<p>-laundry!
-cooking meals, beyond the box
-using money responsibly
-how to write to a certain crowd
-the importance of eating and staying healthy/exercise
-the important of helping others
-how to change my car's oil/tires and how to jumpstart a car (thanks dad)
-the importance of the enviorment
-how to appriciate the beauty of nature and good food
-basic first aid
-fix basic broken things, from small objects to other people
-how to deal with idiots
-how to respect people
-soooo many others</p>
<p>and the bext skill?
-how to follow my dreams, stand up for myself, and be proud of whatever I may become, because that's when life is successful =)</p>
<p>Ooh, jmmom beat me to it. :) I'd add good table manners, knowing how to dress appropriately for the occasion, and always RSVPing to invitations (something few adults seem capable of these days!)</p>
<p>jmmom- I laughed when we saw the fuse box item. Our flight was delayed last week so our son was home for one night and one day without us. When we arrived, we noticed that quite a few lights in the house were not working (including his bathroom). We checked the box in the basement and sure enough - the fuse just needed to be switched on. He had NO idea what to do - said it was no problem - the lack of lights didn't bother him at all - LOL. Probably would have lived with it for weeks. Well, NOW he knows. A good one to add to the list!</p>
<p>Just to be picky here - but there's a difference between fuse boxes and circuit breakers. Most of us have circuit breakers these days. Easier to deal with than fuses. :)</p>
<p>BTW both my boys can sew quite well - five years of quilting at their arts and humanities magnet in elementary school! Followed up by home and careers in middle school where they learned to use a machine as well.</p>
<p>Thank you letters must be at least six lines
Apologize if you think you have offended anyone.
Apologies are easy currency
Man up if you've been found out.<br>
Be on time to appointments ( this one hasn't taken so far)</p>
<p>Also, how to not let other people make you a lesser person. My roommate is going through a breakdown crisis which heavily affected me over the last two weeks, and thursday my mom finally pointed out that they raised me not to let other people drag me down, and I knew it was true, because I realized I was angry at myself for letting her make me feel that way. I think its those types of lessons that are better than anything. You can find out how to do laundry, cook a meal, or write a letter online. You can't be taught to be strong by the internet.</p>
<p>Those dorm rooms are so small shoe. It's impossible not to be affected by the extreme emotion of a roommate. Keep yourself busy and out of the room for awhile! Good luck.</p>
<p>Isn't it nice to call home and have Mom give you sage advice? You are lucky.</p>
<p>My children can cook a variety of meals, do their own laundry, clean and tidy anything. (They use those skills almost every day!) They also know how to travel alone and use public transit. (They've been doing that every day, too!) They can make a grocery budget, and shop for groceries, read labels, etc. They know how to eat out and tip properly -- which is something all their friends seem to be unable to do. My son (the senior) can perform CPR on children and adults, knows what to do about alcohol-related emergencies, stuff like that. His big weakness right now is financial stuff -- we don't have enough money for him to have extra to "play" with managing. If he gets into the college he's leaning towards, it has a lot of inexpensive summer sublets available, and I may let him live in one of those this summer, to practice financial skills without juggling schoolwork, too.</p>
<p>Learning to do all of these things depends on one thing....ask questions! When you go off to college you will face a lot of situations that you've never been in before and maybe can't even have been prepared for. You need to push yourself to be assertive in a polite, grown-up way by asking questions and then using that info. to solve your problem/navigate your situation. At this point you won't be able to depend on your parents for helping you out with day to day activities. So you need to just remind yourself that you are a (almost) grown-up and you CAN do it on your own. Have confidence in yourself and force yourself to step out and take on new things and always ask questions. People are usually willing to help if you ask.</p>
<p>Great thread idea. I try to teach my children everything they need, work for what they want but have been somewhat guilty of sheltering them. (though they definitely aren't spoiled) </p>
<p>Oldest daughter is a fine cook. She would make a fine chef, had that been her desire. Great with a budget. Great setting deadlines for herself, setting schedules, researching, etc. She travel alone this summer for the first time, sailing to Novia Scotia. Keeping a dorm room clean and living with a roommate will be her biggest challenge. She doesn't drive, no desire yet. No problem as most her choices don't allow freshman to drive.</p>
<p>Youngest daughter would be ready to leave home now. She's too mature for 16. Have to tell her all the time, to have fun. She cooks, she cleans, she helps with the family business and keeps family members to task. Hopefully when she goes away to school, she won't be too hard on herself and enjoy it a bit.</p>
<p>On a serious note, shoebox and PackMom make some really essential points. </p>
<p>Knowing how not to be knocked for a loop by people OR things is a critical life skill. Attitude is everything. I have had many occasions to tell my college S that maintaining a can-do positive outlook in the face of Katrina, a tough tough college course or whatever is a FAR more important life skill than knowing how to ace a test. </p>
<p>And asking questions - such an important point. Never be afraid to show you don't know.</p>
<p>does anyone really balance a checkbook or even write too many checks anymore? You can follow your account online,and direct deposit and debit.
