Spilling the Tea: Navigating Pop-Culture Slang As An Uncool Mom

Language is a funny thing, isn’t it?  It seems like now with the advance of social media, slang is changing at a speed that I simply can’t keep up with.  Before I was a stay at home mom, I worked as a teacher and my middle schoolers kept me cool. I knew how to whip, I knew how to nae nae. But now every time I read a news story or follow one of my “Bravolebrities” on Instagram, I read and hear words that leave me stumped.  Sometimes I even cringe because I want to know why this old person is using words such as “woke,” “spilling tea,” and “stan” when I have no clue what they are saying. 

Am I simply a mole person who is coming out of her bunker for the first time?  I am completely blinded by pop culture and slang words that I do not understand, and it is leaving me to be totally dependent on Google to guide me to the right definition. 

Please tell me I am not alone! 

I first realized I was uncool and completely out of touch with the present when a friend recently mentioned something about a “snack.” I started waiting anxiously for a cheese and sausage platter, but when nothing arrived I realized something strange was going on.  Well, DUH – there is another meaning for snack.  How did I not know? A person was being called a snack because they were so deliciously good looking. Starving and feeling like a loser, I just laughed it off in my head and waited until I could moonwalk out of the conversation to grab a hunk of cheese.

A couple weeks later, while sleep deprived from the dreaded four month sleep regression, I saw an Insta-story of sweet little Saint West with a caption saying, “We need to protect him at all costs.” 

WHAT IS HAPPENING?  IS SOMEONE AFTER THIS SWEET CHILD? 

The alarms roared in my head, but then I woke up a little bit and realized there had to be another definition for this. Urban Dictionary (what a great and credible source, eh?) explained that it meant something is so cute and precious that you want to hold them in your pocket.

Well, that was an anxiety attack that did not need to happen.

Honestly, I wish these were the only two stories I had but there are many more than I care to admit (i.e. ship, any acronyms created post-AIM days, shade, tea, woke, stan, etc.). I long for the days where I can be hip and cool again, but right now my two year old is in charge of the remote and the only thing we’ve got going on in our household is many renditions of “The Finger Family.” 

So if you need me, please hop in a time machine and meet me in 2015.  We can get “turnt” with our “squad,” and talk about which celebs styles are “on fleek” or “basic.” I promise you that the only Tik Tok that will be playing is Ke$ha’s club hit, and when I say “snack” I mean SNACK.  


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Jillian Henry
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Jillian has called many states home since she left the beer and cheese state five years ago. Currently, she resides in Derby with her husband, one-year-old daughter, and four-year-old “Boshih” (Boston Terrier Shih-Tzu mix). Jillian has a bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in Psychology, but her favorite role is taking care of her daughter as a stay-at-home mom. When Jillian is not moving across the continental United States, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, singing the Moana soundtrack in its entirety, exploring nature, catching up with friends, and eating any gluten-free dessert she can get her hands on. Jillian is looking forward to learning more about Wichita while experiencing life on the plains.