I told my grandma that I was getting married (at 17 after graduation) and so she sat me down for weeks on end doing her budget and making me do the dishes and dusting the house and then had conversations with me over marriage basics. It was all life saving advice. I have been married for almost 9 years now happily and I still budget the way she did. It was like she put me through basic house wife boot camp 🤣
YES please make that a series! I’m always thinking of things randomly that I’m like “oh I need to make sure my kids learn this!” and I’m always worried I’ll forget to teach them something major
Please do this! My husband was a youth pastor for almost 10 years and we couldn't believe all the "normal" life skills that the teens couldn't do. We had summer boot camps several years teaching them how to mow a lawn, how to change a tire, how to babysit, first aid and CPR, how to cook an entire meal for your family, how to decorate a cake, iron clothes, change the oil in the car or mower, etc. The kids and parents LOVED it! The teens even learned how to make stromboli, salad and banana pudding. We wanted them to have the ability to help their families now, how to help their future families and also how to minister to others. The kids LOVED learning how to cook and moms started having so many of the kids cook the meal they learned how to make once every couple of weeks to help her out. Some still make it to this day and now they are married with kids of their own.
Add basic sewing skills. Threading a needle and sewing on a button. Or stitching a pulled seem. No need to throw out a piece of clothing due to such simple repairs. Also teach stain removal for the same reason. I love your ideas!
One of the biggest things that I admit I had to learn was lessons about entitlement. I was a check the box, straight A student, who thought I did all the things right but I couldn't find a job in my field in the financial crash after college. I was mad at the world that no job came to me. I didn't realize (even though this seems obvious) that no one owed me a job. I had to prove to someone that I was the one they wanted to hire. I cringe and ashamed to think of it now, but I wish I had realized that sooner in so many ways. I guess personal responsibility in your desires is really the category. That goes for jobs, finances, marriage, loneliness/friendships. If you are unhappy in some area of your life, it's up to you to do something about it, not expect others to make it better for you (spouse, government, the people who don't notice you). I hope some of that made sense.
God has blessed you with one of the best skills yet! Most kids nowadays are so dang spoiled and entitled. I sometimes wonder what the world will be like when they become adults
That series would be great! I would add mental/emotional health, such as what to do when you’re feeling anxious, depressed, jealous…how to recognize cognitive distortions, where to seek help if needed.
Teaching life skills is so important. We're a 23 year homeschooling family (and counting), and our adult children are amazing with the things they can do. When my oldest was 14 (she's 30 now), I walked out to the suburban one early rainy morning to a flat. I was huge pregnant and did NOT want to change this tire. My daughter comes out and changes this tire for me in about 15 minutes. When she was 16, she was out with friends and the car battery died. She unhooked the battery, walked across the street, had it tested, bought a new battery, walked back and installed while her friends sat and watched. lol We now have four grown children and each of them can pretty much do anything. We're still teaching kiddos at home. Sometimes it's easier to just do things ourselves because it's faster, but our kids miss out when we don't get them in on the action. Great video!
Was SO surprised today when we looked up graduation rates for colleges….alarming low!!! Trades is where it’s at…HVAC can make 100k a yr. Electrician, plumbers, answer the phone, dress neatly, be polite, charge fairly, do the job right and you’ll be covered up with jobs. Would love to see a series.
I think teaching kids basic “handy man” type skills to do minor fixes would be amazing. Along with a little ‘tour’ / lesson of what is in a standard and small tool kit and how each thing can help.
My Nana sat me down with the book of etiquette, not necessary per se (how to set a table, manners, etc., but something that is not taught or appreciated anymore. I appreciated her taking that time with me.
Yes please make a series. I'm raising my 3 grandsons and with what they've been through (not their fault) I really tend to baby them and try to let them be them (kids). I know this would really be helpful for me. Also can you touch on age appropriate life skills? Thanks so much. You are so awesome and I could listen to you all day!
How to manage time, how/when to say no, how to choose what’s best long term not just the easy option.. resilience.. Argh.. parenting. Thanks for the reminder to ignite the conversations, Angie.
YES PLEASE MAKE A SERIES! Gosh you are such a blessing to us young momma's that didn't have any guidance. The impact you have on some of our lives is more than you will ever truly know. Thank you.
For my college graduation project I created a "life skills" binder to give to the kids at the homeless shelter I did my practicum at. It was so sad to see how these poor kids were never taught this but I made sure to let them know there was no shame because I went to college with kids who also never learned these things!
This is great! I would love a series on this subject. When I moved way from home I had about zero life skills, could hardly cook, didn’t know how to start a washer etc. My teenagers know how to do all these things, they have 1 day a week each when they plan and cook a meal from scratch. They’re responsible for cleaning their room once a week and help out with hanging laundry, load och unload the dishwasher etc. They know how to do almost all chores in our home but are not expected to do everything regularly. They also know how to change tires on the car and use tools. I’ve let them build their own ikea furniture for the last 4-6 years, it does take a looong time in the beginning but hey! If they can build Lego they can for sure assemble furniture as well 😏🛠 I’m really proud that my kids know how to do all this stuff since I didn’t when I moved out.
Love the idea of a Life Skills series on what we need to teach our kids! I would add teaching our kids about how to establish GOOD CREDIT & the pitfalls & ramifications of having bad credit. What constitutes a good credit score? What having good credit will allow them to do & what having bad credit will keep them from doing or cost them more money because they are a risk. Investing options are always good to teach them about! How if they are disciplined & dedicated to using/investing their money wisely starting in their early twenties & throughout their adult life that by the time they retire they will be millionaires! So much to teach them!
Yes, and without making the mistake of instilling the fear of failure in them if they do mess up their credit, forget how you showed them to change the tire etc. that’s where we as parents practice patience
Yes, I would enjoy a series. Also, maybe throw in conflict resolution. They need to know how to resolve conflicts between friends, co workers, roommates etc.
This would be a great series! You could poll your followers for each category too of "what do you wish someone had taught you before adulthood" and then ideas on HOW to teach these things! Eta, COOKING and food budgetting/how to shop price per lb
I‘d LOVE a deep dive in all of this categories. My 6 year old is already doing his launddy and emptying the dishwasher and I‘m trying to teach him a little bit more the older ge gets but this idea of life skills is FANTASTIC 😍
Yes, this is so important and so many kids don’t get taught these things. I think I would add proper handling of food to your list. Not everyone knows that you need to clean/wash your hands and all surfaces after coming into contact with raw meat, especially with chicken and pork. A series in this would be great!
When I was in college, I did my own laundry. My roomates took theirs home for their mothers to do it. I knew how to whip up a quick meal, even if it was just baked chicken, mac n cheese, or whatever. Sometimes my roommates and their friends would be over and find it so amazing that I could cook. I was known for my lasagna. I didn't do anything special and they thought everything I did was so out of this world. 😅 Ive had roomates ask why I was going to college. They would say "you know how to cook and clean, you might as well be a house wife." And guess what, I am now a SAHM mom. My advice to young women would be to learn homemaking skills, especially if you value traditional family lifestyles.
Yep, dad and I work together to teach them certain things... both different from each other. He’s more of a handy man than me, knows a lot about cars, etc. I certainly don’t want to miss anything either!
Kids do need to learn money issues but also add counting out change! I find so many errors when younger people just hand me change - they really need to know this skill!
This!!! I went into parenting with the same goal in mind, to teach my kids to be self-sufficient adults by the time they moved out. What better place to learn and fail in practicing life skills than at home! Also, if you're interested in diving into this topic, I'd love to contribute to one of your videos on realistic job searching and career clarity for teens. I have lots of experience as a professional and parent.
