Hey girl! It’s pretty common for young people to have a lisp. Usually they grow out of it or, like your parents suggested, work on it until it’s gone. Having a lisp won’t cause you to be single and unemployed. But unfortunately, it is true that some people may judge you for having one.

By really focusing on what you are saying, you can train your tongue and mouth to say the letter “r” and get rid of the lisp. You could also see a speech therapist whose job is to help people get rid of any speech problemos. You can find a speech therapist through your school.

Let them know you don’t really care about having a speech impediment but you understand that they are concerned about your future. Tell them that you're OK with how you talk, but you're open to looking into treatments that could help you now. It’s your mouth after all.

I'm so happy that you're comfortable with the way you are, but if you correct your speech impediment early on, you won't have to worry about it later in life. While you might not care about your lisp now, you might really become self-conscious when you have to give a presentation in front of lots of people at work one day. There’s nothing negative about getting it corrected, but it’s ultimately your decision. Do what's best for YOU!

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2/1/2010 7:00:00 AM