What Time is Noon: Hilarious Texts, Ridiculous Feedback, and Not-So-Subtle Advice from Teenagers

by Chip Leighton

From the TikTok creator of “Texts from my College Freshman” comes a collection celebrating the humor of the modern teenager.

Chip Leighton started performing online as a lark, and not because he “craved validation through TikTok” as his daughter claimed (with snark). When sharing the funny, weird, crazy things his kids said and texted, he quickly learned he was not alone. Since launching, his channel has become the go-to support group for adults who have teenagers in their lives―wholly confirming that teens everywhere say the darndest things. Parents worldwide use Leighton’s posts to laugh, commiserate, and share their own kids’ classics, like “what time is noon” or “do I have medicare?” What a relief to learn that it’s perfectly normal for teens to roast their parents mercilessly (“Don’t wear mom jeans to my school again”) or ask wild questions (“where do I buy pasta water”). In this debut collection, Leighton showcases these gems, along with tongue-in-cheek advice, charts and graphs, and silly quizzes. For readers who appreciate the real-life humor of books like Sh*t My Dad Says or the standup of family-friendly comedians like Jim Gaffigan or Nate Bargatze, this book is the ultimate gift for parents, kids, or anyone who likes to laugh.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Parenting, Adult, Comedy

176 pages, Hardcover

Published November 12, 2024

Reviews

[Lieren Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t come at me 😅 As a parent of teenagers I thought I would appreciate this more than I did. While I enjoy a sarcastic and sometimes “duh” moment with my kids, I just didn’t think this book is as funny as it thinks it is 😂 Maybe I’m numb to the humor since it’s something I live with every day but most of these texts made me appreciate the respect, appreciation and intelligence of my teenagers. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is the guy on social media who collects and posts funny text messages that parents have received from their teenagers. Many are included in this book, along with other anecdotes about kids these days. Much of the extra stuff is amusing, but the texts are probably the best part and can be enjoyed on many social media outlets for free. Well, not counting the costs of downloading the apps and then sponging away your time and softening your brain.

Although I did laugh a fair amount, this book also made me thankful that my own kids aren’t nearly as clueless and rude as apparently many other chuckleheads out there.


Here are just a few examples I thought were funny:

"What does the 'No Outlet' sign mean? You can't charge your phone?"

"I think I'm out of windshield sauce."

"How did I bounce a check when I still have lots of them left?"

“Do I have Medicare?”

"Is my new niece a boy or girl?"

"Does Super Tuesday have something to do with Lent?"

"If I put multiple stamps on, do I layer or put them side by side?"

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad and funny all at the same time

This book is sad and funny all at the same time. It sounds like we are raising a generation of rude and ungrateful kids. I wouldn't have been allowed to say ANY of things to my parents. The dumb questions make me really wonder about the state of the world today. By the end of the book, I just couldn't help but shake my head.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute collection of clueless comments from teenagers. I laughed out loud a few times! Unfortunately, I did not laugh at the comments the author's daughter and son made about the meals he cooked for them and the vacations he took them on. They sound like entitled little sh¡ts and I hope they learned manners eventually.

[Sydney Levi]

Scary, entertaining, funny.

[Erin Boburchock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gift from my daughter. It was the only thing I asked for for Christmas. She gave it to me for Thanksgiving. I couldn't put it down because it was so relatable!! The Leighton's are a great social media family and funny. This book was good for my soul and makes me feel like a normal parent. LOL, literally. 😜

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and quick read, even if you don’t have teenagers at home. I follow him on social media.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caution: this book might make you laugh way too hard! This is a wild collection of truth bombs made available by the author and his legion of fans. Yes, I am one of those fans; and I cannot explain the sheer joy I felt at reading the entries and suggestions. The content is on point as the texts, comebacks, and nonsensical questions will have you on.the.floor laughing at the insane commentary to which our kids expose us on the daily. I've been following @the_leighton_show for a while now; and am excited to see the many contributions made by Chip and his followers in one place! If you are looking for a light read, guaranteed to have you laughing non-stop, this is the book for you. You just might find yourself laughing out loud while perusing the grocery aisles one day. Okay, that may sound odd; however, I saw a can of Swanson's Chicken Broth and had to stop. Why? I recalled a line from the book. A kid asked their parent, "chicken broth, it's not the sweat of the chicken, is it?" This book is the perfect gift for parents. Make the purchase today because you just may pick up a few pointers about how NOT to be "that parent."

[Marina]

I recognized just about none of the behavior described in the book in myself and my friends.

[Haudrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hilarious book that I finished in less than a day and definitely enjoyed!

What Time is Noon is filled with funny quotes that teenagers actually said to their parents. Some of the comments were funny, some were kind of bratty and ignorant.
It makes me really glad that I have never said any of these things, nor have I heard any of my friends say them.

Some of my favorites include:

"What does the 'No Outlet' sign mean? You can't charge your phone?"

"Is my new niece a boy or a girl?"

"When does my birth certificate expire?"

I think this is a really funny book that readers of any age will enjoy. 4.25 stars!