My parents made sure....that i had answers to questions like life, suffering, death, and the future. We are all concerned about day-to-day matters, such as making a living or having a happy family. We found that the Bible not only helps us answer life’s big questions but also gives them practical advice for daily living. It's timeless....😉
Yes! The other day I was moping the floor and my youngest came up to me and said “I’m going to stand here and watch you so when I have my own house I’ll know how to do it” 😭
This is great. I learned a lot of these categories because my mom of the 50’s was straddled with 4 young kids and traveling in the Navy. I was doing dishes, beds, changing my brothers’ diapers, even ironing in grade school. There were still holes as a young adult on my own, but I muddled through. I would definitely add to the health and hygiene section some very real food as medicine lessons. Growing up eating whatever I wanted, I am now strapped with my genetics that could have been avoided somewhat: diabetes, heart disease, obesity made worse by not understanding how healthy eating was important at every developmental stage. I dont know if these are teachable lessons, but cultural and artistic aspects of society to express those right brain functions and pursue them ( I regret my parents never encouraged my interest in playing a musical instrument), and given the times: racial diversity in the real world ( your family is a microcosm of issues)…..anyway, oh! How about social skills and manners, or how to have a conversation…. 👍🏼
I did teach my kids that as a homeschool mom - and so glad I did. (THIS IS LONG, by the way). My daughter learned not only to cook, clean, mend, etc. but also to change oil, change spark plugs and points (may not be necessary now -most of the time the timing is electronic and a whole other ball game!). She could also change tires - and made sure she had a Chilton's guide for her year car - which came in very handy when her water pump went out and she had minimal cash as well as how to maintain the house, oil hinges, and MOST of all - how and where to find out what information she needed to know (it WASN'T online!). She also learned a lot about herbal medicines and old fashioned ways of doing things which also came in VERY handy - but again - another game. At the same time my son leaned all these things about the car and about house maintenance, as well as how to cook, clean, and do laundry, mend. As a result, he wasn't in the same position as the sons of an acquaintance who maintained that her sons didn't need to know those things because they could get married or hire someone else to do those things for them. They began learning those things as children - household chores starting at about 5 - 6 years old, cooking (salads and some basic things at 5), car care at about 12 - 14, car repair at about 16, house repair - some tasks very early on - others as they were more capable. One of the basic things both son and daughter had to learn was money management - budgeting - complete with setting up a budget (son's computer made it necessary for him to have a separate phone line - which he had to pay for completely), working to pay for his phone bill, and when he was hoping for a car he had to show he could not only keep up his grades, as well as pay for his computer useage, but when he was working for car useage, he had to buy gas he used (car to be refilled before returning home), plus a prorated amount set aside for insurance, etc. He earned a checking account, had to rectify it monthly (and learned about service charges as well). One term, I set aside money for his foods. He had to come up with weekly menues, weekly shopping list (and at one point a monthly shopping list), did actually make all the purchases he had on his approved shopping list, prepared the food and cleaned up afterward. Son also had, as a high school kid, to volunteer 300 hours a year (which he successfully did as a volunteer at a nursing home, as well as volunteer as a caregiver in a special needs day camp) and attend public hearings by the chamber of commerce as well as our elected officials. He also had a year where he chose a profession - had to design a business plan (the small business administration publishes books on this - VERY WELL DONE, by the way) and had to present his completed plan to an officer at a bank as though he was going to try to obtain a loan and have the bank person critique his plan. Also - rather than just hand the child a booklet with rules of the road and car keys at 16 - both kids (20 year apart) had to learn WHAT to do, emergency things - and had to pass a (designed by me) course that was similar in many respects to that learned by pilots. My reasoning was that if pilots had to have X number of hours to fly a plane, then they should also have Y number of hours - and a variety of conditions to learn to drive a very lethal machine - a car. So my kids had to learn to drive - rural roads by day, by night, small town roads by day, by night, city roads by day, by night - state roads from here to there, highway driving (uncrowded), highway driving (crowded), all kinds of parking, backing up - on the level, on an incline facing uphill, on a hill facing down, to drive in sunshine, to drive at night, to drive in rain, to drive on a super hot day when the asphalt gets tacky, to drive in snow, on ice and would have to pass my level of approval - ALL before I would give the OK to get their license. Meanwhile the public school gave their 5 driving school lessons - and passed those students who got their licenses - and some of whom did not survive the year.
I totally agree with your “one thing”. I have planned a class for this upcoming school year. I call it practical life skills. We are going to focus on one topic per month.
The section where you talk about handling your emotions, and focusing on how you react.. and how you can't control what other people do.. It took me til last year to realize how much anxiety I had becuz of that. Finally learned to set boundaries. to Not worry so much about how someone else reacts to that. And just focus on doing what's best for me and what is the right thing to do.
Yes! Life skills!! One I would see as one of the most important is, food. Where does it come from, how to save seeds for future foods. Food storing and herb medications. All the foods. Thanks for sharing. (well, as I finish this, #1 would be to plant God's word in their hearts, of course, that itself would cover a lot)
I think a modern day life skill is knowing how to google and how to determine what sources are legitimate and what aren't. While it would be awesome for kids to know everything they need to know before going out on their own, likely they'll end up googling things they need to know at some point...and if they can't tell a phony website from a legitimate resource that can cause more problems rather than helping them learn what they need to know.
Angie he’s PLEASE make that series of ALL the things you mentioned. I would even go deeper into paying bills, on time , even how serious it is to pay tickets on time because they can become warrants. When they should reach out and to whom before a problem becomes to big, etc . Thank you ♥️
My daughter poured oil in her windshield washer resivor.....my husband died of shock!!! He then took all the kids out to the garage...oil vs wiper fluid. You would think they would know, they just see you pouring a jug.🤪
😂 My current bosses (who are young enough to be my children) and I were talking about this the other day. Both stated that they wished more “life skills” were taught in school than “teaching for the exam”.. Fortunately, their parents saw the change in school curriculum and taught these two people very important life skills. This topic is so desperately needed in today’s world. Thank you for bringing this to light.
Love love love this video!!!! A series would be amazing! I’m sending this to my husband now so we can start making our list of “things to teach your children before they move out.”
This would be a great series! Ways to cut costs is one I think about a lot (especially in today's economy). Real cooking skills also a big one. Being able to cook from scratch is so important.
Yes please!!!! I am often shocked of what I have not done well teaching my kids. I held an envelope addressing 101 session the other day!! It’s not their fault, but I need to be more intentional about helping them launch! Thank you for being so wonderful! 💗
Yes to everything! These are so important! Can't think of anything to add but everything you said is so important! I know some mom's will even teach their child an age-appropriate life skill every summer and this would be a great list to pull for that!
Love!!! My grown 20-somethings have so many of these skills because we worked on them! 💗 they also know how to make my house “company ready” if they need to. Which is huge! 😂 working on the littles now to get the same skill sets
Yes, please make that a series. I need it for myself....LOL!! I was raised by my grandparents in a SUPER dysfunctional home with no point of reference. All my learning took place in school as there was no talking, sharing or teaching at home. Had to learn everything the hard way. Embarrassed to say that I'm in my 50's and still learning things I should have learned decades ago. Looking to break the cycle and pass on as much knowledge to my son.
Loved this video ... there are things I wasn't aware that I had to teach .. like teaching my children to go to the bathroom in the toilet, flushing the toilet, wiping themselves and washing their hands. It is also so important to teach them to clean up after themselves if they make a mess in the bathroom. I would love to see a deep red r dive into life skills.
Yes more series! Btw you look really nice today❤️ For me as a mother of only three children. I think mental health is so important. Selfawerness, selfasteem, selfsoothing, compassion, empathy, self love. To know when to get help. And to talk about your problems and feelings. I never learned any of that growing up. I learned it all i therapy 🤣
I work with college kids, and the number one area that I our students struggle is with verbal communication. Current teens can do everything online, so there is serious anxiety that comes with talking to adults. In person banking, making a Drs appointment, calling in a food order, speaking to a professor or registrar….I know it sounds silly but college kids really struggle here.
