My kids know how to do laundry (been doing their own for years by choice), how to sew, one knows how to cook simple meals, and one is a great cook. They are great tippers. Both have jobs working with the public and know how important that is. What they don’t know is how to do their taxes, so they will be learning that this year!
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I would have emphasized that when doing wash mixing reds and whites isn’t just a suggestion. FYI he looks great in pink.
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Thanks. Great idea. I googled self defense and so far it takes me to martial arts programs (which would be good, but D22 wouldn’t go). I will be on the lookout for something like this.
Thanks. Trying to get my kids to take their own meds and make appointments. Mixed results so far 
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Thanks. Hoping my kids show responsibility and resilience. I had planned on that! But as things get closer, and with some regression from the pandemic, my concerns have grown. Love the IRA idea — it’s never too early!
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@Sweetgum @Mjkacmom good point. My daughter is a good tipper when it’s my money :). Have always considered myself a good tipper, but now that my D22 is a hostess, I tip even better.
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We managed without S asking us much, but the one thing I wish I had taught him was what exactly to do if he lost his wallet and car keys. He did this while a couple hours away from campus, on a boat and he was the driver taking a bunch of people there. He eventually found his keys but not his wallet. Now he knows to keep a copy of his driver’s license and any cards in his wallet in his little safe so he knows exactly what is lost and how to contact them. He knows now. His only other big how do I do this was figuring out how to buy an engagement ring when they asked for a wire transfer which his bank didn’t do. That took all of us a while to figure out! I don’t think I could have taught him that before hand but knowing the difference between, wire transfers, money orders, etc. would have been good to know.
Good advice on making copies of license l, credit card etc. i recently lost my car keys at work (eventually found) and have since gotten a Chipolo attachment to find them if I lose them again!
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It’s definitely a work in progress!
The Roth IRA thing is amazing. I showed my son what $1000 deposited now might look like forty years from now, and he was impressed. While they are in school, they may be making some money but probably not enough to trigger tax obligations, so putting “post-tax” dollars into a Roth is a no-brainer assuming there is even a small amount of funds to spare for that purpose.
Also, I didn’t mean to suggest in my earlier message that any of us are not thinking about how to develop responsibility and resilience in our kids. In my case, there was just a kind of “aha” moment during my son’s freshman year, when I realized “time’s up.” We live in Japan and I remember thinking when we put him on the plane that his biggest issues would be getting through airport transfers and completing the Customs form. I assumed that, if there were ever a real problem, we would just get on the plane and go. And then Covid hit and, as things turn out, I haven’t been in the US in more than two years. And in the meantime, he’s had to deal with all sorts of difficult things on his own, and it has been one of the few pleasures of the pandemic watching him do it. We still provide input and support where we can, of course, but it is very gratifying to know that the foundation is solid. Banking, on the other hand, remains a challenge!
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I love all the above responses. Thank YOU!
I think budgeting & personal finance, savings, and basically all things monetary are very valuable. And not really taught in school. Wish I had a better grip on it when I was in school and starting off on my own.
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