Things Kids Should Know by age 18

[TooPatient]

I've been thinking about this lately. My list includes:

use a washing machine & dryer
handwash clothing I don't think this is needed at all, I know how but have not handwashed a thing in the last 12 years or more
use a dishwasher
handwash dishes
plan balanced meals I don't think this is needed until after 18
cook a turkey dinner I don't think this is needed at all, and if it is... after 18 is fine
change a tire
check oil
read contracts
understand what credit is and how to use responsibly
budget
proper care of a cat or dog I don't think this is needed at all or can be learned upon acquiring a pet
basic world history
US history
basic geography (and important history of places)
proper handling of a handgun and rifle (since "friends" like to show off, knowing what is not safe to do is a needed skill. I've heard awful stories where someone died because no one in the room knew how to unload a gun or even recognize the danger of a poorly handled gun and get out of the situation.) I don't think this is needed at all, unless there is a gun in your home, the it is needed IMMEDIATELY upon acquiring the gun.
use a dictionary
identify reliable and unreliable information sources
write a resume
basic first aid
basic sewing I don't think this is needed at all
how to put out kitchen fires
basic algebra
basic chemistry I don't think this is needed at all
fluent in at least two languages I'd settle for "don't mangle the English language."
basic electricity (how wires should cross, how to deal with bare wires, etc)


edited to clarify one item

I gotta say it is really interesting to see everyone's lists! In my opinion: a lot of these can be learned in college, IMO. And quite a few of them: not at all. Different strokes.

I love seeing all of the different lists. I wonder how much these lists are influenced by the things we each knew that was useful or didn't know and wish we had -- probably a fair amount.

Cooking a turkey dinner seems like a good goal to reach by 18. In order to do so you have to have the ability to plan ahead, organize ingredients, manage time (everything has to be ready at the same time even if you prepare ahead and reheat certain stuff), and be capable of cooking main dishes, side dishes, and dessert. The exact same skills can be used to cook chickens, roasts, and pretty much anything else. By the time a kid moves out, they need to be able to prepare meals for themselves.
Same logic with planning balanced meals. This also helps them make good choices when away from home (like summer camp).

We do have guns in our home. I think it is useful even if people don't have guns at home. I remember more than one time when I was at someone else's home and it became an issue. As a kid, I was very uncomfortable but didn't know anything so I didn't feel like I could speak up and voice my discomfort.

 

[Gypsy]

Cooking a Turkey dinner does involve a lot of skills that should be encouraged. I totally agree with that.

I was cooking Thanksgiving for our family by 14. So I think it's absolutely doable. But I love to cook and cooked my first solo meal at 10 (while grandpa watched to make sure I didn't burn the house down or hurt myself). But I know a LOT of people who hate to cook and/or would like to be good cooks and are not. I think that there are different ways to teach these skills and that if your kid isn't a good cook or isn't interested in cooking I don't think there is any reason to force this activity on them as something they have to do in order to be a functioning responsible adult. Rather finding something better suited to their skills, IMO, would serve that function and also capture their interest. You can have them plan a family vacation, start to finish. You can have them plan a party (but not do the cooking, arrange a pot luck or catering).... any number of other 'projects' can be substituted that match their interests better and suit their skills.

And honestly, I don't really think feeding yourself is that.... complicated. I have always been a good cook. But in college and lawschool it was about what was A) cheap and B) quick. I had the skills to do more than make spaghetti but no TIME. I would make my sauce from scratch but then I'd just make the noodles throw the sauce on and eat while reading my schoolwork. Or I'd stick 2 drumsticks in some shake and bake and stick it in the toaster oven most nights till it was done. Cheap and quick and relatively healthy. Side dishes were frozen veggies in the microwave. 2-3 minutes.

And even now, since we both work (and we BOTH are good cooks now) the focus is on economy and efficiency. Salads with protein. Things that can be made in the crockpot.

"Real" meals happen on on weekends. And if they never happen at your house... that's okay too.

And I say all of that being "foodie!"

