Yeah, we need to work on life skills.

[Miss Peregrine]

I just discovered that my 15 year old had never changed a lightbulb until a few days ago. :001_huh:

 

What life skills gaps have you discovered?

[HayesW]

I am 35 years old. I didn't know until several months ago that when using bleach in the washing machine, one should also add detergent. When I thought about it, it made perfect sense. I always just put bleach in the washer. My whites are now clean and white!

[mamalbh]

I was thinking of posting a thread like this :-)

 

I realized my 9yr dd didn't know how to rubber band something :blink:

 

My kids all don't seem to get basic phone manners - even though I have tried to teach them. They almost always mix up that they need to say "Hello" when they answer, and wait till the other person says "hello" when they're calling. (They do it opposite)

[Melissa B]

I just found out yesterday my 11 year old daughter didn't know how to use a plunger. She does now. :D

[redsnapper]

I always feel bad when I discover a friend's child can do things my kids can't do but could if I taught them.

 

For example, this weekend we had a little buddy spend the night and she, at 7yo, can already make her own eggs for breakfast! My kids are 9 and almost 8 and are terrified of the gas range LOL! :lol:

[elizabeth]

Algebra came before tying her shoes. Yes you read that correctly.

[Elizabeth in WA]

I taught ds13 how to put air in a tire today. It made him a few minutes late for gymnastics, but after all the life skills type threads I have been reading on here, I consciously did it before dropping him off and took the time to show him how to do it. I discovered not long ago that he was the only one of my children who did not know how to brown ground beef or make any other simple meals entirely on his own. Apparently his busy gymnastics schedule got him out of some of the most important lessons. :glare: So, I now put effort into reminding myself that his academic lessons aren't the only things that need to get done during the non-gymnastics hours he has.

[DarlaS]

My oldest got his learner's permit at 15, but has yet to put gas in the tank or air in the tire.

 

They all learned to tie their shoes kind of late. My 7 yo still has not learned.

 

On the bright side, I'm pretty sure none of them would starve if something happened to me. Even the 7 yo knows his way around the kitchen. (If you count fixing a sandwich or boiling a hot dog...).

 

All but the 7 yo can do their own laundry too. He probably could, except he's the baby and I haven't yet made him. (I still wash his hair. :blushing:)

[redsnapper]

Here's an idea. Just today a friend was telling me one mom's plan for maintaining some control over her home. She schools 4 days a week, but Friday's are her Home Day. That's the day she does chores and cooking, etc. and has the kids take part in all of it. Kinda their Home Ec day if you will.

 

If I could figure out how to trim down to 4 days a week I might just implement that for my own sanity :lol: !!

[KatieJ]

If you read my siggy, you see that the Lord gave us our kids with some huge gaps between them. I would teach the older/oldest one something and forget 5 years later that the next would need to be taught it as well.

Things like packing to go to camp or on vacation, doing laundry, even folding laundry etc.

One day I came across a curriculum that I can't recall the name of, but it was all about showing you how to incorporate all those life skills into classroom credit.

Example, one summer we did some major landscaping, built a shed and put a bathroom in the basement. When I put down on paper everything they learned and counted the hours they spent working with their Dad, they had at least a semesters worth of shop class that year!

[*~Tina~*]

My dd took the initiative to help with the laundry last week, so she went down to move the load of towels from the washer to the dryer. . .not realizing the washer had stopped mid-cycle because it got out of balance, thus the towels were dripping, soaking wet and not finished washing when she took them out and put them in the dryer. She thought nothing of the water slinging all over the floor during the transfer. :001_huh:

 

Now she knows :D

[AndyJoy]

My 18-month-old has been forging ahead in life skills this week. Today he unplugged the vacuum (while it was being used!) and stuck the "childproof" safety cover back in the outlet.:lol: He also loves to transfer the clothes from the dryer to a basket for me while "talking" loudly into the dryer because of the cool echo.

[eternalknot]

My five year old didn't know how to jump rope or do a somersault. She can make her own breakfast, do her own laundry, wipe her own butt, wash her own hair, and change the baby's diaper .... but heaven help us, she was the only kid in her martial arts class last week who couldn't do a forward roll or use a jump rope!

 

We spent all week practicing both LOL.

