<p>Fun classes I took in college for credit:
Auto mechanics, ice skating, ballroom dancing</p>
<p>H and I have had the "do-it-yourself vs. hire someone" debate (war) for decades. I'm a midwesterner and my parents--from poor immigrant families--are extreme do-it-yourselfers. H is a middle-class southerner who grew up with "help" and never learned how to do anything himself. Lucky that in the early years we lived near my dad, who taught H a thing or two (while grumbling under his breath about how ignorant H was of basic practical things).
In the midwest, it is typical for wealthy people to mow their own lawns, etc. Doctors' kids work in fast food restaurants. I wonder if it is part of the immigrant/pioneer history of the region--there really wasn't an established upper/underclass. People take pride in saving $. "Redistribution of wealth" would be a foreign concept (isn't that what taxes do?) And minimum wage jobs for teenagers build character. Hiring a housekeeper would mean admitting that you're too lazy to do the work yourself (what's the matter with you--maybe you should get a smaller house?)</p>
<p>In the south where we live, it seems parents spoil their children more and would be ashamed to have their kids working--more of the aristocratic "don't get your hands dirty" attitude. Everyone in my neighborhood hires a lawn service. Last summer I had my 10 and 12 year old sons out doing the work (while 17 yo was at his "character building job"). They were embarrassed, but when H ran into elderly "Mrs. Wealthy Philanthropist/neighbor," she said, "We like the way you make your boys work. That's how 'Mr. Philanthropist' started out, you know." ( Mr. Phil is a midwesterner).</p>
<p>H. told me about the funeral of a locally famous/rich man. In the eulogy the preacher emphasized the humility of the deceased--"He was so humble, he even mowed his own lawn!" Now, that might mean something to locals, but as a midwesterner, I'm thinking "Doesn't everyone mow his own lawn?--what's special about that?" (I admit that mowing southern lawns is a harder job--it's so darn hot).</p>
<p>Actually, atomom, there are the Boston Brahmins vs. the nouveaux riches (and then there are the clueless klutzes).</p>
<p>Besides "having" hats as opposed to buying hats, Brahmins are used to being frugal and self-reliant. I have a friend who married one such and was going crazy with his do-it yourself philosophy. Both of them had well-paying jobs that took up a lot of their time. But he insisted on doing everything they could do themselves.<br>
She longed to be able to get someone to come and clean the house and would have cheerfully traded the mink coat he give her for a cleaning service.
She was in charge of house-cleaning and cooking. He took care of the yard work. He hurt his hand once with a chain saw and his foot another time with the lawnmower. It probably would have been less expensive to hire someone else to do the work.</p>
<p>H and I took ballroom dancing together (not for credit). It's a miracle that after that experience, we still got married. </p>
<p>D took noncredit classes in African drumming and various marshall arts. For credit, she took drawing and Gamalon (Unbelievably cool Indonesian music).</p>
<p>S takes floor hockey every semester he can fit it in. He also went to a cooking club for a while, but I haven't seen any evidence this "took."</p>
<p>I believe most of his out-of-class instruction consists of learning obscure poker variations, while honing his Hold'em skills.</p>
<p>mkm 56, I have to admit I also thought this thread was for us, "would be empty nesters". LOL
S2 ( a junior) plans on taking a class in " personal finance management" next year. I think it's great.</p>
<p>I don't know about regional differences first hand as I have only lived in two states (presently in south). But my kids worked; older son's first job was at a car wash, drying cars and was "promoted" to vacuuming. D spent about 6 years cleaning horse stalls and feeding and working at a kennel cleaning runs and feeding. Youngest worked maintenance at a golf course cleaning out sand traps, water hazards and wielding a weed-eater (he also learned alot of slang Spanish as he was one of very few English speakers--though it doesn't seem to have helped him in college Spanish!).</p>
<p>I agree with the idea of a required class in personal finance. Though mine seem to recognize the value of a dollar, only the one that went into business seems to actually plan ahead well, set a budget and balance his accounts--the other two like to just check online or look at the ATM receipt to see where they stand ;). </p>
<p>My kids come from a high school where (just guessing) I would say not much more than half go on to college. I've seen so many of the non college kids finish high school and think they can survive and actually "live well" on nonskilled job salaries. A course where they learn about the actual costs of daily life would be so beneficial.</p>
<p>My gal decided to take a scuba diving class - for fun - she LOVED it and proceeded to take more classes - now is at the point of having her dive master - which would actually be job worthy for her - and the wonders of the universe below the sea has brought her much joy :)</p>
<p>My parents were both academics, our family was middle class. I did not learn a lot of the "life skills" because they did not have them. Can't pass that on to my kids, has nothing to do with class or elitism....
I wish I did have more of those skills and that my kids did too.</p>
<p>Part of it is - if they are hungry - they will learn to cook - somehow - if they have dirty clothes - they will learn how to clean them - somehow - if they have car problems - they will learn to deal with them - somehow.</p>
<p>Somehow they learn - or they find someone who knows. We all have different strengths and weaknesses - different methods of working thru things - but we learn how to manage - somehow. :D</p>
<p>PRIMETIMEMOM hehe we gave our gal a car tool kit and some other hand tools as she went of to college - they do get used once in a while - and when she is home she loves to be in the workshop with her dad - when time allows. </p>
<p>Good to know she knows which end of the hammer to use LOL</p>
<p>Jeep, I agree, they or should I say "we" manage somehow. The funny thing is S1 asked for an iron and ironing board when we took him to college. He is now a junior and he claims he has used them only twice- for making grilled cheese!!!! LOL</p>
<p>Marite, there is a difference in extracurriculars and taking a college course for credit in the same thing- it's like a guilty pleasure, an I'm actually getting credit for doing something fun, something you wouldn't associate with high powered academic institutions thing. Once you sign up for the class you have to attend (mostly, I ended up skipping the lecture eventually in my sci fi class, P/F, early- 8:50am!- those were the days) and do required work.</p>
<p>These 'practical' courses sound wonderful for all college (even HS) students! (finance, auto repair, cooking).</p>
<p>Those are things I definitely could have used as a young adult. My parents never wanted to make me work that hard (!). But now my son is the only kid in our entire neighborhood who does yard work (sometimes his friends [whose parents all have lawn services] join in---the novelty is intriguing!).</p>
<p>I'm sure a lot of colleges have classes that are considered fun, even though they may have high academic content. Some colleges also have a J-term, in January, during which time students can learn something totally outside of the requirements or their areas of interest.</p>
<p>What Harvard proposes to do is to offer some--presumably short--classes in very basic survival skills for those who do not have parents like originaloog--people who do not own cars, let alone know how to repair them, for example.</p>
<p>Theoretically much of this material has been covered by classes my kids took in middle school and high school, but I noticed none of it stuck then. I know that the summer after my sophomore year was the first time I lived on my own. While I was not nearly as ignorant about cooking as my dh was in grad school - I still hadn't done much serious cooking, housecleaning, rent paying and the rest till that experience. I know I'd have been much more ready to learn what I needed to from a short course than I was at a younger age.</p>