Anonymous wrote:I would let it go because people who are constantly correcting you are not fun to talk with, and it drives a wedge between you. I value closeness with my kids more than constantly correcting every little thing about them.

+1

Also, verbal filler is really common. As we get older, we often just replace "like" with a different word, like "ummm" or "well" or "yeah" or something else. If she's got a presentation or something coming up and you hear it when she's practicing, mention it then. You can work with her in the context of public speaking things when it's constructive. But in ordinary conversation? I'd let it go, because it's more important to keep the lines of communication open.

And, FWIW, I had a bad case of Valley Girl when I was a tween a million years ago. And then I earned a graduate degree in English and worked as an editor. It's not the end of the world.

My 12 yo daughter talks like this too (as did I did too back in 1979 when I was her age). A problem with calling your kid out on it is it can make him reluctant to talk with you. My DH is calling out DD and now she's snake bit and doesn't want to talk to him. It makes her nervous, she has to think about everything she's going to say, and she just clams up around him. So now I get, "well what's wrong with her?!" The problem is Dad is very good public speaker, which he does often in his job, and he prides himself on it. Then expects his kids to be the same.

I think when talking with Dad she has to put much more thought into it and it actually exacerbates it. With me she doesn't use those words quite as much and is obviously more comfortable talking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NIP. IT. IN. THE. BUD!
People sound less intelligent when they sprinkle these into their speech. If she stops, she will sound smarter, more polished, and distinguished from her peers.

Looking at you, Terry Gross! Stop saying "like"! It's so distracting and you are not 14!

I don't even like Terry Gross, but if I my kids can reach her level of success, who cares about the ummms.

Donald Trump is very successful. Do you want your child to speak like that? I really like Terry Gross’s show most of the time, but her “likes” are distracting and detracting.

The way he speaks is nowhere near the main problem with Trump. So yeah, if my kid becomes president, I'm not going to fuss about some umms.