Bad Lip Reading Gets The Teen Vote!

My oldest daughter's first words were, "Shut up!" Please, let me explain. During nice spring days, I used to tie up my beloved Cocker Spaniel, Higgins, outside in the front yard -- in the shade! -- because he liked it there. Lots of stuff going on to engage his senses, I guess. Problem was, he barked all the time, at everything, even ants crawling by on the sidewalk. It drove me crazy, all that barking. And I would yell out the door, "Higgins, shut up!" probably more than any sane person should.

Now you know where this is leading.

So one day, my little cherub of a baby looked at me and said, "Shut UP!" -- emphasis on the "UP!" Cute, but embarrassing in public, let me tell you! And it suddenly hit me: Careful what you say and do -- your children are watching.

Fast forward about 19 years and another daughter later. My youngest is 15 and of course, has had to listen to me rattle on and on about politics. I didn't think she was paying attention. You know how egocentric most teens are. If it's not happening within their immediate social circle, they just aren't interested.

So at dinner last night, she asked me, "Who won the debate?" It was a proud moment. My baby was talking politics! She really was paying attention. Later, I heard her laughing so hard in her bedroom, I had to investigate.

To my great surprise, she said: "Mom! You have to see this video of Mitt Romney. It's hysterical!" What? Now she's watching political videos – and she knew who Mitt Romney was??! I was beside myself with pride. Just when you think your teen is tuned out, you discover she’s really tuned in.

She showed me this video that I'm about to share with you. It has more than 14 million views on YouTube and is making its rounds in teen social circles all over the world. The good news is, teenagers are engaged in politics. They are watching and listening to everything we say.

The bad news is, they are having fun watching someone edit and dub all over it.