I don't have kids. However, I was a Sergeant in the Army for a while and acted in loco parentis for more than one troop.

18 y/os who:

Couldn't balance a checkbook. Didn't understand what an overdraft was, or know the bank charged them for using the ATM if it wasn't their bank.
Had no clue how to get car insurance or even register a car.
Had never applied for a job, never mind a loan.
Had no clue what it took to get married, nor clue one where the courthouse was.
Couldn't cook a simple meal (females included).
Had no clue how to do laundry, or iron.
No basic tool skills at all.
ONe young lady in particular - "I've never mowed a lawn, we had gardeners do it" "Cool, consider yourself a gardener today, now mow"

I consider those all basic life skills. I won't even get into what I considered basic field skills. Good thing we'd gone to MREs which are tear open, some of those kids couldn't have worked a P38 if they had too.

And btw, although I'm not an X gen, I can build a PC, lol.


Edited by JBMat (10/01/10 08:35 PM)
Edit Reason: can't spell