[Anna Jaskiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed a lighthearted, fun book after a rough start to the new year. I stumbled across an advertisement for this book on instagram so I bought the Kindle edition today and read it in one sitting.

It was cute and funny but I also felt sad for many of the parents who have to deal with these insulting and bratty comments from their teens. I’m sure most of the teens are actually nice kids and typically respectful which is what makes their sassy texts so shocking and memorable for their parents.

A decent book that entertained me for a bit, definitely 3 stars for me.

[Cathy Miller-Temme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need a bit of humor in 1 minute? This is the book to get. I snicker, smile, laugh out loud and immensely enjoy following his Leighton Show reels. Then I got this book for Christmas from my son who is no longer a teenager but who has texted or said things that fit in the genre of learning how to cash a check and mail a real letter by snail mail. Chip L made the right choice in sharing his humor as a 'side gig' and every adult over 40 will appreciate the texts that put a smile in your day.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scream howling, laughing, and I can’t believe no one has had this idea before to collect killer texts. I love the authors social media posts and this book, I didn’t want to finish it!

Thank you so much for putting the lightness in living with teens for many years. I’m gifting this book to my friend who told me about this account- it’s a gem!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed from Libby. Read on my iPhone and Kindle app.

Well, if you have a teen, this is perfect. Many of these read 100% true and then some.

Made us laugh. Some of the texts could have easily come from the boys or even their friends.

Well written and funny. Absolutely a must read for fun.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Chip Leighton’s social media content and his book did not disappoint!

[A Dreaming Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
Sometimes funny, mostly concerning.

P.S. Received a copy of this book via Goodreads giveaways.

[Kim Gjerde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! So laugh out loud funny! If you have teens you would enjoy it very much!

[Brianna Kinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have teens or deal with the equivalent, you should read this book and get some laughs.

[Ginny Yurich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.

[Scott Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny but don't read around your kids. As a Boomer I'm always nervous communicating with younger folks, this book didn't help. Lol

[Ani G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOL'd at this, remembering when my son was a teenager.

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun little book - 50% laugh, 10% groan.

Gift from my teenager for Christmas, it's been picked up by everyone in the family so far and an occasional chuckle can be heard. Yes it is twee, yes it is borderline condescending, but sometimes it just hits home.

[Lucy Kranz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually so relatable. My mom should read this.

[Cheryl Gladfelter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was just really entertained by this, and then read some of my favorite lines out loud at work.

[Jill Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Chip Leighton on Instagram for the last couple of years. His posts are hysterical and SO relatable for anyone raising a teenager. When I saw that he was publishing a book, I immediately pre-ordered. His book is full of hilarious stories, text messages and pie charts. I read the entire book in one sitting, laughing the entire time.
Parenting a teen is definitely a blow to the ego- being criticized for the way that I eat, how I dress, where I park, how I cheer; all while being asked what our "house number" is or how to fill out a deposit slip at the bank. It was great to read these stories and know that we're not alone!

[Heidi Rottier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super fast read full of LOL zingers.

[Jaimie Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg… I almost peed my pants laughing

I cry-laughed on so many pages. Literally had to take breaks because my face hurt from laughing. Bought two books for family members. If you’re alive, know any teen, or wish you did, you must have this book. And it’s a mother’s or Father’s Day present too.

[fer_reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I *really* wanted to like this more than I did. 😩

I come across Leighton’s social media videos all the time, and I always get a chuckle out of them. And, although, I found a bit of humor reading this book, I didn’t think it was as funny as Leighton thought it would be. Honestly, some of these comments by teenagers came off as spoiled, entitled, ungrateful, and/or very disrespectful. Having two teenagers in my house, I agree that they can be brutal with their observations and suggestions, but some of these went too far. I think I’ll just stick to watching Leighton’s social media shorts/reels. Maybe the humor doesn’t translate well in book format?? Maybe it’s just me? 🤷🏻‍♀️

2 ⭐️

[Mallory Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man I thought this book would be so much better. Following this guy on social with little to no context (just seeing the text phrase “what time is noon” etc.) is much more my speed because him going into detail about pretty much how horrible teenagers are these days and how we should essentially cater to them was just not what I was looking for on the first day of the new year.
However, credit given where credit is due, he does mention several times “you should teach your children this,” or, “please make sure your children know this,” etc because honestly you’d be surprised how little about real life they do know.
But, letting my teens have my credit card so they can DoorDash dinner because they don’t like what me or my husband have made? Absolutely not. They can f*cking starve.
Two stars was generous, but, I did laugh out loud a few times at some of the text exchanges.

[Minna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this was funny but a lot of it made me feel sad. I hope my elementary-school age children don't talk to me and/or treat me like the author's two kids seem to do to him. I'm sure they're not jerks ALL the time but since that's all the book shows that's all we (the readers) see.

I will say, my workplace is directly next to a high school and the number of teenagers with access to their parents' DoorDash accounts is absolutely astonishing. Going out on a limb here but I'm thinking of the author's infographic showing "where the money goes" and I'm guessing that sort of thing might be a factor.