What life skills did you teach your DC for Uni?

[PocketRocketScience]

Posting here for more traffic.
DC going to uni this Sept. I was looking on his Uni’s accommodation website and there was a quote from a student saying something along the lines of; before I came here I’d never cooked, cleaned, ironed, shopped or washed any clothes. Now I can!

It got me thinking about whether I should teach some of these skills, or just let them get on with it?

My DC can both cook and bake really, really well so that’s a good start. I’ve also seen them clean their rooms to a sparkling level when their GF’s come round.

I need to teach eldest to wash and dry clothes, and iron. I’m a bit concerned about finances after they told me they’ll just go to M&S, so perhaps some shopping skills might be a good idea.

What skills did you impart to your uni child, or is it best to just let them get on with it?

The only thing approaching a life skill I imparted to my daughter was that if she couldn't afford to buy a round in the pub, never to accept rounds from others.

That makes me sound like a very bad mum, but she could already cook and care for herself. And she's turned out very well, so I reckon I might have done something right. Cannot quite think what that something was at the moment, but never mind.

I didn't teach my son anything, I just let him get on with it. He didn't need to cook the first year. I did get several phone calls about washing clothes though!

My two had all the skills. I became a single parent when DC2 was 15 and for a while I was very very broke. I was very open about budgeting and the need to save money, so they picked up on that. They were always interested in cooking and baking so no issues there, and they were good about laundry and keeping things tidy. All the crap that happened in our lives with their dad really equipped them for life as an adult. Part of me wishes they'd had it a little easier; I'd just have helped them prep instead.

My DD is quite well prepared - can cook a variety of meals (like veggie english breakfast, pastas, homemade pizza, ratatouille), wash and dry clothes, iron clothes, shop, knows about bank accounts incl isas, tax, use public transport, get a bus pass. She can hoover though quite rare for her to do so.

Budgeting. Meal planning ahead so he isn't always buying lunch out. He should know his way around the city and how the public transport works and where to get a taxi etc. if he is sharing accommodation, he should know to pick up after himself and do something extra along the way, never touch food or drink that isn't his (unless he's got permission) and never wake up anyone who is asleep/prevent them from sleeping unless they have asked. A basic first aid kit is handy to have, as are noise cancelling headphones.

Everyone has pretty much covered it here.

Washing, sorting washing and how much powder to put in. Also some uni launderettes have top loading washers so it might be worth a YouTube on how to use those. One thing I would add is how to remove stains from clothes/carpets.

Basic repairs to clothes (buttons, small tears) and depending on how social your DC is basic sewing to make quirky costumes for those theme nights.

Setting up bills is something to learn, maybe not in yr 1 but definitely for year 2.

Cooking simple, easy recipes. Basic substitutions that can be made can be helpful. No metal on non stick. How to soak off burnt food. Budgeting when dealing with limited space. Meal planning and finding different recipes.

Appropriate cleaning materials for different things. I lived with a girl one year who only used bleach to clean everything. She even washed up in bleach.

Not so much a domestic skill but contraception, where to get it, what to do when contraception fails.

Basic self care. Knowing how to treat hangovers, headaches, mild colds, athletes foot ect. I knew someone at uni who had no idea, his mum just gave him medicine when he needed it.

On the subject of launderettes. DH and I both discovered that our Uni launderettes were more expensive than the local ones. DH found out as the uni launderettes were always full and there was never any space and people would put washes on and leave them for hours. so he looked at a local launderette to use. He went there and the washers with 50p cheaper to use. I discovered the same at my uni, the launderette down the road was cheaper than the uni one.

One thing I realised was my daughter wasn’t sure how to return a package after ordering online! I’ve obviously gone to the Post Office too much for her!

I discovered mine didn't even know how to get a stamp the other day - one of them is just about to sit his finals after 4 years at uni!

Ds did all his own washing once he finished his exams/school, he knew how to use the washer etc but I wanted him to get into the routine of doing it regularly.

Same with cooking really, he would already cook at least once a week but he was also responsible for deciding what he was going to make and letting me know what ingredients needed to be added to the shopping (again to get in the routine of checking what we had in the cupboard first etc). Have conversations about food storage/what stuff is safe to reheat etc - one of DS's flatmates in 1st year had to go to hospital twice due to self-inflicted food poisoning!

And the usual stuff about drink spiking, no man left behind or leaves alone on a night out. Also it's ok to miss home/feel nervous/shy/lonely - everyone else will feel it too at some point. And finally, never be worried about asking for help!

We have covered cooking/shopping/laundry
I've not done basic first aid or basic sewing
Dealing with taxes/registering to vote/accessing medical & dental services is a work in progress

Also...the recovery position.
It won't help them but it may save a friend.

Financial stuff. Sexual health stuff - like where to go / tests for stuff etc. How to clean the filter on a washing machine …!

Dd is in her third year and it’s this stuff we’ve had the most discussions about. And she’s actually asked me a lot of questions on behalf of her friends who are too scared to ask their parents re sexual health stuff! We’ve had a lot of talks about debt and what APR is and how to avoid getting scammed in credit deals etc.

Mine were excellent cooks before they went, but rather used to cooking with nice pieces of steak/gammon/chicken, a good supply of veg/salad and a cupboard full of herbs and spices! Practice was definitely needed in budget shopping/cooking.

A few lessons in drying clothes was useful as well-how best to hang things on an airer and what not to tumble dry!