Why getting down with the kids is so, like, cringeworthy
Fathers who use slang and mothers who dress like their daughters have long had teenagers sighing and rolling their eyes.
And now it seems they might be doing their parents a favour after all - because most adults also cringe when another grown-up starts acting like a teenager.
While parents may be convinced it's 'wicked' to be 'down with the kids', their friends and acquaintances find it every bit as embarrassing as their children do, research has revealed.
Madonna has been known to copy the fashion style of her teenage daughter, Lourdes
'Innit' tops the list of phrases that parents shouldnt attempt to use, according to a poll, with 'chillax' meaning 'calm down' coming close behind it.
And 'wicked', 'down with the kids', 'awesome' and 'whatever' are far from cool when uttered by anyone who has left school.
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The survey found that adults also object to other grown-ups following teenage fashions, with almost three-quarters saying low-rise je! ans that expose the wearer's underwear should only be seen on youngsters, and more than half objecting to adults wearing a baseball cap back-to-front.
And while Madonna appears keen to copy the style of her 14-year-old daughter Lourdes, almost half of adults sympathise with teenagers who think it's mortifying when mothers dress like their daughters.
Meanwhile, playing the car stereo loudly or touching fists instead of shaking hands may be the done thing among the younger members of the family, but its entirely unacceptable to children and adults alike when parents attempt to do it.
A third of adults think 'talking like Westwood' a reference to 53-year-old hip hop DJ Tim Westwood, whose speech is peppered with slang should be banned among anyone who has left their teenage years behind, and grown-ups chewing gum with their mouths open also hit a nerve across the generations.
A spokesman for Online Opinions, which carried out the study, said: 'Teenagers have always had their own language and most adults can accept this.
'But what they don't like is grown-ups trying to ape young adults. Wearing low-rise jeans is best left to the young and no one over 20 should ever say "innit" or "whatever".
'The best thing for parents is not to try to be down with the kids. And certainly not use phrases like "down with the kids".'
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