FHE Ideas - Life Skills

[Clark Addison]

For the past couple of years, with kids working and involved in school activities, we have not been very good at holding regular FHEs. I wanted to start up again so that my wife won't feel so guilty, but my kids have never reacted real well to the "Sit down and be quiet so I can teach you a gospel lesson" kind of FHE (I wonder where they got that from?).

So my plan is to make liberal use of family activities (bike ride, go to Costco, etc.), game nights, as well as "life skills" lessons. The last one came to mind since we are sending are oldest off to college, and it happened so fast that I realized there are some things that I never taught him. I have started coming up with a series of things that I want to make sure my kids know how to do. Here is what I have so far. I am soliciting ideas for things that you have taught your kids, or that your parents taught you, or that you wish they had taught you:

Automobile

• How to change a tire
• How to check and refill fluids
• what all the lights mean

Cooking

• Baking bread
• Simple Dinner (casserole or something)
• Chicken Stock

Household

• Toilet Maintenance (plunge, change the parts in the tank)
• Unclogging a sink
• Circuit Breaker/Fuse Box/Furnace Filter
• Lawn Care (Mowing, edging, etc.)
• Fixing a hole in drywall

Other

• Budgeting/Balancing a checkbook/Credit Card basics

[beelzebabette]

Under Household:

Pilot lights & shutoff valves

Cooking:

Basic knife skills--better to learn even cuts for vegetables under Mom & Dad's supervision

Lawn care & fixing a hole in drywall, though? Behind on your own household tasks?

[Clark Addison]

Under Household:

Pilot lights & shutoff valves

Cooking:

Basic knife skills--better to learn even cuts for vegetables under Mom & Dad's supervision

Lawn care & fixing a hole in drywall, though? Behind on your own household tasks?

I'll admit that the drywall idea popped into my head since for the last couple of years there has been a hole in the wall of one of our closets.

[Surfah]

Personally I think this is a rad idea. I'm always amazed at how so many people can't do these basic things. Maybe you can add mounting a flat screen TV to your list.

[Paperback Writer]

For the past couple of years, with kids working and involved in school activities, we have not been very good at holding regular FHEs. I wanted to start up again so that my wife won't feel so guilty, but my kids have never reacted real well to the "Sit down and be quiet so I can teach you a gospel lesson" kind of FHE (I wonder where they got that from?).

So my plan is to make liberal use of family activities (bike ride, go to Costco, etc.), game nights, as well as "life skills" lessons. The last one came to mind since we are sending are oldest off to college, and it happened so fast that I realized there are some things that I never taught him. I have started coming up with a series of things that I want to make sure my kids know how to do. Here is what I have so far. I am soliciting ideas for things that you have taught your kids, or that your parents taught you, or that you wish they had taught you:

Automobile

• How to change a tire
• How to check and refill fluids
• what all the lights mean

Cooking

• Baking bread
• Simple Dinner (casserole or something)
• Chicken Stock

Household

• Toilet Maintenance (plunge, change the parts in the tank)
• Unclogging a sink
• Circuit Breaker/Fuse Box/Furnace Filter
• Lawn Care (Mowing, edging, etc.)
• Fixing a hole in drywall

Other

• Budgeting/Balancing a checkbook/Credit Card basics

I seem to be a year ahead of you as my oldest is starting his Sophomore year of college this Fall. Although I covered many "life skills' on the checklist - what you might soon discover is a college freshman's resourcefulness with using a cell phone. My wife and I have walked my son through the following: changing a flat tire on the freeway, duck taping a headlight in place after hitting a deer, determining that a water pump was about to go out, finding out if a steak was amply cooked, sewing a button back on, etc. Almost all of these life skills were taught to him but because a cell phone is so convenient he calls anyway because it is easier. Initially I pushed back when the first call came asking me to walk him through changing a tire as we had done this multiple times. He replied: "Dad, do you want to help me through this thing or leave me beside the highway for a long time - there's a lot of high speed traffic and I don't think it's that safe. Please help".

Anyway, I think it's an excellent list. I'd focus on immediate needs for college and mission. If he is taking a car to college, it's important that he know the basics that you list. I would also include keeping track of oil changes since that seemed to be news to my son (his guess was every 10K miles between changes). Ask him to read the auto owners manual (although he won't) but at least make sure he understands what information is contained within. I'd also include monitoring tire pressure along with the others.

Basic cooking will come in handy but could be easily forgotton if your kid is on a meal plan. If he has a meal plan, chances are he won't cook much and if he does it will be in the dorm microwave. I wouldn't worry too much about home and lawn maintenance since that's what landlords are for. At some point, kids do need to know this stuff but may not need until much later.

I'd also mention basic first aid even though he probably learned much of this in Boy Scouts. It was eye opening when my kid got a staff infection on his leg after a cut from playing a pick-up football game. Since he kept himself patched up from playing HS football, I thought he knew what he could treat and what he needed to go to a health clininc for. In this case, a phone camera was worth a 1,000 words when I saw pictures of the infection. Also, some rules of thumb about body temperatures/fevers and at what point a student should go to the campus health clinic.

Another good thing to cover is laundry basics. What to wash together. How to get out stains.

Last, I would cover some things about personal security and identity theft. Make sure your student is aware that anything posted online like email or pictures on facebook can last for eternity within the realm of the internet. That he should never send an email he doesn't want a parent to read or post a picture he doesn't want a future spouse to see.

I've found life to be the best teacher and hopfully the learning curve isn't too steep. Some things a parent simply can't teach.

[TheAzzuri]

Your ideas are great. I'm actually a little annoyed at my parents that they didn't teach me more about these kinds of things. Then again, I'm not sure I'd have listened.

Maybe you can add mounting a flat screen TV to your list.

Priority Number One!

[The_Tick]

Add grocery shopping to your list.

Between the wife and I today, we have had no less than 10 phone calls from TK1 at the grocery store.

She moved into her apartment yesterday and is having to shop for food.

It would appear we have failed.