IM slang is a major obstacle for parents who are concerned about keeping their children safe while they are online. This new lingo is designed to keep outsiders guessing and make it more difficult for parents to monitor what their children are talking about and also who they're talking to.

Parents are often frustrated when they peek over their children’s shoulders in an effort to see what they are saying online. IM slang words like P.O.S, meaning "parent over shoulder," are being used daily by our children in an attempt to keep their parents' prying eyes off their online business.

Sure it may be snooping, but that's what parents do in the interest of keeping their children safe. Because children are often trusting by nature, parents need to violate a little bit of their privacy to make sure they are safe from the potential dangers of IM chatting.

If you are a parent or guardian, there are a few IM slang terms that you should commit to memory. These terms in particular deal with children trying to hide something or potentially dangerous situations.

Top 25 Terms To Watch For:
AITR	= Adult in The Room
ASL( R P)	= Age Sex Location (Race / Picture)
CD9	= Code 9 (means parents are around)
E or X	= Ecstasy (the drug)
F2F	= Face To Face
GNOC	= Get Nude On Cam (web cam)
GYPO	= Get Your Pants Off
IMEZRU	= I am Easy Are You?
LMIRL, MIRL	= (Lets) Meet In Real Life, Meet In Real Life
NIFOC	= Nude in Front of Computer
MOS	= Mom Over Shoulder
P911	= Parent Emergency
PAW or PRW	= Parents Are Watching
PIR	= Parent in Room
POP	= Parent On Prowl, can’t speak freely
POS, MOS, PLOS	= Parents Over Shoulder, Mom Over Shoulder,    Parents Looking Over Shoulder
PRON	= Porn
S2R	= Send To Receive (pictures)
SorG	= Straight or Gay
TDTM	= Talk Dirty To Me
WYCM	= Will You Call Me
420	= refers to marijuana
5	= wait a few minutes to speak, a parent (or guardian) is in the room
55	= coast is clear, we can talk about anything
8	= refers to oral sex

This list is by NO MEANS comprehensive; it is provided only to serve as a starting point. There are however, various resources available to help decipher every thing your children say in their IM chats. Listed below are a few links that will help with the translation:

http://freetranslation.paralink.com/
http://www.netlingo.com/top50teens.cfm
http://www.NoSlang.com
http://www.Teenchatdecoder.com
http://www.mopo.ca/web-jargon-slang.html
http://www.amyth.com/Odd/IM-Code.html
http://www.christcenteredstore.com/email_and_chat_acronyms.htm