I took S to a commercial laudromat to learn to do his laundry,so he'd get used to bigger machines,and feeding those coins.
I taught him to at least sew on a button and sew up a little tear
He knows how to cook some simple things and cant wait to have an apt kitchen next year and a balcony where they actually allow small grills
He knows how to ask for help,be it academic,logistical or healthwise
If he'd never lived in a city or visited, I would teach him how to cross a city street safely (LOL ) have some street smarts as well
Seriously,if you're taking a car you need to know how to change a tire and recognize signs of the car needing service
You also have to learn to parallel park if you'll be driving in an urbanized setting (no joke some kids dont know how to do this if all they've ever done is pull into parking lot spaces)
I've tried to teach him basic organizational skills and time management skills but most of these he's had to learn by trial and error...ignoring alarm clock and missing class,keeping track of when assignments are due so you dont get grade penalized,etc.</p>
<p>I consider myself fairly up to date technologically. I work in an ever changing laboratory setting and have created and implemented databases for our system at work.
STILL am having problem 'letting go' of the checkbook!!!!
Yes, I track accounts online and do direct deposit, etc.......just can't seem to release my grip on the paper check register. It's silly.</p>
<p>My children absolutely know how to make the hidden agenda work for them. From minute 1 they were educated in understanding the subtext of every situation. They understand how this plays out in many different envrionments and cultural groups. They always know how to get people to help them. They know how to walk away from a fight. They know how to treat people with respect even when they do not agree with them. They can read and use almost any instructional manual. They can read a cookbook. They can cook enough to not starve, wash enough to not smell and clean enough to hide the evidence. When they were 14 and 12 we gave them a map, a camera and some drachma and we let them loose in Athens. They were to photograph 10 different sites or features. They had pictures of 10 different sites, and 10 different groups of people they met- one at each site. They can care for themselves in a minor illness and they know when to go to the doctor. They can keep their key documents (passports, insurance cards, etc) in an accessible location and up to date. They can entertain and engage an elderly person who needs companionship. They can change a baby's diaper, feed a baby and take a baby's temperature. They can act as an assistant in an emergency medical situation and keep a clear head when adults around them cannot. </p>
<p>I'd like to say I taught them all this, but most of it was probably osmosis and necessity.</p>
<p>
[quote]
just can't seem to release my grip on the paper check register. It's silly.</p>
<p>Anyone else?
[/quote]
</p>
<p><em>raises hand</em> I do all my bill-paying the old-fashioned way, although I have to go online if I want a copy of the back of the check (grrr). I suppose eventually I'll give in, but I think it will be double the work, as I'll still want to keep track manually to make sure the bank hasn't made a mistake.</p>
<p>To take care of their skin!
We are a pale family. Older S. is pretty conscientious with shirts and sunscreen. With younger S, "the fairest of them all," the immediate fear of looking uncool still often takes precedence over what's sensible and safe in the long run. He burns VERY easily. Very worrisome.</p>