My (college-aged) daughter and I were discussing life skills, A.K.A. “adulting”. I realized that they have changed a little bit since I was starting out in the world. For example, we talked about paying bills- she’s never going to keep a check register, probably will mail only 1-2 checks in her life. She knows how to deposit checks on her phone, and make bank transfers on an app. What skills will my son need when he’s ready to live on his own? (I’m trying to be optimistic and assume it won’t be basic survival in the ruins of civilization.)
He’s skipping summer day camp this year due to the pandemic. In previous years, he’s learned some things I feel are important from camp, like swimming, making and keeping friends, and team games. Camp was wonderful in that it enforced a schedule, was outside all day, and naturally limited screen time. I’m one of the lucky ones, in that my husband works from home, but if we’re not careful, my son would be on a screen from the moment he wakes to the moment he falls unconscious with a device in his hand. So I decided to make a list of life skills I want him to learn, and work towards some every week. We’re not going to tackle them all this summer, some he’s too young for. I searched for ideas, and found a lot of old-fashioned, overly ambitious or opinionated ideas as to what a new adult needs to know. I think my personal list will evolve as I think about it. I’ll leave out stuff I hope he will learn in school, like history, math, and science, though we should supplement that. I’d be interested to know how your own list differs.
Life Skills I want my kids to know before they leave the nest:
- how to drive a car
- ride a bike
- read a map
- cook meals and bake
- laundry including folding and storage
- study skills
- write a letter/email
- phone skills including how to take messages, speak to customer service, make appointments
- touch-type
- cleaning
- jump-start a car and change a tire
- apologize
- consent and sexual safety
- sew a button and hem
- basics of logic fallacies and recognizing bias
- evaluating sources of information
- nutrition
- using power tools safely
- swim
- read music
- Know about famous artists, musicians and inventors
- use a spreadsheet
- online safety and etiquette
- use public transportation and plan a trip
- money management including taxes
- unclog a toilet/drain
- vote
- medical care- basic first aid, going to doctor, maintaining health, using insurance
- washing dishes- both manual and machine
- shopping wisely
- communicating in different situations, understanding formal vs. informal, negotiation
- setting a goal and breaking it into steps
- organizing and time management
- calming techniques
- knowing when to ask for help and who to ask
