Life skills for teenagers - what have I forgotten?

[MardyBra]

I have a teenager and a nearly teenager. I'm sure I've forgotten some things I need to teach them before they fly the nest.

For starters:

How to change a fuse and a lightbulb.

Basic cooking skills. Lots of subcategories here - how to make a decent roast, bechamel sauce, whip up a few easy meals, chop an onion properly.

Basic Sewing I'm sadly lacking in this area. Despite my mother's efforts, I can barely sew on a button. Will delegate to granny.

How to tip

How to shuffle and deal cards Admittedly not a biggie.

Most importantly - how not to be an arse

There's lots more, I know.

What a great thread!

How to use public transport ( and how to read a timetable)

Use chopsticks, know how to eat shellfish, General restaurant etiquette.

We took ds mate to a chinese restaurant and he cleaned his face with the hot towel!

At least he didn't try to eat the "lemon soup" like someone I once knew!

I'd love to be able to "prepare a chicken for sautée" but whenever I've tried I've massively ballsed it up.

I have taught my son to make carbonara, it being easily assembled using store cupboard/long fridge living/all night garage ingredients after a night out and more charming that picking up a kebab on the way home.

I am hoping for a lovely DIL, you see.

Arf at the lemon soup!

Outside in but also please apply common sense when faced with 4 forks, 2 spoons, 6 knives at a place setting.

Better still, watch what everyone else is doing or either a) have the confidence to ask or b) brazen it out.

How to change a wheel

Not sure I could change a wheel and be confident about it.

Exactly, and actually, its really really easy. My father taught me because he said he didn't want me standing in the road with a flat tyre reliant on some random mans mercy, better if I can do it myself, and blokes would definitely think twice about attacking a woman who is wielding a large piece of metal. Of course, men can equally easily be attacked so useful for either sex.

How to wire a plug

(simplest way:- remove cover, turn over so pins are facing away from you.)

Blue wire = Bottom left
Brown wire = Bottom right
Green wire = Grass grows upwards.

To know their alcohol limit

How to put pressure into the boiler

Build Flat pack furniture

Fuse box (ie if all lights go out)

Personal organisation - DD2, if you're reading this, it's really sensible to arrange a doctor's appointment before you run out of meds rather than after.

Boring stuff like knowing family birthdays, addresses and so on.

Looking at price per kilo in the shops to understand what is best value.

I was doing price per kilo just the other day with DS...

How to bleed a radiator
Teach them what's what in a fuse box and how to trip the switch etc

Social skills:
how to be easy to get on with, polite, good natured, able to say no or be assertive when necessary.

Life skills:
How to manage money; clean themselves, their clothes, their home; cook a handful of ordinary recipes and a couple of celebration ones; how to cheer yourself up if you're down; how to put plans and dreams into action.

Emergency skills: self defence; first aid; survival skills.

They can pick up the rest for themselves.

How to change a tyre.
How to check oil and water in the car.

How to put up a shelf.

Find the stopcock for the water in a house.

Having had to tell DD that yes, you do have to pay for prescriptions when you are a student, once you are over 18, and heard the cries of "it's not fair, why should you have to pay just because you are ill?"..........my mission for the next year will be to teach her: -

Not everything in life is fair

That can be instead of the chicken-quartering, as she's a veggie. Thank goodness, as I don't know even how to do it myself.

Hello again Asadullah.

Can this thread be moved to somewhere it won't disappear?

Not an urban myth seagulls.

My daughter has been sent to a pru at 15 after truanting and bad behaviour at school. She is now refusing to go saying there is no point. She is doing this as we wouldn't allow her to stay out till 11 with friends! The week before she did and I was driving round at midnight looking for her and found her drunk , we've had problems with her being drunk on a weekly basis in the past but she has been 'good' for quite a while now. She says she is rebellin as we wouldn't allow her out later last week. I am dreading this weekend as I know she won't come in and will be drinking in a park somewhere. Can anyone help?

Joedan I think you may be best starting a new thread of your own in perhaps the teenagers section where you will get some really good advice.

Have reported to ask if this can be moved so it doesn't vanish