I would LOVE to see a series on all of those kinds of things, and maybe how to do them incrementally and what ages you start different things. I think I waffle back and forth between waiting to teach them things when they get older and wanting them to do everything now. :-)
Yes! This is so needed. I worked at an ice cream shop and had to show a new hire how to clean the bathroom. Not like how they wanted it done but how to clean a toilet. She never had done it or seen it done. It's the little things sometimes.
We were raised by this Golden Rule: Pick-up, Put-up and Clean-up after yourself. When we were walking good and understood more and more, we were taught to pick out what we wanted to play with (One game, one set of dolls, etc), and when we were done, put it up before getting the next thing out. We were not allowed to trash the house with toys, etc. We were taught to pull up our sheets and bedspread to begin with. Once a week she changed sheets, straighten things out and it made everything a lot easier on her. A step stool for the kitchen to reach the sink and counters. Done eating, clean off your plate in the trash can and put your dishes on the counter. We raised our kids the same way and both of us still follow the Golden Rules. My mom said she had lots of smiles when we were learning to do things. Keep it up, it's worth every minute of Consistency and Patience.
While I do not have children, I am a college student who has been around a lot of young adults who come from all walks of life. One important thing to teach your children is that not every family is like yours. Some children come from divorced families, broken families, abuse, money problems, addiction, and are the way that they are because of those life experiences.
Yes I’m literally taking notes in google docs lol please do a series! Like I don’t even know how to manage emotions or how do I teach critical thinking!
1)when paying a utility bill online, they may charge you so explore other options..write a check and deliver. 2) using a debit card, counting cash, how to keep track of what you spend if using debit 3)how to make a menu, grocery shop(check app for coupons) go in a pick the right item, checking out. 4) checking oil and tire pressure!! 5)checking smoke detector batteries/ changing 6) where to go for help(can use urgent vs ER and cost difference)
Teach your kids to cook for themselves! To grow their own food, to care for animals properly, to know how to distinguish between a good relationship and a bad one, to invest in things that last and skip on out on the momentary things that add up and cost more, to see the world outside of the town you live in and know there’s so much more to explore, teach them about their future selves and what advice their future selves might give them, and there’s just so much I want to teach my kids, this category could go on and on.
Yes, make this series! I relate to this SO SO SO much and it pains me to know soooo many friends of mine do NOT have basic life skills. I honestly attribute the amount I know from my parents being so hard working & so free/willing to show and teach me these things. The phrase “They don’t make’m like they used to” is perfect to describe them. I by no means consider myself better or “more than” others, but I will say growing up with very little means and my parents strictness as well as these “life skills” has brought about more knowledge and blessings to me and my sibling than 99% of people I come across. Go Angie, let’s do this! The only suggestion for adding to the list is to teach kids, especially these days, is to learn how to give without expectations. Not everyone will have the same type of heart. Give and serve without asking and without expectations of receiving.
I definitely agree about higiene and cleanliness, because I truly didn't learn a lot of that until I was in my twenties and wondering how other girls looked and smelled so nice while I had no clue what to do, haha. Learned the hard way and hope I can help my kids catch on to those things and make them habits before they're teenagers
Yes! This is great! Another topic is appropriate consumption of alcohol depending on religion / culture of course. Some European countries do this well as it is within the culture to drink moderately and with food so it is modelled before the kids from a young age. Where i live in england that is not the case and so kids go crazy and put themselves and others in danger by not knowing how to consume appropriately.
Yes!!! COOKING! my mum never taught me how to cook (I don’t think she really knew) and now I struggle to make anything but super basic.. thank goodness for my husband he is a brilliant cook and just knows how lol or I’d be screwed! I know when he is cooking our kids have great meals
Maybe it's fear or idea that no one showed us how to so we just won't but it's really up to you as you can read a recipe of a variety of skill levels or watch a video it just takes a bit of effort
I love this idea. I have searched online numerous times about this topic. But I get so busy with my kids that I forget. I have 7 kids ages 11-1 and I'm pregnant. There's so much to teach them and would love a series. I am going to incorporate it in our school next school year. I didn't learn any of this as a kid. I didn't have much parental guidance. I learned how to cook and everything when I got married. I want my children to have a better advantage at life than I did. Maybe you could also mention different skills for different ages.
I would LOVE this series. I was someone who went to college and had to teach multiple people how to do laundry. It really opened my eyes. And I see what my husband and I have had to learn, I want to make sure we are teaching out kids how to function as an adult. Basic housekeeping, hygiene, basic car maintenance, using a basic toolbox, etc. My sons are 2 and 5 but we’ve already started.
I would ABSOLUTELY love a series like this! We are trying so hard to incorporate life skills into our homeschool, but you mentioned things that I hadn’t even thought of and I would love a deeper dive. Thank you so much for all you share! 💜
More! Start the breakdown of each topic in a series!! Helps when you don’t know what your parents may have missed orrr don’t have kids, but are around or influencing kiddos.
It's sooo trueee. We forget this type of information or skils are crucial for an individual to learn, and our kids are no exception. I would love a series about that!
I kept expecting you to say cooking! That is super high on our list, especially because our first has many food allergies and essentially cannot eat out and prepackaged options are very limited.
Thank you so much. I adopted my 4 year old 3 years ago and already we are finding struggles in the emotions category. It pains me to say that I wasn't brought up with some of these skills and I'm determined to make sure that I do take the time to do so for my son. Your idea of a living document sounds good and I'm going to take that literally and make notes of things I don't want to pass by through his childhood !!
I relate so much to what you said! And as my oldest who is almost 15 I have to actively try to make him learn about the basics, but it's not the easiest thing to do because he has some traits of asperger syndrome. But I will keep trying 😊 thanks for reminding me 😜 hugs from Portugal 🇵🇹 💕
Please make this series. We have a 15 year old with learning differences in the form of dyslexia and dysgraphia and Executive Function deficits are a huge part of this I am learning. Everyday 'logical' things are not even vaguely in his scope of reference. I would love to hear your thoughts on all these topics in more depth 😁
Our 21yo has ADHD and is autistic, so Executive Function is hard for her too. We have helped her learn about actively planning a process by using the cooking practice known as mise en place. Before you begin you collect all the ingredients, measure them out to make sure you have enough, do any prep (chop the onion, zest the lime, etc), and line them up in the order you need them or alternately, group them where you'll need them. She has gotten used to doing this, so it is not hard to transfer the skill to other things. If she intends to do a load of laundry she will collect and sort her clothes, make sure the washer is free, check to ensure we have enough detergent, etc. After numerous times forgetting wet clothes for a day and needing to rewash them, she now sets a timer for herself. Actually, her preferred way to do more than one load is to go to the laundromat because it is more efficient she can't forget she needs to move clothes to the dryer. She hates how expensive it is though, and will reserve that for 3+ loads. We've also learned that *she* needs to come up with a system that works for her, because if we try to impose one that works for our NT brain it probably won't work for her. She knows she has that "blindspot" trait of ADHD: if she doesn't see it, it doesn't exist. She needs her toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss "on display" in her bathroom or she won't remember to do it. She has photos of her friends away at college by her bed so she remembers to call/text/DM them. Any containers she uses need to be clear or at least not have lids. She hangs most of her clothes in her closet, because if they're in a closed bureau drawer they might as well not exist. Learning how her brain works has helped me so much in how I feel about our sharing a home. I and one of my other kids are both the kind of people who get anxious with visual clutter. I 💗 things tucked neatly into containers, drawers, etc. Before I start cooking I need to empty and reload the dishwasher so any dirty dishes can also go right in. I can't sit down and enjoy the meal if I see piles of dishes. Learning how her ND brain works taught me so much about myself too!
Kelly gave you some really awesome tips, and I’d just like to add one more - “cheat sheets”. Having a written or pictorial cheat sheet for different tasks or scenarios could be helpful. It might be things that he does enough that eventually he doesn’t need them anymore (like laundry), but some other tasks, the cheat sheet might always need to be handy. Hope that helps, and good luck to you and your kiddo! 😊
Yes please!! I would love a series on this! One of my biggest fears is not being able to keep up with the world to make sure that my children are able to be a step ahead. They are almost five and seven and I am talking to them about managing their emotion and words to others...
