Before We Left Home

[+ friendofsheila]

Below is a list of things Marilyn vos Savant published as what she believed a child should know before she/he leaves living with parents. I have a few opinions about stuff that should be added.

 

What do you think should be added to or removed from this list?

 

***NO Hijacks, please***

 

 

****************************

[span class=heading]What to Teach Your Kids Before They Leave Home.[/span][br][br]

[span class=para]

By Marilyn Vos Savant[br]Parade Magazine, March 25, 2001.[br][br]

 

It would be great if by 18 every young person could do the following:[br][br]

 

DOMESTIC SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Cook (don’t just open and pour!) a traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner.[br][/li]

[li]Wash and iron clothes without ruining them (plus, removing spots).[br][/li]

[li]Replace a button, baste a fallen hem and polish your own shoes[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Make a loaf of bread (without a machine) or bake a cake from scratch.[br][br]

 

PHYSICAL SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Throw and catch balls of all sizes without breaking your fingers.[br][/li]

[li]Swim half a mile, tread water for half an hour and float for an hour.[br][/li]

[li]Ride a bike with confidence.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Be able to get a kite up in the air, keep it there and bring it back down in one piece.[br][br]

 

HANDYMAN SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Hang a picture straight without making extra holes in the wall.[br][/li]

[li]Paint neatly, including cleaning up the mess.[br][/li]

[li]Know which tools perform what functions and how to use them around the house.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Sharpen a knife without cutting yourself.[br][br]

 

 

OUTDOOR SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Hike with friends all day without getting lost, bitten or covered with a rash.[br][/li]

[li]Bait a hook, catch a fish, reel it in, remove the hook, then clean and cook the fish.[br][/li]

[li]Plan and manage a weekend camping trip with friends.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Know enough about the wildlife in your area to recognize and feel like a friend to the animals.[br][br]

 

PRACTICAL SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Type well with both hands in the normal manner.[br][/li]

[li]Set up your own computer system without help from anyone.[br][/li]

[li]Drive a car, including one with a manual transmission, and maintain it properly.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Change a flat tire.[br][br]

 

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Create a budget. Note: It takes longer to earn money than to spend it.[br][/li]

[li]Balance a checkbook manually, even if you bank online.[br][/li]

[li]Maintain an address book and a personal appointment calendar.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Set up a filing system to keep all of the paperwork in your life in one place.[br][br]

 

SOCIAL SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Carry on a conversation for 15 minutes with a person you don’t know.[br][/li]

[li]Speak before a small group of friends for a few minutes.[br][/li]

[li]Tell a joke well enough so that everybody gets it and maybe even laughs.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Learn enough ballroom dancing so you can have fun at parties. (Trust me on this one!)[br][br]

 

ARTISTIC SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Draw an illustration at least well enough to get your point across.[br][/li]

[li]Have enough confidence to sing aloud, even when everyone else can hear you.[br][/li]

[li]Know how to play a musical instrument well enough to enjoy playing in a group.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Learn how to take a decent photograph, so you won’t be disappointed later, when it’s developed. For example, you can’t shoot fireworks with a flash![br][br]

 

HUMAN SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Care for a dog, cat or other animal, including when it’s sick.[br][/li]

[li]Baby-sit for children ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years.[br][/li]

[li]Aid elderly or handicapped people without looking superior.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Help a person in need without exposing either one of you to danger.[br][br]

 

ORIENTATION SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Get around town on a bus, even if you usually walk or drive.[br][/li]

[li]Read a map, including road maps.[br][/li]

[li]Know what to do if you find yourself in a bad neighborhood.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Know which direction is north, south, east and west (without a compass) whenever you’re outside.[br][br]

 

RECREATION SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Play a team sport instead of just watching.[br][/li]

[li]Maintain a fitness regimen.[br][/li]

[li]Learn a game (like bridge or chess) you can play with friends for life.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Know how to ride a horse, handle a boat or enjoy a snow sport.[br][br]

 

SURVIVAL SKILLS[br]

[ul]

[li]Know basic first aid and maintain a complete first-aid kit.[br][/li]

[li]Know what to do if you get sick, especially if you’re alone.[br][/li]

[li]Know when to defend yourself; then know how to be effective.[br][/li][/ul]

Extra credit: Know CPR. The life you save may be your father’s or mother’s.[br][br]

 

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[+ Tom Isern]

...three additions come to mind:

 

1. How to file a tax return.

 

2. Understanding the importance of good credit.

 

3. Having a skill in the market place so you don't have to work at minimum/low-wage jobs to pay your way through college.

