Let's Discuss: Which Life Skills Are Becoming Irrelevant?
Are we teaching our kids to tie shoelaces these days? Do we need to?
A friend of mine recently reached out to me and another friend about age-appropriate life skills. “My six-year-old is doing Camp Daddy this summer,” she said, referencing the fact that her husband, a teacher, is at home caring for their children until the new school year begins. “We’re working on learning how to call 911 in an emergency, make a sandwich, fold laundry, tie shoes, and take a shower independently. What would you add to the skill list?”
We joked about getting up and getting breakfast independently so mom can sleep in (ha), and I started thinking about the skills my own kids need to learn. We haven't mastered shoe-tying yet, because they don't wear shoes that need to be tied. Eventually I'm sure that will change, but there are so many Velcro and slip-on options that we haven't needed to worry about it. My kids don't know how to dial a number on a phone, or to rewind a tape in a VCR (okay, that one's genuinely obsolete).
What are some of the practical skills you learned as a child that aren't really applicable to your children's lives today?
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