 

My ten year old still can't figure out how to open food wrappers (granola bars, chips, etc.) He uses scissors. My five year old negotiates with him when we eat out and get the little fortune cookies or mints with our bill; she'll open it for him, but it'll cost him a bite or two :)

[TXMomof4]

DD has helped with laundry for a very long time now. She knows how to sort clothes, load the washer, pour in the detergent, and start with the appropriate cycle. HOWEVER, I never allowed her to do the bleach, simply because I didn't want her to splash and ruin her clothes. She knew I used it for whites and if we've had illness or yuck, things get bleached.

 

So when ds had an accident on our denim slipcover, she promptly removed the cover from the cushion, loaded it in the washer, and poured bleach all over it. I certainly appreciated her help, but now I have one splotchy cushion.

[GypsieFamily]

Dh was at work today when our caravan tanks ran dry. He usually syphens the water from the spare containers into our water tanks. DS9 had to explain to me how to do it as he has watched and helped Dad.

 

DS9 also fetched the water for me to wash the dishes this morning, and cooked pancakes for brekky (not enough water for our usual porridge).

 

Last time we went 4wd-ing DS9 engaged the hub caps on one side of the car, and DH on the other. Apparently DS9 didn't have the strenght to engage them properly. We found out when we got bogged on the beach and had to spend some time with DS9 and DH digging our way out.

 

DD8, on the other hand, can make an awesome salad, darns our clothes and is becoming a good cook. However, if you ask her to do something like pass the ropes so you can tie something up she'll stare at you like you have two heads.

 

Each child has different skills.

[Lisa R.]

I had to show both my teenagers how to use a padlock. (Right two turns, left one turn...) I used these every. single. day. in school from seventh grade through twelfth grade. It is common knowledge to be able to use a combination lock, and I was surprised when I realized this was something my older kids had never even used.

[Miss Peregrine]

These are all great.

 

Thanks for sharing. :)

[Julie in CA]

My kids can all use an index, but for some reason, they have trouble translating that over to using a phone book. They're older now, and most of them can do it proficiently, but I'm still scratching my head about how long it took them to learn that. :confused:

 

Also, because we have the farm, we have fuel available from the tanks here. My ds ran out of gas in town one day, pushed the vehicle to the nearby gas station, but then didn't actually know anything about how/when/where to pay, or how to make the pump work. One of my friends happened by, and helped him out. I was :blushing:.

 

I guess the biggest one is signing a signature. My dh took the kids to the races one evening, and when you come in the gate you have to sign a liability release. My teenagers took a really long time to sign, and then my dh said it looked like a 3 year old had written it. I guess I never encouraged them to get their own special "signature" that they could scawl quickly. My dh was embarrassed, and I felt terrible. :001_smile:

[momofsbandeg]

it will make you think.

 

I didn't realize until my first year of college that the reverse lights (the white ones) would let you know a car was fixing to back up(how did I miss that one in driver's ed), yet I installed a cassette player into my car without any help!!!!

 

My 10yr old has only recently been tying shoe laces....been getting older sib to do it for her.....how nice!!!!:D

[Lady Florida.]

My ds needs more practice in doing laundry and cooking. He *can* do both, but is nowhere near good at either. I make him fold and put away his clean clothes, but it's more cost efficient for me to do all the family's laundry than to have him do his separately. I guess I'll just have to have him do it anyway. I also keep meaning to add one night a week where he cooks dinner.

 

 

I had to show both my teenagers how to use a padlock. (Right two turns, left one turn...) I used these every. single. day. in school from seventh grade through twelfth grade. It is common knowledge to be able to use a combination lock, and I was surprised when I realized this was something my older kids had never even used.

 

:ohmy: Oh my! I'll bet ds has no idea how to do this.

[Swirl]

I found out my 12 year old son did not know how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When I was too buy, he asked his 8 year old sister to do it. This is a terrible reflection on me. I had taken time to teach my daughter, but not my son. :sad:

[Miss Peregrine]

:lol::lol::lol:

 

Today we were driving behind a repair truck. It said, "Call for a free quote."

 

Same DD, 15, :001_huh: asked if they really just read you a quote!

 

"Hello? I'm calling for the free quote."

 

"Okay, how about, ' We must become the change we want to see. ~Mahatma Gandhi '

 

"Thank you."