Yes please make this a series. There are so many things I wish I had known and/or I knew and my friends didn’t. Things like sewing buttons, how to navigate with a map and compass, how to build a fire, what to do if you get caught outside in bad weather, getting stains out of clothes, etc. I was surprised how much of that I thought was things I would never use but where handy when none of my friends knew what to do.
Yes. More of this. I grew up in nyc. We didn’t have a car. Didn’t learn to drive until I was 26. NO CLUE about cars. To this day I haven’t changed my own oil or tire. You tube and my husband have helped. Def an important life skill.
Such a great video!! I would love to see more of these. 😄 I think it’s so important to teach kids which bathroom/kitchen/whatever chemical cleaners are safe to use together and which should never mix! Also how to blow your nose… that’s a good life skill. 😂
This is so true. I am always over explaining everything (I feel). But it is necessary, they only learn what we teach them. I am open to any questions my children have. And I sometimes have to spur the conversation and ask the necessary question because they don’t know how to ask it or maybe they’re embarrassed. Something I didn’t have as a child. Thank you for validating how I’m preparing my children for life!
A series would be awesome! As far as additional topics ... setting boundaries!!! This is especially important with overbearing family, friends, co-workers, bosses, etc. It is something I still struggle with in my 40s but something I'm trying to teach my children as I'm learning it myself.
Yes!!! I think another important pillar is nature connection. Everything from mental, physical, emotional health to sustainability is connected to nature! We urgently need to teach our children to live in and with nature and not only from nature if we want to see change in the world. There are a lot of studies on Indigenous people that show how nature connectedness and sustainability are related and how it is missing in modern /Western societies. It is one of the most important pillars in our home.
When I moved to the States I didn’t know how to cook. I was so busy studying and never thought that simple task will help me so much in life . Thank you so much for your videos Angela!! ❤️👍
LOVE THIS. My 4 kids are now 21-27 and it has definitely dawned on me that... they don't know what they don't know. While we did a good job compared to some of the young adults they bring home (good Lord help them), I wish I was more intentional about many life skills. We did have a great Life Skills teacher at our homeschool co-op and she filled in lots of blanks. These things make their lives more enjoyable, doable, less costly and give them a sense of confidence so they can focus on other adulting and development. One thing I would add to the list is Time Management, especially understanding a good routine or rhythm to your day so you don't look at the clock and it's 3pm and your still in your PJs with one thing checked off your list! Great content Angie. Thanks for always keeping it real cause kids somehow don't always smell their own BO. lol
Oh! I feel like the best thing my mom ever taught me was Kitchen/food safety. Stuff that seems like you could just figure it out but I’ve been surprised at how many people don’t know about properly cleaning the kitchen or food temperatures or how long to keep food/how to store it.
Love this Angela! I have a 17 yr old son, 15 y.o. son and 3 other kiddos 10 and under. I know we've worked on cooking a bit (need to do WAY more) and laundry, cleaning. Also money management. We are teaching them save, spend and tithe. BUT.... We need to hit medical stuff. Maybe add on stranger danger. How to have some kind of self defense because there are some freaks out there. All of this stuff is so incredibly important for both boys/girls. I tell my kids I'm not gonna be around forever so I want to know you are going to be ok!
As a senior in college for engineering, my senior design class professor (who actually was a business owner full time so only taught that class part time) took an entire lecture (2 hours) to teach us about the importance of retirement accounts and investing in index funds. I had a basic understanding that those things were important but he was the first adult to really explain it. That lecture really opened my eyes to how little I knew about personal finance.
I love this! Please do the series!!! Also, personal pet peeve... most adults don't even understand insurance. And they therefore probably can't teach their kids. But it's such an important thing that can have major consequences financially and otherwise. I learned about it way too late in life.
As someone who has just moved out : YES ABSOLUTELY. Taxes ? Changing lightbulbs ? Cleaning an oven ? Dealing with landlords ? Changing the vacuum bag ? Retirement plans ? Investments ? So many things that I had to call my parents for... Also : teach your kids information literacy. How and where to find reliable information, how to evaluate the reliability of said information, how to find the sources, etc. That's my job as a school librarian, to teach kids these things, but not all schools have libraries and not all libraries offer these lessons
Yes, I would love to see a “Life Skills” series! We have an almost 14 year old that we have been working on these things with. I’m always craving more info, because I personally don’t feel like I was prepared in some facets of this stuff! We actually placed him in an “Adulting” co-op class last year to start discussing important life skills. Thank you for all that you do! ❤️
I think this is one of my favourite videos so far! My husband's job is coaching people on this stuff because, believe it or not, there are also adults who still don't know this stuff!
Such a good topic!!!! Would definitely want to see more of these types of videos.. and also maybe asking your older kids what has been their fav lifeskill to learn and what else would they like to learn 🌸
Yes to more deep dive videos!! For me some things were definitely finances (student loans=my #1 regret)! Changing air filter and other home maintenance to prevent bigger issues. Going to thr DMV ans what you needs, taxes, setting up bank account, making a proper phone call (with texting and online communication, a lot are struggling with communication skills), starting a lawn mower, oh man....the list could go on and on!!
I would LOVE a series on life skills. Not just for my son but myself as well (which will in turn help me teach my son!). I try to teach my son new skills or needed information at every opportunity. However, most of it is stuff that I'm still learning myself. My mom didn't teach me or my siblings a lot growing up. A series like this would be so helpful!!
Yes! I'm a firm believer in raising capable kids who become capable adults. And I'll admit there are things on your list I don't know like all the car stuff! I'd add teach them to advocate for themselves. Whether it be taking the initiative to talk to to a teacher about a grade, or sitting in the doctor's office after they told you they haven't found anything, but you still feel something's not right. Teaching them to speak up for themselves.
This series could be its own channel! Applying for a job (resume, what to wear, basic interview questions to be prepared to answer, thank you). Reviewing a contract (rent agreement, car purchase) and basic negotiation skills. Making appointments and keeping a calendar. Cooking, making a menu, shopping your pantry/freezer/fridge.
Exactly! My HS friends & I are always trying to figure out HOW exactly & WHAT exactly to teach, to raise adults. It's hard to fit in but it's the most important ed. Especially hard to know how to switch it from perspective from "nagging mother chores" to valuable life lessons.
Yes! That is an awesome series idea. My parents never went over that stuff with us and neither did schooling. You are so right that it just kind of goes over our head but this may be something we need to teach our children
YES! I like the idea of going into more depth on some of these subjects. The money area would be great because I am with you and struggled with finances. I was never taught about budgeting, etc. so I would like to find resources and ideas to teach this to my kids. Everything you have mentioned are so great. Thanks.
I told my grandma that I was getting married (at 17 after graduation) and so she sat me down for weeks on end doing her budget and making me do the dishes and dusting the house and then had conversations with me over marriage basics. It was all life saving advice. I have been married for almost 9 years now happily and I still budget the way she did. It was like she put me through basic house wife boot camp 🤣
Best grandma ever!!
What an amazing grandma!!
That is the sweetest. She loved you dearly. What an amazing legacy she left through you.
That is so sweet and what an amazing memory to have💗
I wanna be a grandma like this! And a mom like this haha
YES please make that a series! I’m always thinking of things randomly that I’m like “oh I need to make sure my kids learn this!” and I’m always worried I’ll forget to teach them something major
Yes please more of these! ❤
Don’t worry, You won’t forget. It will all work out. 😁 But having a list of skills you want to cover can be helpful.
