<p>My high school junior son has been sheltered his whole life--our fault i know. He has NO interest in learning basic cooking, laundry, cleaning skills, etc. I have made a list of very general things he needs to learn, but could you help me with some specifics please?</p>
<p>I have listed: laundry/ironing; time management; $ management; cleaning; cooking; maintenance; organization skills.</p>
<p>Please help with both general categories and specifics in each area--especially cooking.</p>
<p>How to clean a toilet/tub/sink - may not be a issue depending on your dorm situation especially freshman year, but eventually will.
How to defrost the mini-fridge before winter break. I.E. - do not just unplug and leave the door closed ;)</p>
<p>You might laugh at this… How to pack a suitcase so it would not weigh more than the airline’s limit AND all contents survive the trip without breaking/leaking/cracking, etc.</p>
<p>For those that own cars (and have never caught public transportation), learning how to navigate a bus/subway system could help. My niece was that type of person and during her junior year of college, she had to go into NYC for internships. Fortunately, her mother had oriented her to navigating a public transportation system.</p>
<p>How to go to the doctor/dentist including how to find out what doctor is in your plan, how to make an appointment and how to fill a prescription.</p>
<p>Know their social security number. I had a former boss call me from Dartmouth where her daughter was starting her freshman year and neither of them knew her social security number, which they needed to log into the school computers.</p>
<p>They also need to know where they were born. </p>
<p>Where you were born is literally where you were born. It is not the place where your parents lived at the time of your birth. If the hospital and your family’s home were not in the same community, your kid needs to know the location of the hospital. That’s where he was born.</p>
<p>Yikes, unless he expresses interest. Let it go. When he needs to know them and is interested, he’ll ask you, or better yet, he’ll use it as an ice breaker and ask a girl he likes and will be a LOT more interested in learning them. </p>
<p>The one’s he’ll probably appreciate now are learning how to drive, learning how to use YOUR credit card, learning how to read a map, learning how to change a tire (another good way to meet girls), learning how to fill up the gas tank with YOUR credit card, learning how to get cash out of the ATM, how to perform updates on his computer - (Actually he might be able to teach you that). </p>
<p>The ones you must push are the SSN, birthplace, how to use the health insurance, how to handle a car accident (who your insurance company is), how to handle the police - be calm and respectful, no wisecracks, no disagreeing. What to do if he gets arrested anyway (falsely of course).</p>
<p>How to pump gas
Knowledge of ATM surcharges
How to use the dry cleaners
The procedure on how to call AAA
How to reset the fuel pump shut off in a car</p>
<p>I absolutely disagree that it’s not necessary to learn to cook and clean and do laundry. I’m also a bit put off by the implication that it’s something GIRLS should know but not GUYS. A friend lived across from the laundry room when I was in college and I lost count of the number of clueless guys who ruined entire loads of clothes by mixing black and pastel items in hot water, added DISH soap and ended up with service calls on the machine, overstuffed the washer and broke the machines, and on and on.</p>
<p>Then there were the ones who set off the fire alarms in the dead of winter sending us all outside in the cold when they burned food, and let’s not even get into the cleaning-some rooms weren’t fit for human habitation.</p>
<p>My son learned how to sew a basic seam, cook some meals, and do his own laundry before he left middle school. He knows how to iron, too. ALL of my kids have been taught these things. It’s part of real life, and I would caution my D’s not to get to serious with a guy who thinks otherwise.</p>
<p>Oh, ClassicRockerDad—have you no daughters!
Girls will not be impressed with a boy who has no cooking, laundry or cleaning skills whatsoever. He doesn’t have to be Donna Reed, but he should know the basics.
Teach him how to cook eggs ( scrambled, fried, boiled), hamburgers, and spaghetti on the stove. That will give him enough skill to learn the rest on his own when need be.
Laundry is easy. Separate lights from darks, add a bit of detergent, turn on the machine. A toddler can do it with a couple practice runs.
Cleaning is a bit more challenging, but I agree that cleaning a toilet and sink, as well as a bathroom floor will save him some headaches and embarrassment later. I will never forget the call I got, while I was in a meeting, from my tearful Dd who was scrubbing her dorm bath floor with a sponge. When I asked why she didn’t use a mop, I heard an," Ooooh." It had never occurred to her to get a mop. :rolleyes: So yeah, you can save them some grief later by making sure they have some of these basics covered. It will give them confidence and make them feel less sheltered.</p>
<p>In the event that their campus is in a hurricane/tornado/earthquake zone. How to evacuate.
Trust me…this happened to my D the first week of Sophomore year. No matter what the university tells you, your kid is going to have to know how to fend for themselves.</p>
<p>I’m disagreeing with Classic Rocker here. Taking care of oneself is an important milestone for a teenager/young adult. And it has some really nice perks, they start doing things for you! MayI suggest that you take a stand and get him interested?
Laundry:
Show him how to sort, pre-treat, add soap etc. , how the settings on the washer and dryer work. And then tell him that’s how his clothes will be cleaned from now on. Both my son and my daughter learned how it all worked at age 10. My rule is if they bring it down and put it in the hamper, I’ll throw theirs in when I’m doing laundry. More times than not, they do their own and now offer to do mine! </p>
<p>Cooking - Take him with you to the grocery store. Tell him your budget and what you need to buy for dinner that day/week. Let him see how far your dollar goes at the grocery store. Then ask for his help to cook dinner 2 nights a week.</p>
<p>Cleaning - Show him how to clean his bathroom and tell him it’s now his responsibility.</p>
<p>If you stay firm, he’ll come around and you’ll be doing him and his future spouse/partner a huge favor.</p>
<p>How to use THE PHONE to call various offices or businesses and actually talk to the people there. Like the financial aid office, the doctor, the dentist, the bank, the landlord, the cable company, the electric company, the pharmacy, the mechanic…the list is endless.</p>
<p>Money – write an actual check, understand ATM surcharges, pay credit card by transferring from his checking account.</p>
<p>Laundry – knowing what has to be drycleaned (freshman son says he learned the hard way) as well as basics in sorting and the right kind of soap (HE vs. regular etc).</p>
