Your child is no longer a baby, they are no longer a kid, they are officially an adult. Gulp! Scary thought sometimes. They have graduated high school and they are ready to go off to college or start a job and move out on their own. You ask yourself, “Are they ready?” Over the years, you have been slowly giving your kiddo more responsibility (hopefully) preparing them to live their life, but you now wonder if they are armed with everything they need to know.
My daughter just finished her first year in college and we were having this conversation over winter break, she was laughing at some of the things kids on her floor didn’t know how to do. One of the guys down the hall paid his roommate to wash his clothes all semester because he didn’t know how to wash them and didn’t want to learn. Yes, some of these may be extreme, however, there are a lot of things we don’t always think of when we are getting them ready to really be adults and live a functional existence.
I have come up with some things to make sure you teach your teen before they leave the nest onto their next adventure:
- Laundry
- Using an iron (or tricks to avoid needing one!)
- Cooking (at least some of the basics such as how to boil water, make eggs, etc.)
- Grocery shopping (how to budget, stick to a list, don’t shop hungry)
- Basic first aid
- Understanding over-the-counter medication and when to use it
- How to find a roommate
- How to act with a roommate (how to share, consideration for others, conflict resolution)
- How to create a resume (and the fact that they should always have one ready to go)
- How to handle a job interview
- How to put gas in their vehicle
- Basic car maintenance (changing a tire, checking oil, filling up window washing fluid)
- Basic money management (basic banking, online banking, how to write and cash checks, budgeting)
- How to be frugal with their money
- If they wear glasses or contacts – how to get check-ups, refills, fix glasses if needed
- Dental issues and what to do if they arise
- Understanding their healthcare and how to find doctors and dentists (have a copy of their insurance card, understand how co-pays and deductibles work)
- How to cope with failure
- How to use public transportation and ride-sharing apps (including Uber and Lyft)
- Basic cleaning skills (cleaning a bathroom, how to vacuum, running the dishwasher, do dishes, pick up after themselves)
- Basic maintenance skills (how to unclog a toilet, change a vacuum bag/filter)
- Manage their own schedule (time management)
- Relationships (boundaries, intimacies)
- Creating and having adult friendships
- Sign releases for healthcare and college to release info to you
This list is not all-encompassing; however, it gives you a good place to start. Your teen doesn’t have to master all of these, just show that they understand them and are working on them will have them going in the right direction. If you feel comfortable knowing you have given them the tools to be able to make it in the real world and work on being a capable adult.
“The tough thing about adulthood is that it starts before you even know it starts”
~Robert Redford
