Thursday, September 27, 2007

Don't call your mother Dude!

Mother. Mom. Mommy. These are just a few of the names I will answer to. Why then, does Precious Youngest begin most of her remarks directed to me (especially when she is aggravated by some particularly egregious comment I’ve made; e.g. “Is you homework finished?’, “Is your laundry done?”, “Is your room clean?”, “If I go up there will I think your room is clean?”) with “DUDE……”? Really, should you address your mother as "dude"?

When I express to her that I would prefer she not call me “dude” she gets all huffy. Her excuse is that the use of the word “dude” is simply “part of her teenage vernacular”. (Um, yeah, my kids are big ole’ debating, forensicating, AP English taking geeks. They can and do use words like “vernacular” in a sentence correctly.) Nevertheless, I find the practice less than charming and have not figured out a way to break the habit.

Has anyone else had this problem and discovered a cure? Please advise!!!

2 comments:

Patti said...

Sweet holy Moses, I hear the word Dude more than any other from my son's mouth, and to ride with a car full of his friends becomes a cacophony of "Dude" this and "Dude" that. I too have requested to not be called Dude. Happily, he usually complies, until a friend arrives, and then it is right back to dude. I guess I prefer it to beeyatch or some of the other names I believe my daughters used, but sadly I have no advice for you, dude.

Shelley said...

I also have that problem, and sadly, I have no cure. It's mainly my 12 year old that calls us all "dude", but the oldest uses it as well. I think it's replaced "hey" as the standard teenage greeting.