 

[dragonfly411]

I've been thinking about this lately. My list includes:

use a washing machine & dryer
handwash clothing I don't think this is needed at all, I know how but have not handwashed a thing in the last 12 years or more
use a dishwasher
handwash dishes
plan balanced meals I don't think this is needed until after 18
cook a turkey dinner I don't think this is needed at all, and if it is... after 18 is fine
change a tire
check oil
read contracts
understand what credit is and how to use responsibly
budget
proper care of a cat or dog I don't think this is needed at all or can be learned upon acquiring a pet
basic world history
US history
basic geography (and important history of places)
proper handling of a handgun and rifle (since "friends" like to show off, knowing what is not safe to do is a needed skill. I've heard awful stories where someone died because no one in the room knew how to unload a gun or even recognize the danger of a poorly handled gun and get out of the situation.) I don't think this is needed at all, unless there is a gun in your home, the it is needed IMMEDIATELY upon acquiring the gun.
use a dictionary
identify reliable and unreliable information sources
write a resume
basic first aid
basic sewing I don't think this is needed at all
how to put out kitchen fires
basic algebra
basic chemistry I don't think this is needed at all
fluent in at least two languages I'd settle for "don't mangle the English language."
basic electricity (how wires should cross, how to deal with bare wires, etc)


edited to clarify one item

I gotta say it is really interesting to see everyone's lists! In my opinion: a lot of these can be learned in college, IMO. And quite a few of them: not at all. Different strokes.

Gypsy - what happens if electricity and paid services are gone and no one ever learned those skills?

 

[dragonfly411]

P.S. Most other countries that are as large and fluent as us teach their students at least two languages, sometimes more. I feel like our country looks rather ill educated next to some places.

 

[amc80]

Gypsy - what happens if electricity and paid services are gone and no one ever learned those skills?

Are these really things one needs to be taught? Nobody every taught me how to sew on a button, but I managed to figure it out. Same with washing clothes by hand.

I wish common sense could be taught.

 

[Gypsy]

Gypsy - what happens if electricity and paid services are gone and no one ever learned those skills?

Well, there is "on the job training' and 'needs must'.

If there is no electricity and someone needs to wash clothes it's not exactly rocket science, is it? You learn by doing.

No one ever sat me down to TEACH me half of what I know. I learned by watching and by THINKING things through myself. It's like the changing the light bulb question I asked above. No one taught me how to do so. Yet I do know how to change a light bulb.

My point is, if you teach kids to THINK they can figure out quite a bit on their own. And by teaching them to THINK, instead of throwing their hands up in the air and saying, "oh no, there's no electricity I can't do anything cause no one taught me!', they will actually figure out how to do things WHEN they need to. While doing it.

You can't teach your kids all the KNOWLEDGE they will need in their lifetimes. You CAN teach them the SKILLS they need to get the knowledge.

They may not get perfectly clean clothes the first time they hand wash. They may shrink a wool sweater. But that's fine. The goal is not to stop them from making mistakes. They will make them. The goal is to teach them that every experience is a learning experience. You make a mistake, you learn from it.

Hmm.... this time the cloths were kinda stiff. Wonder if I used too much soap? I'll rinse more next time.

You can stand over the washing machine one day and say to your kid.... so. The machine adds water to the soap I put in. You've washed dishes by hand. What do you think you would have to do if the clothes machine broke and you had to wash something by hand?

Then let them tell YOU how to wash something by hand. Make them THINK. Teach them to problem solve.

It's much more valuable.

 

[Gypsy]

P.S. Most other countries that are as large and fluent as us teach their students at least two languages, sometimes more. I feel like our country looks rather ill educated next to some places.

And we are in some ways. But here's something I tell my husband.

Yes. In terms of the knowledge we teach Americans are behind on languages spoken and maths and science scores.

YET: somehow this country is the one that innovates. Invents. All the greatest inventions of the modern age. Cars, Radio, TV, Computers. American inventions (or most of them).

We have the spirit of ingenuity. And SOMEHOW we continue to teach THAT. Why? Maybe because we don't focus so much on facts and focus on skills. On critical thinking. On problem solving.

Here's the other thing (and a bit of Pratchett humor).

Start a fire for a man, and he is warm for a night.
Set a man on fire, he's warm for the rest of his life.

If you do the thinking FOR your kids. You are CRIPPLING THEM.
If you teach them how to think. You are ARMING them.

