(lighthearted) things to teach your children to help them be a better partner in the future

[AllGoodDogs]

My 10 year old son helped me wax my legs tonight! He saw me warming the wax and started asking loads of questions so I asked him to help do the backs of my legs where it's awkward to reach. He now knows how to apply the wax and strip, and how to remove.

This would have been a useful skill 10 years ago for my husband, after me deciding at 8.5 months pregnant I needed a bikini wax before I went in to labour, and he pretty much butchered me!

What should we be teaching our kids now so that they might be better partners when they're adults?!

Not sure I want my dh waxing me... Where's the mystery...

Basic cooking skills for men. Teach boys to cook. Give boys cleaning jobs around house.

The joy of clean sheets. DP is all over it with vacuuming and cleaning, but just doesn’t ‘see’ changing bed as a thing to do regularly. How does it not occur to him?!

Weirdly I have spoken about this recently with a couple friends who are mum if boys also. We were discussing the difference in generations between our fathers and our sons and how our sons generation will be more hands on as a father and also hopefully a better husband/partner.

I hope to raise my son's to grow up to help cook/clean/ parent the same as any woman does

By that I mean societies judgement on men doing these things. Stay at home dad's are quite common by me and I think it's wonderful that the world is shifting and slowly men aren't made to be embarrassed about doing 'women's work'.

How to multi task, remember what needs doing and the minimum standard required to consider it done, that you need to do things right (or at least adequately) every single time, no matter how boring.

And how to give a massage.

Teach children of either sex to pick up after themselves.
Once they can do that, and cook, maybe then consider the leg waxing!

I teach (and treat) all my children the same regardless of gender.

They all cook, clean, tidy, do laundry etc as part of their chores (not huge amounts but some).

Also my husband and I also do all the things (albeit diff amounts as I have one extra day at home).

It really isn't too tricky I don't think. It's good to see this happening.

Equality is good for everyone.

My sons are 15 and 13 and they take bins out, one takes recycling one takes the kitchen bin. They also put a new bin liner in.

We have 2 set days a week where they get emptied. They are therefore never overflowing.

They also check the toilet after they have used it to wipe up anything they may have accidentally left behind.

They would have been taught all of this whether they were girls or boys.

They also know that I need chocolate when on my period. Dh brings chocolate home for me.

Make me tea - age 7
Recycling/7
Washing up , make own food (snacks)/12
Own laundry/16
Evening meal once a week/ 16
Manage own money/16

I was a SP and was very hands on with practical jobs, so ds helped with cleaning, gardening, diy etc.
He doesn’t really like it that’s his choice and when he lived here paying rent was happy to factor in cleaning charge rather than take part.

Tea making is an excellent thing, we have a tassimo coffee machine which he knows how to use, tea making is a bit hit and miss in the strength to milk ratio department!

Demonstrated to my girls repeatedly how to do things like wire a plug or change a car tyre. They're familiar with the contents of a tool box as well as knowing how to make a cake. It's about making whole well rounded humans.

Although No is frequently a toddler's favourite word for years, it is important that we teach our children to say No appropriately when they are older when people refuse to respect their boundaries.
Half of the AIBUs here could be solved by people standing up for themselves and saying No to Cheeky Fuckers

Yes to the car tyre changing!
I was annoyed when my first "driving lesson" consisted of my dad teaching me to change a tyre, and understand the basic mechanics of a gear box, but both have been valuable lessons.

My lad vacuums, dusts and cooks, does dishwasher and recycling too. As does my daughter. He can also use washing machine and has learned to sort washing. Ironing next. He's 9.

I teach both the same. I'll do wiring plugs with both and how to decorate walls etc.

Oh goodness must add closing curtains and putting lamps on not main lights

My son makes a mean gin and tonic!!!
He is generally hands on and learning to cook, sew, knows where the fuse board is and lots of others useful household tasks, he is 11.
14 year old dd however is a different story, she has to be dragged kicking and screaming (not literally!) to learn every useful skill.
Only this morning, I've shown her (again) how to run the dishwasher, her comment "I don't want to know how", she "forgets" how to light the job, put the oven on, lock doors and any number of little jobs.
I'm not sure if it's deliberate incompetence, which she is not getting away with, or head is the clouds but it's hard work!!!

Do we still need to wire plugs? I was taught at school but have never actually needed to do it

I'd rather teach my DSs that female body hair is normal and not to freak out about it, than how to wax it off.

I teach mine that it’s only “fun” if both people are enjoying the joke/game/wrestling/horseplay/teasing. When one of the participants isn’t enjoying it or says “stop”, it’s not ok to keep going.

Probably a bit intense but I think the fundamentals of consent have to be taught. I want them to grasp that they need to stop/check in but also that it’s ok to say no/stop and to have boundaries.