Please do this! My husband was a youth pastor for almost 10 years and we couldn't believe all the "normal" life skills that the teens couldn't do. We had summer boot camps several years teaching them how to mow a lawn, how to change a tire, how to babysit, first aid and CPR, how to cook an entire meal for your family, how to decorate a cake, iron clothes, change the oil in the car or mower, etc. The kids and parents LOVED it! The teens even learned how to make stromboli, salad and banana pudding. We wanted them to have the ability to help their families now, how to help their future families and also how to minister to others. The kids LOVED learning how to cook and moms started having so many of the kids cook the meal they learned how to make once every couple of weeks to help her out. Some still make it to this day and now they are married with kids of their own.
Add basic sewing skills. Threading a needle and sewing on a button. Or stitching a pulled seem. No need to throw out a piece of clothing due to such simple repairs. Also teach stain removal for the same reason. I love your ideas!
Yes, I was going to say this!
One of the biggest things that I admit I had to learn was lessons about entitlement. I was a check the box, straight A student, who thought I did all the things right but I couldn't find a job in my field in the financial crash after college. I was mad at the world that no job came to me. I didn't realize (even though this seems obvious) that no one owed me a job. I had to prove to someone that I was the one they wanted to hire. I cringe and ashamed to think of it now, but I wish I had realized that sooner in so many ways. I guess personal responsibility in your desires is really the category. That goes for jobs, finances, marriage, loneliness/friendships. If you are unhappy in some area of your life, it's up to you to do something about it, not expect others to make it better for you (spouse, government, the people who don't notice you). I hope some of that made sense.
I think it says a lot about your character and personal development that you can see and acknowledge that
Man, this is my story, too!! No one owes me a job just because I have a bachelor's degree!
God has blessed you with one of the best skills yet! Most kids nowadays are so dang spoiled and entitled. I sometimes wonder what the world will be like when they become adults
That series would be great! I would add mental/emotional health, such as what to do when you’re feeling anxious, depressed, jealous…how to recognize cognitive distortions, where to seek help if needed.
Teaching life skills is so important. We're a 23 year homeschooling family (and counting), and our adult children are amazing with the things they can do. When my oldest was 14 (she's 30 now), I walked out to the suburban one early rainy morning to a flat. I was huge pregnant and did NOT want to change this tire. My daughter comes out and changes this tire for me in about 15 minutes. When she was 16, she was out with friends and the car battery died. She unhooked the battery, walked across the street, had it tested, bought a new battery, walked back and installed while her friends sat and watched. lol We now have four grown children and each of them can pretty much do anything. We're still teaching kiddos at home. Sometimes it's easier to just do things ourselves because it's faster, but our kids miss out when we don't get them in on the action. Great video!
Was SO surprised today when we looked up graduation rates for colleges….alarming low!!! Trades is where it’s at…HVAC can make 100k a yr. Electrician, plumbers, answer the phone, dress neatly, be polite, charge fairly, do the job right and you’ll be covered up with jobs. Would love to see a series.
I think teaching kids basic “handy man” type skills to do minor fixes would be amazing. Along with a little ‘tour’ / lesson of what is in a standard and small tool kit and how each thing can help.
Yes. My father can't fix a thing and so we didn't learn those skills from him.
Yes! Please make a “Teach me, Mom & Dad” series! You could do some, CR could do some. That sounds fantastic!
My Nana sat me down with the book of etiquette, not necessary per se (how to set a table, manners, etc., but something that is not taught or appreciated anymore. I appreciated her taking that time with me.
Yes please make a series. I'm raising my 3 grandsons and with what they've been through (not their fault) I really tend to baby them and try to let them be them (kids). I know this would really be helpful for me. Also can you touch on age appropriate life skills? Thanks so much. You are so awesome and I could listen to you all day!
You can teach kids these things and still let them be kids.
How to manage time, how/when to say no, how to choose what’s best long term not just the easy option.. resilience.. Argh.. parenting.
Thanks for the reminder to ignite the conversations, Angie.
YES PLEASE MAKE A SERIES! Gosh you are such a blessing to us young momma's that didn't have any guidance. The impact you have on some of our lives is more than you will ever truly know. Thank you.
For my college graduation project I created a "life skills" binder to give to the kids at the homeless shelter I did my practicum at. It was so sad to see how these poor kids were never taught this but I made sure to let them know there was no shame because I went to college with kids who also never learned these things!
I would add boundaries! Especially for our young daughters to ensure they are treated with respect and have healthy relationships!
And sons!
As a homeschool mom I am a firm believer in my son learning life skills as well. A series to help make sure I don't forget anything would be great!!
This is great! I would love a series on this subject. When I moved way from home I had about zero life skills, could hardly cook, didn’t know how to start a washer etc. My teenagers know how to do all these things, they have 1 day a week each when they plan and cook a meal from scratch. They’re responsible for cleaning their room once a week and help out with hanging laundry, load och unload the dishwasher etc. They know how to do almost all chores in our home but are not expected to do everything regularly. They also know how to change tires on the car and use tools. I’ve let them build their own ikea furniture for the last 4-6 years, it does take a looong time in the beginning but hey! If they can build Lego they can for sure assemble furniture as well 😏🛠 I’m really proud that my kids know how to do all this stuff since I didn’t when I moved out.
Love the idea of a Life Skills series on what we need to teach our kids! I would add teaching our kids about how to establish GOOD CREDIT & the pitfalls & ramifications of having bad credit. What constitutes a good credit score? What having good credit will allow them to do & what having bad credit will keep them from doing or cost them more money because they are a risk. Investing options are always good to teach them about! How if they are disciplined & dedicated to using/investing their money wisely starting in their early twenties & throughout their adult life that by the time they retire they will be millionaires! So much to teach them!
Yes, and without making the mistake of instilling the fear of failure in them if they do mess up their credit, forget how you showed them to change the tire etc. that’s where we as parents practice patience
Yes, I would enjoy a series. Also, maybe throw in conflict resolution. They need to know how to resolve conflicts between friends, co workers, roommates etc.
This would be a great series! You could poll your followers for each category too of "what do you wish someone had taught you before adulthood" and then ideas on HOW to teach these things!
Eta, COOKING and food budgetting/how to shop price per lb
I‘d LOVE a deep dive in all of this categories. My 6 year old is already doing his launddy and emptying the dishwasher and I‘m trying to teach him a little bit more the older ge gets but this idea of life skills is FANTASTIC 😍
Yes, this is so important and so many kids don’t get taught these things. I think I would add proper handling of food to your list. Not everyone knows that you need to clean/wash your hands and all surfaces after coming into contact with raw meat, especially with chicken and pork.
A series in this would be great!
When I was in college, I did my own laundry. My roomates took theirs home for their mothers to do it. I knew how to whip up a quick meal, even if it was just baked chicken, mac n cheese, or whatever. Sometimes my roommates and their friends would be over and find it so amazing that I could cook. I was known for my lasagna. I didn't do anything special and they thought everything I did was so out of this world. 😅
Ive had roomates ask why I was going to college. They would say "you know how to cook and clean, you might as well be a house wife." And guess what, I am now a SAHM mom.
My advice to young women would be to learn homemaking skills, especially if you value traditional family lifestyles.
I think a lot of adults could learn from this series too! 😉Great idea…especially the financial part of it. ❤️
Yep, dad and I work together to teach them certain things... both different from each other. He’s more of a handy man than me, knows a lot about cars, etc. I certainly don’t want to miss anything either!
Yes!! Teach us so we can teach our kids too 🤪 I need it
Kids do need to learn money issues but also add counting out change! I find so many errors when younger people just hand me change - they really need to know this skill!
This!!! I went into parenting with the same goal in mind, to teach my kids to be self-sufficient adults by the time they moved out. What better place to learn and fail in practicing life skills than at home!
Also, if you're interested in diving into this topic, I'd love to contribute to one of your videos on realistic job searching and career clarity for teens. I have lots of experience as a professional and parent.
My parents made sure....that i had answers to questions like life, suffering, death, and the future. We are all concerned about day-to-day matters, such as making a living or having a happy family. We found that the Bible not only helps us answer life’s big questions but also gives them practical advice for daily living. It's timeless....😉
And yes, series please! I'm a homeschool mom as well and want to make sure my kids are better prepared for life than I was!
