In the ’90s, Joey Fatone charmed teenage girls as a member of the boy band NSYNC. Now, he struggles to understand them.
“Mewing… mooing, what the hell are you doing?” he said, adding that he had “no idea” what these words mean.
Fatone, 47, sees the importance of understanding the new terms. He said he tried using slang to relate to his daughter but ended up sounding “dorky.”
Decoding slang helps parents connect better with their kids
Middle school teacher Philip Lindsay previously told Business Insider that keeping up with the younger generation’s slang can help parents connect with their children.
Lindsay, who creates content on TikTok explaining the definition of Gen Alpha slang like “fanum tax” and “GYAT,” said parents had sent him messages of gratitude.
“I think a lack of understanding can sometimes inhibit that connection between adult and student,” he said. “So that understanding of their language brings a level of ability to connect with them.”
Despite communication struggles, Fatone, who co-parents with his ex-wife, Kelly Baldwin, and has another daughter, Briahna Joely, 23, has found other ways to connect with his children.
Briahna, for one, was amazed to hear that NSYNC took the stage with Ariana Grande at Coachella to perform their hit “Tearin’ Up My Heart” in 2019.
“I said, ‘Well, your old man is going to be dancing on stage with Ariana Grande,'” said Fatone. “She said, ‘Are you serious? Oh, that’s funny.’ It’s like, ‘Ole’ Dad is going to dance with an artist that I know.'”
He added that when Briahna was in college, he promised that he would pick her up if she ever found herself in a difficult situation. “No questions asked… if you’re at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.
His thoughts on being a parent? “You don’t have to be best friends or hang out all the time, but there is a bond,” he said. “When that happens, it’s a great respect, and it’s amazing.”
A representative for Fatone did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.