[Guest Mikel]

A agree with your three aditions....actually, I would put all three at the top of the list...nice comment.

[+ friendofsheila]

My additions are:

 

[ol]

[li]Learn active listening skills

[li](for men) Tie a necktie

[li]Wrap a package or a gift

[li]Write the following, in longhand, on stationery or cards that are not pre-printed

[ul]

[li]Thank you note

[li]Condolence letter

[li]Mother's/Father's Day card

[li]Birthday greeting

[li]Letter to a friend

[/ul]

[li]How to eat at a formal meal

[li]Proper dress for a) job interview, b) formal evening at theatre, ballet or symphony, and c) a funeral

[li]How to decline any offer politely

[li]Use the services of a library and librarian

[li]How to be a good houseguest

[li]Understand options for birth control and how to avoid STD's

[/ol]

[Guest zipperzone]

>3. Having a skill in the market place so you don't have to

>work at minimum/low-wage jobs to pay your way through

>college.

 

Well now, if everyone took that advice to heart, there would be considerably fewer young escorts to choose from.

[bootdad]

I don't know who is more disconnected from reality the person that posted this absurd list or the author - Marilyn Vos Savant.

 

I mean kids - lets get with the program - it's 2005 . . . these skills you are talking about vanished in the 60's.

 

Most 30 year old kids today are still struggling to leave home because of student debt and poor career prospects. I am astounded by the number of friends who expected to enjoy their late 50's and early 60's as early nesters as their kids departed for college only to find themselves stuck with the bouceback generation who find living at home to easy and comfortable.

 

Additionally - this list is not the reality of a skill set one needs for survival in the 21st century - it's a quaint rural myth about leaving your teens in the 50's in desperate need of an update.

 

As for being able to carry on a conversation for 15 minutes - an intersting observation I have made is that most straignt boys in their 20's can't carry on a conversation for 15 seconds unless its about Gameboy.

 

As for gay 20-somethings (actually gay man - any age) I have never met a gay man yet that can't give his entire rehearsed life story with abundant HOMO-DRAMA in 15 minutes.

 

Why do you think their lives are plagued with one nighters. If they don't go to a movie on the second date there is absolutely nothing to talk about !!!

[VaHawk]

>I mean kids - lets get with the program - it's 2005 . . .

>these skills you are talking about vanished in the 60's.

 

I disagree, these skills are vibrant and alive in 2005, or at least should be.

>

>Most 30 year old kids today are still struggling to leave home

>because of student debt and poor career prospects. I am

>astounded by the number of friends who expected to enjoy their

>late 50's and early 60's as early nesters as their kids

>departed for college only to find themselves stuck with the

>bouceback generation who find living at home to easy and

>comfortable.

 

Then your friends are guilty of enabling. If they hadn't catered to every whim of their kids their entire lives, they wouldn't still be doing so now. BTW: that catering is why they have kids that are so dependent on them now, as they were raised to be weak and the continuing pampering is only harming their kids to the point of irreversible damage.

 

>Additionally - this list is not the reality of a skill set one

>needs for survival in the 21st century - it's a quaint rural

>myth about leaving your teens in the 50's in desperate need of

>an update.

 

So, give us some useful feedback of what those updates are for 2005!

 

>

>As for being able to carry on a conversation for 15 minutes -

>an intersting observation I have made is that most straignt

>boys in their 20's can't carry on a conversation for 15

>seconds unless its about Gameboy.

 

Did you forget the topics of pussy, bathroom humor, and sports?

 

>As for gay 20-somethings (actually gay man - any age) I have

>never met a gay man yet that can't give his entire rehearsed

>life story with abundant HOMO-DRAMA in 15 minutes.

 

Must not have met too many gay men! As this board alone indicates, you will find many, many, many gay men of any age, who can discourse on a variety of topics, including but not limited to: politics, sports, cinema, theatre, literature, history, and constitutional law. Your statement otherwise, is as offensive as the rest of the diatribe in your post.

>

>Why do you think their lives are plagued with one nighters.

>If they don't go to a movie on the second date there is

>absolutely nothing to talk about !!!

 

I guess if you live a shallow life, engage in shallow activities and seek out shallow people, then shallow experiences are what you get.

[Guest Adam4BlackMen]

I couldn't agree more. There are TOO many parents out there who baby their children even up through college. A lot of those parents were hippies during the 60's and 70's rebelling against their parent's archconservatism, so they decide to do away with rules all together. That's why so many don't learn skills because the parents never make thme grow up.

[Bilbo]

But good escorting is a skill, or why would we have this site? And it's not a minimum wage job if you can get two or more clients a week, is it?