What life skills to teach kids so that they can be independent at 18?

[Anonymous]

Managing responsibility - knowing what being responsible feels like - awareness of the consequences of shirking that responsibility. I think all teens should have jobs and that some of their earned money goes to a responsibility - i.e. they pay their own phone bill. No work, no phone type thing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a college prof, and this is what I'd recommend based upon my work with undergrads:

1) Time management--how to work backwards from the time you need to be there/deadline

2) Public transportation--where to get a Metro card, how to refill it, how to hold onto it, how to transfer, how to read a map

3) Anticipation--can you anticipate needs (food, clothing, transit)? events? accidents?

4) Prioritizing sleep, healthy eating, and wellness. It's OK to not stay out until 3am. It's OK to listen to your body.

5) Reading a real newspaper--what is news, what is an op-ed/opinion piece, what is an ad

6) Budgeting--including paying taxes, saving for retirement, saving for emergencies, paying bills on time, setting up a credit record

7) Cleanliness--how often wash sheets, vacuum, do laundry, dishes, etc.

8) Cooking--basic meals, pantry items to have on hand, tossing food out when it goes bad

Good ones!

[Anonymous]

Tool kit.

Hammer, nails, screws, nuts, bolts. Let them figure their way around a tool kit and they'll thank you later in life instead of calling a handyman to tighten a loose screw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How to read a lease, a job offer letter, etc.

In line with this have trusted people in their circle to get second opinions from, i.e 3 job offers which one to take or 3 college options
which one to go to. I really lean on trusted people in my big decisions in life.

[Anonymous]

Importance of having oil changes for a car.

(I burned up a car engine as an 18 year old)

[Anonymous]

Op, they'll learn from their friends. More so than from you at this point.

[Anonymous]

What is a W2, What are taxes. What happens if we don't
pay taxes.

[Anonymous]

More than basic personal finance, IMO. They need to know how to do their taxes and also about saving, retirement plans, and 401k.

You would be surprised at the amount of new college grads who have NO idea how to fill out their paperwork when starting a new job. Many think that the money put in the 401k just magically appears there; they don't realize it needs to be funded on their own to get the company match.

Also, they need to understand the basics of how insurance works.

We had a good chuckle at our office last week when a coworker's son came to visit her. She's now requiring her kids still on her insurance plan to pay her back for a portion of it so they get used to having to be responsible for insurance (he's almost 21). Anyway, he said, "can I pay you for October's insurance while I'm here? I have my checks with me. How much is it? $40 or $50?" My coworker said "no, $150" to which he replied, "oh, so you pay it for the whole year at once? Or is that a quarter?" "No, that's a month, Larlo." He was flabbergasted! "You pay $150 a month for me to have insurance?" "No, I pay significantly more than that. I'm just charging you that amount." "So this is why everyone is always angry about insurance?"

[Anonymous]

I hope that schools are doing a good job giving sexual health info to the children. Any good and appropriate books for teens?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basic car maintenance, e.g. change a tire on side of the highway, change wiper blades, etc

Not everyone drives, or needs to, but sure, if one drives, then they should know how to do these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Importance of having oil changes for a car.

(I burned up a car engine as an 18 year old)

Basic car maintenance skills is hugely important. Just getting your car serviced, properly inflated tires and toping off fluids is something that is simple to learn and easy first steps to start with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Importance of having oil changes for a car.

(I burned up a car engine as an 18 year old)

Basic car maintenance skills is hugely important. Just getting your car serviced, properly inflated tires and toping off fluids is something that is simple to learn and easy first steps to start with.

Bike maintenance, too!

[Anonymous]

I wish the school system would have a curriculum to get kids this info. I see that even parents don't know some of this essential skills.

[Anonymous]

Being careful about their digital footprint, their social media presence.

[Anonymous]

In a situation where the 18 year old does not have parents and are basically orphans, I am sure even the college admission process is hard. Do they even know how to navigate it in a way that will allow them to recover from on missteps?