Yes! The other day I was moping the floor and my youngest came up to me and said “I’m going to stand here and watch you so when I have my own house I’ll know how to do it” 😭
Buy a cheap swifter! You can remove individual rods to the child's height and attach any old rag or towel to it!
@@RachelDee genius!!
This is great. I learned a lot of these categories because my mom of the 50’s was straddled with 4 young kids and traveling in the Navy. I was doing dishes, beds, changing my brothers’ diapers, even ironing in grade school. There were still holes as a young adult on my own, but I muddled through. I would definitely add to the health and hygiene section some very real food as medicine lessons. Growing up eating whatever I wanted, I am now strapped with my genetics that could have been avoided somewhat: diabetes, heart disease, obesity made worse by not understanding how healthy eating was important at every developmental stage. I dont know if these are teachable lessons, but cultural and artistic aspects of society to express those right brain functions and pursue them ( I regret my parents never encouraged my interest in playing a musical instrument), and given the times: racial diversity in the real world ( your family is a microcosm of issues)…..anyway, oh! How about social skills and manners, or how to have a conversation….
👍🏼
I did teach my kids that as a homeschool mom - and so glad I did. (THIS IS LONG, by the way). My daughter learned not only to cook, clean, mend, etc. but also to change oil, change spark plugs and points (may not be necessary now -most of the time the timing is electronic and a whole other ball game!). She could also change tires - and made sure she had a Chilton's guide for her year car - which came in very handy when her water pump went out and she had minimal cash as well as how to maintain the house, oil hinges, and MOST of all - how and where to find out what information she needed to know (it WASN'T online!). She also learned a lot about herbal medicines and old fashioned ways of doing things which also came in VERY handy - but again - another game.
At the same time my son leaned all these things about the car and about house maintenance, as well as how to cook, clean, and do laundry, mend. As a result, he wasn't in the same position as the sons of an acquaintance who maintained that her sons didn't need to know those things because they could get married or hire someone else to do those things for them. They began learning those things as children - household chores starting at about 5 - 6 years old, cooking (salads and some basic things at 5), car care at about 12 - 14, car repair at about 16, house repair - some tasks very early on - others as they were more capable.
One of the basic things both son and daughter had to learn was money management - budgeting - complete with setting up a budget (son's computer made it necessary for him to have a separate phone line - which he had to pay for completely), working to pay for his phone bill, and when he was hoping for a car he had to show he could not only keep up his grades, as well as pay for his computer useage, but when he was working for car useage, he had to buy gas he used (car to be refilled before returning home), plus a prorated amount set aside for insurance, etc. He earned a checking account, had to rectify it monthly (and learned about service charges as well). One term, I set aside money for his foods. He had to come up with weekly menues, weekly shopping list (and at one point a monthly shopping list), did actually make all the purchases he had on his approved shopping list, prepared the food and cleaned up afterward. Son also had, as a high school kid, to volunteer 300 hours a year (which he successfully did as a volunteer at a nursing home, as well as volunteer as a caregiver in a special needs day camp) and attend public hearings by the chamber of commerce as well as our elected officials. He also had a year where he chose a profession - had to design a business plan (the small business administration publishes books on this - VERY WELL DONE, by the way) and had to present his completed plan to an officer at a bank as though he was going to try to obtain a loan and have the bank person critique his plan.
Also - rather than just hand the child a booklet with rules of the road and car keys at 16 - both kids (20 year apart) had to learn WHAT to do, emergency things - and had to pass a (designed by me) course that was similar in many respects to that learned by pilots. My reasoning was that if pilots had to have X number of hours to fly a plane, then they should also have Y number of hours - and a variety of conditions to learn to drive a very lethal machine - a car. So my kids had to learn to drive - rural roads by day, by night, small town roads by day, by night, city roads by day, by night - state roads from here to there, highway driving (uncrowded), highway driving (crowded), all kinds of parking, backing up - on the level, on an incline facing uphill, on a hill facing down, to drive in sunshine, to drive at night, to drive in rain, to drive on a super hot day when the asphalt gets tacky, to drive in snow, on ice and would have to pass my level of approval - ALL before I would give the OK to get their license. Meanwhile the public school gave their 5 driving school lessons - and passed those students who got their licenses - and some of whom did not survive the year.
I totally agree with your “one thing”. I have planned a class for this upcoming school year. I call it practical life skills. We are going to focus on one topic per month.
The section where you talk about handling your emotions, and focusing on how you react.. and how you can't control what other people do..
It took me til last year to realize how much anxiety I had becuz of that. Finally learned to set boundaries. to Not worry so much about how someone else reacts to that. And just focus on doing what's best for me and what is the right thing to do.
Yes! Life skills!!
One I would see as one of the most important is, food. Where does it come from, how to save seeds for future foods. Food storing and herb medications. All the foods. Thanks for sharing. (well, as I finish this, #1 would be to plant God's word in their hearts, of course, that itself would cover a lot)
I think a modern day life skill is knowing how to google and how to determine what sources are legitimate and what aren't. While it would be awesome for kids to know everything they need to know before going out on their own, likely they'll end up googling things they need to know at some point...and if they can't tell a phony website from a legitimate resource that can cause more problems rather than helping them learn what they need to know.
Angie he’s PLEASE make that series of ALL the things you mentioned. I would even go deeper into paying bills, on time , even how serious it is to pay tickets on time because they can become warrants. When they should reach out and to whom before a problem becomes to big, etc . Thank you ♥️
My daughter poured oil in her windshield washer resivor.....my husband died of shock!!! He then took all the kids out to the garage...oil vs wiper fluid. You would think they would know, they just see you pouring a jug.🤪
😂 My current bosses (who are young enough to be my children) and I were talking about this the other day. Both stated that they wished more “life skills” were taught in school than “teaching for the exam”.. Fortunately, their parents saw the change in school curriculum and taught these two people very important life skills. This topic is so desperately needed in today’s world. Thank you for bringing this to light.
Love love love this video!!!! A series would be amazing! I’m sending this to my husband now so we can start making our list of “things to teach your children before they move out.”
This would be a great series! Ways to cut costs is one I think about a lot (especially in today's economy). Real cooking skills also a big one. Being able to cook from scratch is so important.
Yes please!!!! I am often shocked of what I have not done well teaching my kids. I held an envelope addressing 101 session the other day!! It’s not their fault, but I need to be more intentional about helping them launch! Thank you for being so wonderful! 💗
Yes to everything! These are so important! Can't think of anything to add but everything you said is so important! I know some mom's will even teach their child an age-appropriate life skill every summer and this would be a great list to pull for that!
Love!!! My grown 20-somethings have so many of these skills because we worked on them! 💗 they also know how to make my house “company ready” if they need to. Which is huge! 😂 working on the littles now to get the same skill sets
Yes Angie!! I stand behind your idea to elaborate through a series of information. I appreciate your insight and delivery I’m your videos. Thank you
Yes, please make that a series. I need it for myself....LOL!! I was raised by my grandparents in a SUPER dysfunctional home with no point of reference. All my learning took place in school as there was no talking, sharing or teaching at home. Had to learn everything the hard way. Embarrassed to say that I'm in my 50's and still learning things I should have learned decades ago. Looking to break the cycle and pass on as much knowledge to my son.
Loved this video ... there are things I wasn't aware that I had to teach .. like teaching my children to go to the bathroom in the toilet, flushing the toilet, wiping themselves and washing their hands. It is also so important to teach them to clean up after themselves if they make a mess in the bathroom.
I would love to see a deep red r dive into life skills.
Yes more series!
