What To Teach Your Kids Before They Leave HomeSource: PARADE MAGAZINE, March 25, 2001. page 20It would be great if by age 18 every young person could do thefollowing:
DOMESTIC SKILLS
- Cook (Don't just open and pour!) a tradional breakfast, lunch anddinner.
- Wash and iron clothes without ruining them (plus, removing spots).
- Replace a button, baste a fallen hem and polish your own shoes.
- Extra credit: Make a loaf of bread (without a machine) or bake acake from scratch.
PHYSICAL SKILLS
- Throw and catch balls of all sizes without breaking your fingers.
- Swim half a mile, tread water for half an hour and float for anhour.
- Ride a bike with confidence.
- Extra credit: Be able to get a kite in the air, keep it up thereand bring it back down in one piece.
HANDYMAN SKILLS
- Hang a pictue straight without making extra holes in the wall..
- Paint neatly, including cleaning up the mess.
- Know which tools perform what functions and how to use themaround the house.
- Extra credit: Sharpen a knife without cutting yourself.
OUTDOOR SKILLS
- Hike with friends all day without getting lost, bitten, orcovered with a rash.
- Bait a hook, catch a fish, reel it in, remove the hook, thenclean and cook the fish.
- Plan and manage a weekend camping trip with friends.
- Extra Credit: Know enough about the wildlife in your area torecognize and feel like a friend to the animals.
PRACTICAL SKILLS
- Type well with both hands in the normal manner
- Set up your own computer system without help from anyone.
- Drive a car, Including one with a manual transmission, andmaintain it properly.
- Extra credit: Change a flat tire
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
- Create a budget. Note: It takes longer to earn money than tospend it.
- Balance a checkbook manually, even if you bank online.
- Maintain an address book and a personal appointment calander.
- Extra Credit: Set up a filing sysetm to keep all of the paperworkin your life in one place.
SOCIAL SKILLS
- Carry on a conversation for 15 minutes with someone you don'tknow.
- Speak before a small group of friends for a few minutes.
- Tell a joke well enough so that everybody gets it and maybe evenlaughs.
- Extra credit: Learn enough ballroom dancing so that you can havefun at parties (trust me on this one)
ARTISTIC SKILLS
- Draw an illustration at least well enough to get your pointacross.
- Have enough confidence to sing aloud, even when everyone else canhear you.
- Know how to play a musical instrument well enough to enjoyplaying in a group
- Extra credit: Learn how to take a decent photograph, so you wontbe disappointed later, when its developed. For example, you cant shootfireworks with a flash.
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