Hey teens! Do you think you are equipped with all the skills you’ll need to be a competent adult? Here are some basic tasks adults must accomplish all the time. Do you know how to do them?
First, let’s talk money. As an adult, you’ll need to know how to make a weekly or monthly budget and stick to it; how to use an ATM; how to open, use and balance a checking account; and, of course, how to keep track of important papers. Keeping your financial life under control is an important step toward full-fledged adulthood.
What about clothing skills? Becoming a competent adult doesn’t mean you’ve got to be a wiz with a sewing machine. But you should know some basic skills: How to iron clothes, sew on a button, do laundry, fold clothes and pack a suitcase. You don’t want to show up to your big scholarship interview wearing a wrinkled shirt, do you?
Now let’s talk about food skills. Eating fast food all the time won’t lead to a healthy diet. Do you know how to plan, shop for and prepare healthy meals? As an adult, you should also know how to prepare, serve and store food to avoid spoilage.
And finally, let’s focus on at-home skills. Do you know where the circuit breaker is? If you do, do you know how to use it? If not, perhaps a parent can show you.
Other around-the-house skills you should know include how to use a fire extinguisher, how to perform basic first aid and how to fix a running toilet.
For more skills you should learn as you approach Grownups-ville, check out this story in Family Circus.