Btw you look really nice today❤️
For me as a mother of only three children. I think mental health is so important. Selfawerness, selfasteem, selfsoothing, compassion, empathy, self love. To know when to get help. And to talk about your problems and feelings. I never learned any of that growing up. I learned it all i therapy 🤣
I work with college kids, and the number one area that I our students struggle is with verbal communication. Current teens can do everything online, so there is serious anxiety that comes with talking to adults. In person banking, making a Drs appointment, calling in a food order, speaking to a professor or registrar….I know it sounds silly but college kids really struggle here.
I would LOVE to see a series on all of those kinds of things, and maybe how to do them incrementally and what ages you start different things. I think I waffle back and forth between waiting to teach them things when they get older and wanting them to do everything now. :-)
Yes! This is so needed. I worked at an ice cream shop and had to show a new hire how to clean the bathroom. Not like how they wanted it done but how to clean a toilet. She never had done it or seen it done. It's the little things sometimes.
We were raised by this Golden Rule: Pick-up, Put-up and Clean-up after yourself. When we were walking good and understood more and more, we were taught to pick out what we wanted to play with (One game, one set of dolls, etc), and when we were done, put it up before getting the next thing out. We were not allowed to trash the house with toys, etc. We were taught to pull up our sheets and bedspread to begin with. Once a week she changed sheets, straighten things out and it made everything a lot easier on her. A step stool for the kitchen to reach the sink and counters. Done eating, clean off your plate in the trash can and put your dishes on the counter. We raised our kids the same way and both of us still follow the Golden Rules. My mom said she had lots of smiles when we were learning to do things. Keep it up, it's worth every minute of Consistency and Patience.
While I do not have children, I am a college student who has been around a lot of young adults who come from all walks of life. One important thing to teach your children is that not every family is like yours. Some children come from divorced families, broken families, abuse, money problems, addiction, and are the way that they are because of those life experiences.
Yes I’m literally taking notes in google docs lol please do a series! Like I don’t even know how to manage emotions or how do I teach critical thinking!
1)when paying a utility bill online, they may charge you so explore other options..write a check and deliver. 2) using a debit card, counting cash, how to keep track of what you spend if using debit 3)how to make a menu, grocery shop(check app for coupons) go in a pick the right item, checking out. 4) checking oil and tire pressure!! 5)checking smoke detector batteries/ changing 6) where to go for help(can use urgent vs ER and cost difference)
Teach your kids to cook for themselves! To grow their own food, to care for animals properly, to know how to distinguish between a good relationship and a bad one, to invest in things that last and skip on out on the momentary things that add up and cost more, to see the world outside of the town you live in and know there’s so much more to explore, teach them about their future selves and what advice their future selves might give them, and there’s just so much I want to teach my kids, this category could go on and on.
Yes, make this series! I relate to this SO SO SO much and it pains me to know soooo many friends of mine do NOT have basic life skills. I honestly attribute the amount I know from my parents being so hard working & so free/willing to show and teach me these things. The phrase “They don’t make’m like they used to” is perfect to describe them. I by no means consider myself better or “more than” others, but I will say growing up with very little means and my parents strictness as well as these “life skills” has brought about more knowledge and blessings to me and my sibling than 99% of people I come across. Go Angie, let’s do this!
The only suggestion for adding to the list is to teach kids, especially these days, is to learn how to give without expectations. Not everyone will have the same type of heart. Give and serve without asking and without expectations of receiving.
I definitely agree about higiene and cleanliness, because I truly didn't learn a lot of that until I was in my twenties and wondering how other girls looked and smelled so nice while I had no clue what to do, haha. Learned the hard way and hope I can help my kids catch on to those things and make them habits before they're teenagers
Yes! This is great! Another topic is appropriate consumption of alcohol depending on religion / culture of course. Some European countries do this well as it is within the culture to drink moderately and with food so it is modelled before the kids from a young age. Where i live in england that is not the case and so kids go crazy and put themselves and others in danger by not knowing how to consume appropriately.
Yes to the series! Would be super helpful for me as I raise my 3 boys. I've definitely been slacking on these kinds of lessons.
Yes!!! COOKING! my mum never taught me how to cook (I don’t think she really knew) and now I struggle to make anything but super basic.. thank goodness for my husband he is a brilliant cook and just knows how lol or I’d be screwed! I know when he is cooking our kids have great meals
Maybe it's fear or idea that no one showed us how to so we just won't but it's really up to you as you can read a recipe of a variety of skill levels or watch a video it just takes a bit of effort
I love this idea. I have searched online numerous times about this topic. But I get so busy with my kids that I forget. I have 7 kids ages 11-1 and I'm pregnant.
There's so much to teach them and would love a series. I am going to incorporate it in our school next school year.
I didn't learn any of this as a kid. I didn't have much parental guidance. I learned how to cook and everything when I got married. I want my children to have a better advantage at life than I did.
Maybe you could also mention different skills for different ages.
Cleaning, cooking, gardening, taking care of other living things and money matters. Sooo important! Both for my boys and girl.
Monkey doesn't see cuz monkeys on phone......this is a great line!!
I would LOVE this series. I was someone who went to college and had to teach multiple people how to do laundry. It really opened my eyes. And I see what my husband and I have had to learn, I want to make sure we are teaching out kids how to function as an adult. Basic housekeeping, hygiene, basic car maintenance, using a basic toolbox, etc. My sons are 2 and 5 but we’ve already started.
I would ABSOLUTELY love a series like this! We are trying so hard to incorporate life skills into our homeschool, but you mentioned things that I hadn’t even thought of and I would love a deeper dive. Thank you so much for all you share! 💜
More! Start the breakdown of each topic in a series!! Helps when you don’t know what your parents may have missed orrr don’t have kids, but are around or influencing kiddos.
It's sooo trueee. We forget this type of information or skils are crucial for an individual to learn, and our kids are no exception. I would love a series about that!
I kept expecting you to say cooking! That is super high on our list, especially because our first has many food allergies and essentially cannot eat out and prepackaged options are very limited.
Thank you so much. I adopted my 4 year old 3 years ago and already we are finding struggles in the emotions category. It pains me to say that I wasn't brought up with some of these skills and I'm determined to make sure that I do take the time to do so for my son. Your idea of a living document sounds good and I'm going to take that literally and make notes of things I don't want to pass by through his childhood !!
I relate so much to what you said! And as my oldest who is almost 15 I have to actively try to make him learn about the basics, but it's not the easiest thing to do because he has some traits of asperger syndrome. But I will keep trying 😊 thanks for reminding me 😜 hugs from Portugal 🇵🇹 💕
Emotions! YESSSSSS! Especially the males need to learn. Angie we are so on the same page all the time!
Please make this series. We have a 15 year old with learning differences in the form of dyslexia and dysgraphia and Executive Function deficits are a huge part of this I am learning. Everyday 'logical' things are not even vaguely in his scope of reference.
I would love to hear your thoughts on all these topics in more depth 😁
Our 21yo has ADHD and is autistic, so Executive Function is hard for her too. We have helped her learn about actively planning a process by using the cooking practice known as mise en place. Before you begin you collect all the ingredients, measure them out to make sure you have enough, do any prep (chop the onion, zest the lime, etc), and line them up in the order you need them or alternately, group them where you'll need them. She has gotten used to doing this, so it is not hard to transfer the skill to other things. If she intends to do a load of laundry she will collect and sort her clothes, make sure the washer is free, check to ensure we have enough detergent, etc. After numerous times forgetting wet clothes for a day and needing to rewash them, she now sets a timer for herself. Actually, her preferred way to do more than one load is to go to the laundromat because it is more efficient she can't forget she needs to move clothes to the dryer. She hates how expensive it is though, and will reserve that for 3+ loads.
We've also learned that *she* needs to come up with a system that works for her, because if we try to impose one that works for our NT brain it probably won't work for her. She knows she has that "blindspot" trait of ADHD: if she doesn't see it, it doesn't exist. She needs her toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss "on display" in her bathroom or she won't remember to do it. She has photos of her friends away at college by her bed so she remembers to call/text/DM them. Any containers she uses need to be clear or at least not have lids. She hangs most of her clothes in her closet, because if they're in a closed bureau drawer they might as well not exist.
