting 101
Dear Dr. Karyn,
Last month I watched you quiz parents and teens about how much of the [texting] lingo words parents knew. Can you highlight perhaps 10 to 15 words for me? I’m trying to understand my daughter’s language a bit more.
Dear parent,
Keep in mind that while it’s important for parents to learn the lingo — I would not suggest you use it.
Teens tend to be very protective of their “language” and may get annoyed at parents trying to be “cool.” See how many of these you know!
LOL: Laugh out loud
BRB: Be right back
G2G: Got to go
ROFL: Roll on the floor laughing
BTW: By the way
TY: Thank you
IC: I see
TTYL: Talk to you later
IMO: In my opinion
NVM: Never mind
JK: Just kidding
L8R: Later
WTG: Way to go
NP: No problem
CONVO: Conversation
<3: Love (looks like a heart)
YT: You there
WRUD: What are you doing
YTB: You’re the best
LYLAS: Love you like a sister
LYLAB: Love you like a brother
BTW: By the way
Dr. Karyn Gordon is one of North America’s leading relationship and parenting experts. She is a regular contributor to “Good Morning America,” founder of dk Leadership, best-selling author of “Dr. Karyn’s Guide to the Teen Years” (Harper Collins), and motivational speaker to a quarter of a million people. Visit her at www.dkleadership.org and on Twitter: @DrKarynGordon.
