Buhata
Login Start for Free

Home › Life Terms

Terms starting with L

Every Buhata Life Terms entry that starts with L, with its short definition.

L

Language developmentHow a child learns to understand and use sounds, gestures and words, from early squeals to first words, two-word phrases and short stories.
Lap infantA child under 2 who flies on an adult's lap without a seat of their own. The FAA allows it but recommends a ticketed seat and an approved car seat.
Latchkey kidA school-age child who comes home to an empty house and spends time there without an adult, usually while parents work.
Late feeA charge added when a payment arrives after its due date, set by the card agreement, lease or contract and limited by federal or state rules.
Late paymentA payment that reaches the lender after its due date; on credit reports, one that's 30 days or more past due.
Laundry service costWhat you pay a business to wash, dry and fold your laundry or dry-clean it, priced by the pound, the bag or the item, sometimes with pickup and delivery.
Laundry sortingDividing dirty laundry into loads that can be washed together safely, by color, how dirty it is, lint and the care each fabric needs.
Lawn aerationPulling small plugs of soil out of a lawn with a core aerator, so air, water and roots can get through compacted soil and thatch.
Lawn care costWhat a household pays for mowing and other yard work over a season, often priced per visit plus extra jobs such as aeration or leaf cleanup.
Lawn care scheduleA year-round plan that puts each lawn job, from mowing height to seeding and fertilizing, in the season that suits your type of grass.
Lawnmower parentingA parent who clears obstacles out of a child's way before the child meets them, so the child rarely faces difficulty or failure. Also called snowplow parenting.
LayawayA store payment plan that holds an item for you while you pay for it in installments; you take it home only after it's paid in full.
Leaky faucetA faucet that keeps dripping from the spout or leaking at the handle after it's turned off, usually because a cartridge, washer or seal has worn out.
Learned helplessnessA psychology term for failing to use control you actually have, after repeated experience with stressful situations you couldn't control.
Least restrictive environmentThe IDEA rule that children with disabilities learn with children without disabilities as much as appropriate, and leave regular classes only when needed.
Length of credit historyHow long you've been using credit, measured by the ages of your oldest, newest and average accounts; it makes up 15% of a FICO Score.
Let-downThe milk ejection reflex: when a baby nurses, the hormone oxytocin makes the breast squeeze milk out through the ducts so the baby can drink it.
Lexile levelA number followed by L, from MetaMetrics, that measures either a student's reading ability or how hard a text is, on the same scale so the two can be matched.
LiabilitiesDebts and other money you owe, such as a mortgage, a car loan or a credit card balance. Your assets minus your liabilities is your net worth.
Library passesFree or discounted admission passes to museums, gardens and other attractions that a public library lets cardholders reserve, usually for a set date.
Licensed contractorA contractor who holds the license your state or local government requires for the kind of work being done, which you can check before you hire.
Life adminThe everyday paperwork and planning that keeps a life and a household running, such as bills, taxes, forms, renewals and appointments.
Life skills for kidsThe everyday abilities children need to handle daily life, from WHO's thinking and people skills to practical ones like cooking and self-care.
Lifestyle creepWhen spending rises along with income, so a raise or a new job leads to a bigger lifestyle but little or no extra saving.
Limit settingDeciding and calmly holding the rules for what a child may and may not do, explained in words the child can understand and followed through every time.
Line dryingDrying laundry by hanging it on a clothesline, rack or bar to air dry, indoors or outdoors, instead of using a tumble dryer.
Litter box cleaningScooping and changing a cat's litter on a routine. CDC advises changing it daily, before any toxoplasmosis parasite in the waste can become infectious.
Loan defaultFailing to repay a loan as the contract requires, usually after missed payments, which lets the lender use stronger ways to collect.
Loan forgivenessA program that cancels some or all of a loan's remaining balance once you meet its rules, most often a federal student loan program.
Loan origination feeA charge a lender makes for setting up a loan, usually a percentage of the amount borrowed, either paid up front or taken out of the money you receive.
Loan termHow long you have to repay a loan, usually stated in months for a car loan and in years for a mortgage.
Logical consequencesA consequence a parent sets up that is directly tied to what the child did, like toys left out being put away for the rest of the day.
LonelinessThe painful feeling that you lack close, meaningful relationships or a sense of belonging, whether or not other people are around you.
Love languagesGary Chapman's idea that people give and feel love in five main ways: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch.
Love languages for kidsGary Chapman and Ross Campbell's idea that each child feels loved most through one of five ways: words, time, gifts, acts of service or touch.
Low water pressureWater that comes out of taps and showers weaker than it should, from a clog at one fixture or a valve, regulator, leak or supply problem affecting the whole house.
LTV to CAC ratioCustomer lifetime value divided by customer acquisition cost, showing how many dollars a customer brings in for each dollar spent winning them.