 

She cracks me up.:lol:

[happygrrl]

My niece (1st grade public school) proudly repeated the Pledge of Allegiance the last time we were together. My kids looked at her like she dropped from space! Ooops! Forgot about the pledge! I said it every school day of my elementary life, how did I miss that one?

[EmilyinND]

I just found out yesterday my 11 year old daughter didn't know how to use a plunger. She does now. :D

Ahem...my son is a pro at this!!:lol: LOTS of experience...:tongue_smilie:

[twoforjoy]

Algebra came before tying her shoes. Yes you read that correctly.

 

Seriously, that brings me comfort. My DS cannot tie his shoes, at 7. We try it every few months, but he gets frustrated, and he doesn't actually need to do it, so we decide to wait a while longer. I figure he'll learn one day.

[Ali in OR]

Seems to be a common theme here...I'm so happy that my 10 yo (almost 11) has finally learned to tie her shoes this spring. Now we're working on how to wash your hair. It always looks greasy, even when she's just washed it. Working on it.

[~Amanda~]

I thought of one...

 

the other day I was trying to tell my daughter to turn on the AC (as in, turn it down so it would kick on)... she flipped the switch from AUTO to FAN so it was on constantly. not what I had in mind...

[emzhengjiu]

Make sure your kids know about male and female connectors / plugs. I explained this to both my girls a couple of months ago after reading about the embarrassment a young adult woman felt trying to buy the right connectors in one of those large box stores. They giggled through our talk but at least they won't be embarrassed later.

 

Ann

[melik]

I missed lots of practical info growing up! I'm sure my kids are missing some....:tongue_smilie: But I was shocked when a couple years into our marriage I found out my husband didn't know why it's bad to put a plastic bag over your head????!!!!:001_huh::001_huh: We still joke about it to this day.

 

Meli

[Natalieclare]

I had to show both my teenagers how to use a padlock. (Right two turns, left one turn...) I used these every. single. day. in school from seventh grade through twelfth grade. It is common knowledge to be able to use a combination lock, and I was surprised when I realized this was something my older kids had never even used.

 

I never saw this one coming. My dd had to have her lab partner show her at her dual enrollment class. Ooops!

 

I am requiring my 2 oldest to make and attend a visit to the doctor. Neither of them has been since preschool age.

[asta]

 

shows the style of shoe tying used by the daughter in "Regarding Henry" (with Harrison Ford) to re-teach him to tie his shoes after a brain injury.

 

After many frustrating years it was what "clicked" with DS. He now has his own derivation of it.

 

 

a

 

 

ps: I found out less than a year ago that I hadn't taught DS (17) how to fold a t-shirt. No wonder they were all balled up.

[Melissa in Australia]

I just discovered that my 15 year old had never changed a lightbulb until a few days ago. :001_huh:

 

What life skills gaps have you discovered?

 

I never knew how to change a light bulb until I was 36. What can I say, I grew up in a house of electricians.

[EppieJ]

I always feel bad when I discover a friend's child can do things my kids can't do but could if I taught them.

 

For example, this weekend we had a little buddy spend the night and she, at 7yo, can already make her own eggs for breakfast! My kids are 9 and almost 8 and are terrified of the gas range LOL! :lol:

 

I'm terrified of a gas range! :tongue_smilie: I'm trying to get used to the idea of having gas (we hope to move into a place of our own this year) because it's so much more economical and efficient.

 

At age 10.5 my ds can make toast, nachos (in the micro) and can proudly bake his own Sculpey creations. We have a ways to go, but it's a start! :lol:

[EppieJ]

Seems to be a common theme here...I'm so happy that my 10 yo (almost 11) has finally learned to tie her shoes this spring. Now we're working on how to wash your hair. It always looks greasy, even when she's just washed it. Working on it.

 

This sounds so familiar! :tongue_smilie: Ds finally learned to tie his shoes with some proficiency about a year ago (he's 10.5) and he has been "washing" his hair on his own for quite some time. Even so, he often comes out of the bath with the top of his head wet but not the back or sides! "Hey, I thought you were going to wash your hair." "I did" "How come it's still dry?" "It is?" :001_huh: What's a mom to do? :lol:

[jenniferlee]

another non-shoe tie-er here. 11yo. still just can't quite figure it out. We call him einstein.:D