Life Skills

[California]

I’ll add- how to dress for an interview, how to network, the importance of a clean online presence, and how to write a resume.

Also, email and texting etiquette with mentors and other adults in a business context.

[ChicagoNDMom]

These are GREAT lists.

I would add: what to do when someone (like a friend’s grandparent) dies. I think supporting friends and family during this most difficult time is SO important but seems to be a lost skill. We need to teach children what to say to their friend, what to wear to funeral home/funeral service, how to check in with friend later on...

[lizzywednesday]

How to pump gas in the car.

Our kids may never have a checkbook so they may as well not learn to balance one. We write so few checks we don't even balance it anymore.

I never think about learning to pump gas - we have full-serve here and it's actually illegal to pump your own. (I know how, though. My BFF taught me while she was living in NoVA.)

As for the checkbook, I think I agree - while I do write checks more frequently for Girl Scouts, I download my statements monthly and check the interim balance & transactions online regularly, especially when writing a check, that it's not worth "balancing." I can still account for every single penny, though!

Dealing with emergencies- when to call/how/what to say to 911, what to do in a power outage, earthquake, etc.

The Red Cross's "Pillowcase Project" can help to introduce these skills to younger kids, which, let's face it, should be when you start talking about what to do in case of an emergency.

There's also ready.gov which can help break down the steps if you're making your own plans, something that older teenagers - especially those who will be living independently in a dorm or their own apartment - should start learning.

...
Handshakes in business
...

Handshakes are a tough skill to think about right now, especially with more work remaining virtual. I wonder if they'll recover in all industries or only in certain ones, like banking and/or sales. (That said, I think it's probably a decent skill to learn, but I'm not quite sure it'll be as prevalent in the coming years.)

[MSWR0319]

My son is 12 and was not taught cursive. I have tried to teach him to no avail. My friend would have been his 6th grade ELA teach had he not stayed home this year, and all she does is make sure they know how to sign their name. Do all of your schools still teach it? DS2 is in 2nd and doing OCA online this year and they have started working on it this semester. Our public school supposedly just started it up again in 3rd grade, but there's the whole group of kids like DS1 who never got it.

[PunkyBoo]

My son is 12 and was not taught cursive. I have tried to teach him to no avail. My friend would have been his 6th grade ELA teach had he not stayed home this year, and all she does is make sure they know how to sign their name. Do all of your schools still teach it? DS2 is in 2nd and doing OCA online this year and they have started working on it this semester. Our public school supposedly just started it up again in 3rd grade, but there's the whole group of kids like DS1 who never got it.

My DS2 is also 12. They learned cursive in 3rd grade at school but never made them actually use it because so much has moved electronic. Now this year he can hardly write a paragraph in PRINTING because everything is on the computer. I needed him to sign some papers the other day and he had no idea how to sign his name in cursive.

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[PunkyBoo]

I never think about learning to pump gas - we have full-serve here and it's actually illegal to pump your own. (I know how, though. My BFF taught me while she was living in NoVA.)

As for the checkbook, I think I agree - while I do write checks more frequently for Girl Scouts, I download my statements monthly and check the interim balance & transactions online regularly, especially when writing a check, that it's not worth "balancing." I can still account for every single penny, though!



The Red Cross's "Pillowcase Project" can help to introduce these skills to younger kids, which, let's face it, should be when you start talking about what to do in case of an emergency.

There's also ready.gov which can help break down the steps if you're making your own plans, something that older teenagers - especially those who will be living independently in a dorm or their own apartment - should start learning.



Handshakes are a tough skill to think about right now, especially with more work remaining virtual. I wonder if they'll recover in all industries or only in certain ones, like banking and/or sales. (That said, I think it's probably a decent skill to learn, but I'm not quite sure it'll be as prevalent in the coming years.)

I wouldn't be able to find a full service gas station here if I spent all day trying.
Despite the pandemic, I think handshakes will be back eventually. It's a normal part of interactions at work, plus job interviews, meeting someone new both networking and personally. It's not just the handshake, but the eye contact and what your face conveys during the handshake that are also important.

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[carolinacool]

My 11-year-old would lose his head if it wasn't attached to his head. lol It's overwhelming how much he has to learn!

He also doesn't know cursive. His third-grade teacher started showing them a few letters, but I'm pretty sure she didn't finish. I think his fourth-grade teacher had intended to spend some of the final quarter going over it, then COVID-19. And this year, they are just trying to get through the year with what they need to teach. At this point, if he needs to sign anything, they will just get his scraggly print. When I'm in a better frame of mind, I'll try to teach him.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Cursive...
knowing how to sign your name is a good skill
knowing how to write anything else in cursive? not really.
knowing how to read cursive? sure comes in handy if they are into history or their grandma sends them a card.

[lizzywednesday]

...
Despite the pandemic, I think handshakes will be back eventually. It's a normal part of interactions at work, plus job interviews, meeting someone new both networking and personally. It's not just the handshake, but the eye contact and what your face conveys during the handshake that are also important.

I really think handshakes themselves are going to be industry-dependent, but I do agree with the focus on one's body language - how to look welcoming if you're an established team member; how to look interested if you're interviewing; etc. - maybe a more general "body language for business interactions" with specifics like handshakes (when to offer and when to refrain; how to grip firmly but not crushingly; when to let go; etc.), eye-contact, and posture.

That said, I've interviewed at a couple of places where I stuck out my hand expecting to shake for a greeting and the interviewers were really flustered, which I found weird, but maybe I just have an old-school mindset.

Handshakes were not common in my company/department, even when meeting newly-hired teammates; again, this probably varies by industry and corporate culture.

[carolinacool]

I was just scrolling on Facebook and someone mentioned they were showing their teen how to drive a stick shift and that it was a good life skill.

THREE people have tried to teach me in my lifetime -- my mother, DH and one of my best friends. All gave up. I just could never "get it." I've always joked that if a killer was after me and my only escape was a car with a stick shift, I would just stand there and await my fate.