Learning how her brain works has helped me so much in how I feel about our sharing a home. I and one of my other kids are both the kind of people who get anxious with visual clutter. I 💗 things tucked neatly into containers, drawers, etc. Before I start cooking I need to empty and reload the dishwasher so any dirty dishes can also go right in. I can't sit down and enjoy the meal if I see piles of dishes. Learning how her ND brain works taught me so much about myself too!
Kelly gave you some really awesome tips, and I’d just like to add one more - “cheat sheets”. Having a written or pictorial cheat sheet for different tasks or scenarios could be helpful. It might be things that he does enough that eventually he doesn’t need them anymore (like laundry), but some other tasks, the cheat sheet might always need to be handy. Hope that helps, and good luck to you and your kiddo! 😊
Yes! The series is a great idea! Some of us adults are still learning some things with our kids! Let’s do it!
Yes please!! I would love a series on this! One of my biggest fears is not being able to keep up with the world to make sure that my children are able to be a step ahead. They are almost five and seven and I am talking to them about managing their emotion and words to others...
Yes please make this a series. There are so many things I wish I had known and/or I knew and my friends didn’t. Things like sewing buttons, how to navigate with a map and compass, how to build a fire, what to do if you get caught outside in bad weather, getting stains out of clothes, etc. I was surprised how much of that I thought was things I would never use but where handy when none of my friends knew what to do.
Yes. More of this. I grew up in nyc. We didn’t have a car. Didn’t learn to drive until I was 26. NO CLUE about cars. To this day I haven’t changed my own oil or tire. You tube and my husband have helped. Def an important life skill.
“Words have the power you give them” love that!!
Such a great video!! I would love to see more of these. 😄 I think it’s so important to teach kids which bathroom/kitchen/whatever chemical cleaners are safe to use together and which should never mix! Also how to blow your nose… that’s a good life skill. 😂
This is so true. I am always over explaining everything (I feel). But it is necessary, they only learn what we teach them. I am open to any questions my children have. And I sometimes have to spur the conversation and ask the necessary question because they don’t know how to ask it or maybe they’re embarrassed. Something I didn’t have as a child. Thank you for validating how I’m preparing my children for life!
A series would be awesome!
As far as additional topics ... setting boundaries!!! This is especially important with overbearing family, friends, co-workers, bosses, etc. It is something I still struggle with in my 40s but something I'm trying to teach my children as I'm learning it myself.
Yes!!! I think another important pillar is nature connection. Everything from mental, physical, emotional health to sustainability is connected to nature! We urgently need to teach our children to live in and with nature and not only from nature if we want to see change in the world. There are a lot of studies on Indigenous people that show how nature connectedness and sustainability are related and how it is missing in modern /Western societies. It is one of the most important pillars in our home.
When I moved to the States I didn’t know how to cook. I was so busy studying and never thought that simple task will help me so much in life . Thank you so much for your videos Angela!! ❤️👍
LOVE THIS. My 4 kids are now 21-27 and it has definitely dawned on me that... they don't know what they don't know. While we did a good job compared to some of the young adults they bring home (good Lord help them), I wish I was more intentional about many life skills. We did have a great Life Skills teacher at our homeschool co-op and she filled in lots of blanks. These things make their lives more enjoyable, doable, less costly and give them a sense of confidence so they can focus on other adulting and development. One thing I would add to the list is Time Management, especially understanding a good routine or rhythm to your day so you don't look at the clock and it's 3pm and your still in your PJs with one thing checked off your list! Great content Angie. Thanks for always keeping it real cause kids somehow don't always smell their own BO. lol
YES! What to teach and WHEN to teach them!
Oh! I feel like the best thing my mom ever taught me was Kitchen/food safety. Stuff that seems like you could just figure it out but I’ve been surprised at how many people don’t know about properly cleaning the kitchen or food temperatures or how long to keep food/how to store it.
Love this Angela! I have a 17 yr old son, 15 y.o. son and 3 other kiddos 10 and under.
I know we've worked on cooking a bit (need to do WAY more) and laundry, cleaning. Also money management.
We are teaching them save, spend and tithe. BUT.... We need to hit medical stuff.
Maybe add on stranger danger. How to have some kind of self defense because there are some freaks out there.
All of this stuff is so incredibly important for both boys/girls.
I tell my kids I'm not gonna be around forever so I want to know you are going to be ok!
As a senior in college for engineering, my senior design class professor (who actually was a business owner full time so only taught that class part time) took an entire lecture (2 hours) to teach us about the importance of retirement accounts and investing in index funds. I had a basic understanding that those things were important but he was the first adult to really explain it. That lecture really opened my eyes to how little I knew about personal finance.
I love this! Please do the series!!! Also, personal pet peeve... most adults don't even understand insurance. And they therefore probably can't teach their kids. But it's such an important thing that can have major consequences financially and otherwise. I learned about it way too late in life.
As someone who has just moved out : YES ABSOLUTELY. Taxes ? Changing lightbulbs ? Cleaning an oven ? Dealing with landlords ? Changing the vacuum bag ? Retirement plans ? Investments ? So many things that I had to call my parents for...
Also : teach your kids information literacy. How and where to find reliable information, how to evaluate the reliability of said information, how to find the sources, etc. That's my job as a school librarian, to teach kids these things, but not all schools have libraries and not all libraries offer these lessons
Yes, I would love to see a “Life Skills” series! We have an almost 14 year old that we have been working on these things with. I’m always craving more info, because I personally don’t feel like I was prepared in some facets of this stuff! We actually placed him in an “Adulting” co-op class last year to start discussing important life skills. Thank you for all that you do! ❤️
I think this is one of my favourite videos so far! My husband's job is coaching people on this stuff because, believe it or not, there are also adults who still don't know this stuff!
Such a good topic!!!! Would definitely want to see more of these types of videos.. and also maybe asking your older kids what has been their fav lifeskill to learn and what else would they like to learn 🌸
Yes to more deep dive videos!! For me some things were definitely finances (student loans=my #1 regret)! Changing air filter and other home maintenance to prevent bigger issues. Going to thr DMV ans what you needs, taxes, setting up bank account, making a proper phone call (with texting and online communication, a lot are struggling with communication skills), starting a lawn mower, oh man....the list could go on and on!!
I would LOVE a series on life skills. Not just for my son but myself as well (which will in turn help me teach my son!). I try to teach my son new skills or needed information at every opportunity. However, most of it is stuff that I'm still learning myself. My mom didn't teach me or my siblings a lot growing up. A series like this would be so helpful!!
Yes! I'm a firm believer in raising capable kids who become capable adults. And I'll admit there are things on your list I don't know like all the car stuff!
I'd add teach them to advocate for themselves.
Whether it be taking the initiative to talk to to a teacher about a grade, or sitting in the doctor's office after they told you they haven't found anything, but you still feel something's not right. Teaching them to speak up for themselves.
This series could be its own channel! Applying for a job (resume, what to wear, basic interview questions to be prepared to answer, thank you). Reviewing a contract (rent agreement, car purchase) and basic negotiation skills. Making appointments and keeping a calendar. Cooking, making a menu, shopping your pantry/freezer/fridge.
Exactly! My HS friends & I are always trying to figure out HOW exactly & WHAT exactly to teach, to raise adults. It's hard to fit in but it's the most important ed. Especially hard to know how to switch it from perspective from "nagging mother chores" to valuable life lessons.
Yes! That is an awesome series idea. My parents never went over that stuff with us and neither did schooling. You are so right that it just kind of goes over our head but this may be something we need to teach our children
YES! I like the idea of going into more depth on some of these subjects. The money area would be great because I am with you and struggled with finances. I was never taught about budgeting, etc. so I would like to find resources and ideas to teach this to my kids. Everything you have mentioned are so great. Thanks.