 

[iheartscience]

P.S. Most other countries that are as large and fluent as us teach their students at least two languages, sometimes more. I feel like our country looks rather ill educated next to some places.

Actually, most other countries aren't as large as the US (not sure what you mean by "fluent"), and thus are surrounded by other countries that speak different languages. Practically speaking, it doesn't make a ton of sense to learn another language unless you'll be interacting with people who speak that language on a regular basis.

And besides, it's very difficult it is to become fluent in another language when you're not surrounded by another language. I took Spanish for years, and am able to impress my husband with my Spanish skills when I'm in a Spanish-speaking country (he took German in school), but I'm nowhere near close to fluent because I don't use the language on a daily basis. My sister has been living in Spain for 4 months and is still not entirely fluent, and she was a Spanish major in college and did a semester abroad in Spain in college as well. Without being surrounded by people speaking a different language, or using the language yourself daily, I think it's very difficult to become fluent.

 

[Gypsy]

Thing I totally agree. I was close to fluent in Spanish when I was in highschool and college cause I used it ALL THE TIME (spanish speaking friends and church, plus advanced spanish classes). But it's just GONE now cause I don't use it. It is a skill that is much more helpful when you live in a country the size of one of our states and where you border countries you trade with that speak different languages than you.

Also, I think dragonfly meant "affluent" instead of "fluent" above.

 

[maebelle]

After re-reading I caught on this:

Teach them to open a gmail account with a professional, to-the-point email address. No MiZzBaBySexYbOoILove69@netzero anymore. JaneDoe, DoeJane, JDoe, maybe add 1 or 2 digits if they're taken. Tell them to save that email address for PROFESSIONAL purposes only. It's to email things for school and work, and to save information that they can email themselves, like passwords, their resumes, things they think they'll need to refer to in a few years. Make it key that they don't use it to subscribe to CollegeHumor or Abercrombie and Fitch, so that their important stuff gets drowned out with spam emails.

bolded for emphasis.

*Never* email yourself passwords. This only makes all of your secure information available to anyone who manages to get into one account. Not a good idea. If you must keep a record of your passwords keep a physical list that is well concealed.


I would also say that learning a 2nd language at a young age does help brain development, even if you end up never, or only seldom using the 2nd language.

 

[princesss]

P.S. Most other countries that are as large and fluent as us teach their students at least two languages, sometimes more. I feel like our country looks rather ill educated next to some places.

Actually, most other countries aren't as large as the US (not sure what you mean by "fluent"), and thus are surrounded by other countries that speak different languages. Practically speaking, it doesn't make a ton of sense to learn another language unless you'll be interacting with people who speak that language on a regular basis.

And besides, it's very difficult it is to become fluent in another language when you're not surrounded by another language. I took Spanish for years, and am able to impress my husband with my Spanish skills when I'm in a Spanish-speaking country (he took German in school), but I'm nowhere near close to fluent because I don't use the language on a daily basis. My sister has been living in Spain for 4 months and is still not entirely fluent, and she was a Spanish major in college and did a semester abroad in Spain in college as well. Without being surrounded by people speaking a different language, or using the language yourself daily, I think it's very difficult to become fluent.

True story. I was fluent by the time I left Spain, I could be fluent again if I lived there, but right now? I struggle to keep up with my daily conversations with my Spanish speaking friends at work. I can understand a lot, but speaking? Uf (<--- Exasperated Spanish sound of the day. I have now hit my quota.)

Honestly, I think Australia is the best country to compare us to for these purposes. What's the point of comparing us to Germany where people grow up learning 4-5 languages? It borders 8 countries, and English is the international language. Of course Germans speak more languages than we do. The US borders two countries, and in my experience people living close to the border with Mexico have a limited if functional understanding of basic Spanish, and I don't know anybody that lives close to the border with Quebec to vouch for their French speaking abilities. But really, learning multiple languages isn't a requirement if you're not going to use them.

That said, I think exposure to other languages and cultures is huge for brain development and interpersonal development - the ability to see things from a perspective other than your own and learn to think in a different way is an invaluable skill. I just don't think you need fluency in another language strictly for the sake of being able to speak it.