Things you can’t believe your teenager doesn’t know

[Annoyingwurringnoise]

My teenage DS, who went to a Church of England primary school, does not know the song Little Donkey. I am utterly perplexed as to how this can possibly be. He’s been a donkey twice in nativity plays, once at preschool and once at school, but he swears he doesn’t remember Little Donkey.

What things have you found out your teenagers don’t know that’s just left you scratching your head in disbelief?

When I was doing 'O' level History one of our periods was the French Revolution and my History teacher was so impressed because I knew far more than the text book told us, You have obviously read around the topic, well done!
In fact I was a great fan of Denis Wheatley novels and one series was about a randy spy, Roger Brook, who spent a lot of time in France spying during the revolution. I left the steamy stuff out of my essays.
When I'm reading on my Kindle I spend a lot of time googling things that interest me.

Mine are pre teens and while visiting a relatives house they couldn’t work out what was ringing…

Yes that would be a landline…they’d never seen a land line we haven’t had one since my eldest was a baby and she dropped the landline in the dog water bowl

Couldn’t wrap their heads around dial up internet.

I'm sorry for your loss Pearls.

Little donkey, little donkey, on a dusty road...
Gotta keep on, plodding onwards, with your heaavvvyyy load!!!

That's hilarious

My grandchildren were amazed that their mother only had one phone in the house as a teenager but they were beyond amazed to learn that I didn't have a phone at all. How did we contact our friends to arrange to go out etc? The concept of speaking to someone at school and arranging things 'did their heads in'.

What thicko's

Went to the pub for lunch today with the pre teens and as we sat down the 12 year old noticed the ketchup was a glass bottle rather than a squeeze bottle. "how do you get the ketchup out" 🤦‍♀️

Oh and Little donkey is a belter!!

@JudgeJ yes mine were shocked I didn’t have a mobile till I was 17/18 - obviously I am a dinosaur 😂

A friends DD, when about 13 thought peanuts grew like seed pods, above ground, and perhaps more worryingly, a friend, then about 25, Oxford educated, thought aubergines grew underground because they were dark coloured..... I didn't go there with white egg shaped ones, who knows what conclusion she'd have come to.....

[...] Hedy Lamar to name some off the top of my head.
@BellePeppa

During World War II, Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil jointly patented a frequency-hopping invention that twenty years later was used by the US Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and eventually contributed to technological applications including GPS and Bluetooth.

In 1997, she was the first woman to receive the Invention Convention's BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award (aka the "Oscars of inventing") and in the same year she and her co-inventor were jointly awarded the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award.
www.women-inventors.com/Hedy-Lammar.asp

@DrMadelineMaxwell my DD also thought a carpenter fitted carpets & a barrister & barista were the same thing.

She also doesn’t know how to use a tin opener but in her defence she is left handed.

My ex DH new girlfriend didn’t know who John Lennon was either.

I asked for tripe in Morrisons once and they suggested that I try the fish counter.

Not a teenager, but my (almost) 7 year old DS has never heard of Alice in Wonderland. I never knew this! Only came to this realisation when I saw an Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit ornament at the Christmas market and thought it looked so cool. Didn't buy it as I assumed it would cost a bomb, but my DS looked at me blankly, not having a clue what I was talking about

Whilst I know what tripe is due to reading The Famous Five as a young child in the 90’s - nothing will shake me of the notion tripe should be fish.

@Maireas I did a history degree at Brasenose, bought up in Australia, barely know any British history. My degree (and MA) was on the American Civil War.

I'm staggered at the stuff my 19 year old DSS doesn't know.

But he feels the same about me and his dad. We are objects of incredulous pity.

Not scratching my head..... ds2 is 12.was being (incredibly smarmy to point i didnt like him/smartyarsey).then did the 2 fingers thing as i walked away(saw in mirror)...and the words. "grandad and aunt polly were all just Mr tumble-dressed up" came outta my mouth...you sign...no so smat now are ya"
silence.
silenter silence.
barely audible "dink of penny dropping" fraid he'd annoyed me a bit to much-could still see him in mirror-but faced him and said "nah nah nah nah nah nah-gigglebiz"
(i hate me)his wee face. >> left him to it
next thing started multi text me-aunteek?.....captain adoreable?.....omg! actual rapid johnson......appeared behind me and said in calm "Why didntchu tell me?"
cos i'm an adult i said ....well durrrrrrrrrrr.i just did.
happydaze

Watched a program about the holocaust and some German teenagers were asked about it and many didn't have a clue.

To be fair, although not as recent, we were never taught in school about the many atrocities committed by our country in the days of the British Empire. We were never taught the real cause of the Irish Potato Famine either. Even now, so many people only know the admirable things about Churchill but none of the appalling things he did, said and obviously believed.

Even though I taught my 15 year old to tell the time when younger he just can't get (or he does it on purpose as its apparently old people talk) if I say quarter past 5 or quarter to 5. He says what does that mean and I have to explain 5.15.

It would blow his mind to learn that older people often used to say 'five and twenty to/past' instead of twenty-five to/past!

I've met her.
Lucky them !!!!!

My 18yo didn't know how to address and stamp an envelope! The stamp was on the back! Gobsmacked. It didn't really matter anyway as I sent them to post it themselves and the put it in the poo bin as opposed to the postbox AS IT WAS RED. Speechless

At least this poor chap had a valid excuse!

@tolerable Nope, didn't understand a word of that

@tolerable Nope, didn't understand a word of that

My daughter doesn't know the lords prayer I I have failed!

1. Had to explain to Grand daughter (13) that in the 'olden days' few people had phones in their homes so used public phone boxes. She replied,' Was there one outside every house?'

2. Son's girlfriend (16) was amazed to see me making jam. She didn't know that you could make it. No idea where she thought it came from!

TBH - I couldn't honestly say where peanuts come from.

I like peanuts but never actually given much thought to where they actually come from.