What skills did your parents feel were important to pass on?

[wonderstuff]

Just occurred to me that I left home unable to iron, cook or budget, but able to mix a mean gin and tonic!

What essential skills did your parents pass on to you?

(sits sipping gin in dishevelled poverty)

Basically all the skills needed to run a home and look after chidlren. It was tiring, but gave me a great sense of independence once i left home.

My mother was required, as the eldest daughter, to do lots of household duties, god love her she didn't want me to have to do all that, she wanted me to have the freedom of the upbringing her brothers had I think, so I had a lovely lazy childhood - but I'm not too hot at the domestic stuff.

Working hard I think. I was also protected from most house work but chose to take some on as it was that or live in grimness.

My parents worked (still do) very hard and this was seen to the the only way to live.

Sadly I had to pick up my G&T mixing much later in life.

Oh and cooking. I can cook in a kind of "feed your family on 50p way"

Cooking, housework, decoration and DIY skills. Plus they encouraged independence.

I had chores around the house from a young age, pets to look after, looking after my little sister after school and cooking the evening meal ready for parents getting in from work from age 13. I also helped out decorating, from sanding down woodwork to painting entire rooms at that age. I loved painting

Dm sent me to horse riding, tennis, embroidery and elocution lessons, so now all I need is a time machine.

More a belief - that you are as good as everyone else and can do anything you set your heart on.
They taught me (by example as much as anything else) to be fair, to listen, and to treat everybody the way you'd like to be treated yourself.
They taught me how to manage money and to save for things or go without rather than to get into debt.

Pretty good parenting all round tbh - I hope I'm doing such a good job

I was competent at making beds - Mum has early onset arthritis in her hands, so little bro and I did own beds from age 10ish.
Competent at putting up a scaffold tower - Dad would let us build climbing frames from it.
Capable of painting a wall and door frame etc - but I still don't like doing it.
Capable of mending a bike puncture and adjusting gears and brakes.

I couldn't drive and I was only a very basic cook, but I've got better at both those with practise.

How to make conversation with anyone, even if their background and culture are very different to mine.

My dad has just helped dh paper dd's room, with my grandfather's brushes, gives me a warm glow.

Not sweating the small stuff.
Appreciating character over bling or intelligence.

Pretty hopeless at teaching practical skills, like DIY, swimming or tennis!

If you can't afford it don't buy it.

Be as financially independent as possible.

Know to to knock together meals from scratch.

Know how to change a flat tyre on the car.

Hold your own in a conversation with people from different backgrounds and not to be intimidated by anyone.

I left home able to change the wheel on my car, make pastry without weighing any ingredients and know the recipe for a victoria sponge off by heart haha!

I was able to cook (from scratch- no other option), clean, do laundry, iron clothes.

I could change a plug, and decorated the house - painted, wallpapered etc.

Could drive

I knew how to be a host/be hospitable.

I was taught that some sort of charity/social service is an essential part of everyday life

The value of education - Mum constantly drilled into us that we must go to university and we must finish our degrees (she is a teacher but wasn't allowed togo to uni and my dad did go but dropped out).

The importance of travel & seeing the world - she lived in the UK for years in the 70s (we are from NZ) so I always grew up lookingforward to the day I could get out & see the world (it's a bit trickier when you live in a country that is far away fromeverything!). I remember the first day I arrived in London, walking down Embankment. I was 24 and I just kept saying I can't believe I'm here, I can't believe I'm here! I had wanted to come to London for so long.

Manners - basic table manners at the very least. We were never allowed to eat meals in front of the TV, and "singing for your supper" - I am a small talk champion as Mum had/has a horror of us sitting there like great mute lumps.

Being a bit of a pinko - both my parents are left of centre and although I'm luckily much better off now than we were growing up, and DH and I both look I guess like typical right wing types I'd never be able to vote for a right wing party, I would hear my parents' voices ringing in my ears. I am of the Bridget Jones school of Labour voting I think.

Ironically one thing that my parents really actively tried to drill into the three of us was their Catholic faith - Mass every Sunday, decades of the roasry at night - and it didn't stick at all. Ha

Don't buy cheaply because it costs more in the long run.

Think of the long term when you are making decisions.

How to ski.

How to choose wine and mix a G&T.

Gutting fish. That's the one thing I remember mum calling us out into the kitchen to learn.

I was actually reasonably competent when I left home, so there must have been other stuff, but the fish really sticks in the mind, somehow.

If you want to buy it, earn the money for it. I've never been in debt and started earning as soon as I could (paper round aged 13!).

How to iron. How to bake (but not how to cook which would have been more helpful!).

How to work hard (doing dishes from 3/4 years old...and they wondered why half their crockery got broken?) and have chores from a young age. Mine were hoovering the stairs and sorting out the laundry. I'm from a large family so the laundry was mammoth.

What I wish they had taught me though would have been self-worth and self-confidence, an I-can-do-anything attitude, and equality between the sexes I.e. No barriers on what you can learn based on your gender ...my brothers learned the DIY type things but I'm actually the one who does that sort of thing and DH and I renovated our home together with skills DH taught me. Our own DD and DS will have equal opportunities in all things from martial arts to the workshop to the kitchen. If DS loves ballet and DD loves building,I really don't mind!

My dm taught me that animals were a pain and prevented you from doing lots of things - days out holidays etc. I now know this is not true but as yet don't own any animals but do look after her 8 cats from time to time!
I learnt to cook from DF starting with a Vespa meal to a full rib of beef roast dinner.
I can hold my drink - until I was pregnant.
I could drive!
Let go of the things I couldn't change and try not to worry!
Earn my own money from an early age!
My mum can't clean or cook but I can!
There must be other things but I'm not sure off the top of my head.

The skill I most value... Keeping your promises.
I also know how to set a decent log fire, to not waste anything but especially food, to have good penmanship, be kind and make my way from A to B on public transport with relative ease and to respect others beliefs.

Swimming. DrivIng. Voting. Sports. Eating out. Be nice to animals. Odd combination, now I think about it!

How to make mayonnaise. How not to bring up children.

My father was determined to make us good at arguing/debating. He'd say something controversial and hackle-rising, just to see how we coped with it. TBH I just found it pretty stressful - two of my DCs like a good debate just for the fun of it, but I never have.

Not much I'm sorry to say. My mum taught me how to knit and embroider and my dad taught me Cribbage and the capitals of the world.

Political awareness
A sense of right and wrong
Names of wild flowers
Animal tracks
Names of trees
Independence
Determination
Chess
Confidence,and
Swimming.