What are some useful life skills you wish your parents had taught you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish someone had to taught me to exercise in a self sufficient way. Team sports are great for a whole heap of reasons when you are young but I didn't learn how to exercise independently until my thirties because I simply didn't know how to put a plan together (and I was intimidated to try). It's been life changing.

? Why do you need a plan? Just get moving. If you had severely stupid coaches then I could see not knowing how to exercise, but presumably you would do things like run and lift for team sports unless you stopped playing at 10.

NP here, I never played team sports or had a coach. I did learn a hatred of running from a PE teacher who randomly decided we would all run a mile one day - no training, no warm up, and somehow it was "graded."

Did we have the same PE teacher?? I can directly trace my hatred of running to the exact same mile run in middle school PE. I wasn't athletic to begin with, and then to have to run a mile in a certain amount of time with absolutely no prep - agony. I wish I enjoyed running, but I do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My parents did not teach me how to be a bitch and walk over people's heads.
I work in DC and need this skill.

[Anonymous]

Maybe budgeting. I was never allowed to have a job in high school because 'school was more important' but I kind of wish I had started working/saving earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish my mom had taught me how to clean and organize. She didn't know either, but I do wish someone had.

+1 I was going to write this. Some people make it look so easy, but I really struggle.

I am a child of a hoarder and I am fairly clean and organized and I find pleasure in purging and organizing. It's more about nature than nurture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will definitely teach my kids about money. Understanding the terms of credit cards, student loans, etc was hard and expensive for me. My mom did teach me about the power of calling customer service- you pay your credit card late, call and ask for the fee to be waived, and that kind of thing. My husband didn't know this!

I grew up in another country and had to figure it out myself; it's not rocket science! Driving, on the other hand....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish they taught me how to find the right person to marry and have kids with. Well, at least they taught me to avoid alcoholics and agressive dudes.

+1

[Anonymous]

Budgeting and financial management. My parents were not financially savvy at all and some of their ways have rubbed off on me. It's a daily struggle but I'm teaching my children early that managing your money and knowing the difference between good and bad credit is essential.

[Anonymous]

Swimming proficiently. Dog paddling does not count.