kids

“Where is your daughter going to preschool?”
    I’ve gotten this question hundreds of times, from pediatricians, friends, acquaintances, department store sales people, and even strangers at the drugstore. Each time, I answer with a certain degree of blushing and stammering.
    “Uh, well, Punky’s not in preschool. She’s staying home with me until kindergarten.”

Knocking off the long-reigning “Whatever!” from its top spot on my “Obnoxious Adolescent Expressions” list is the newly inducted, passive-aggressive, “Just kidding!” Right now, a Merriam-Webster American Slang editor is monitoring its usage in anticipation of adding “jk” (text message shorthand) someplace between the equally profound “jive turkey” and “Just Say No.”