Life skills to teach a child
Life skills to teach a child
Author
Discussion

P924

Original Poster:

1,272 posts

212 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Guys,

What life skills should I teach my child? Things you think are important, or wish someone had shown you when you were younger. Irrespective of whether it's a boy or a girl. My list so far:-

1. How to swim
2. How to budget
3. How to light a fire
4. How to check oil, water etc or change a tyre


over to you.

theaxe

3,571 posts

252 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
- How to cope with boredom.
- Table manners.
- Basic first aid.

Mrs BlueCerbera

2,208 posts

270 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
How to make a cup of tea
How to read a map/work out directions
The mobile phone numbers of his/her parents for if they ever get lost

Gargamel

16,367 posts

291 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Assemble Ikea furniture

Understand the long term effect of compound interest.

A foreign language - ideally mandarin or German

Play a musical instrument to a reasonable standard.

Why social media is a terrible load of old toss.

Fun Bus

17,911 posts

248 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
How to lose gracefully.

TwigtheWonderkid

49,086 posts

180 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
P924 said:
Guys,

What life skills should I teach my child?

1. How to swim
Swimming is great, it's good for you and it's top fun. I'm a strong swimmer and swim every day.

But.....swimming is unlikely to save your life. Very few people who drown do so falling from boats etc. Most people who drown do so because they are strong swimmers, they overestimate their talent and get themselves into deadly situations, whereas the weak or non swimmer would never get themselves into such a daft situation in the first place.

I came within a whisker of drowning on my 27th birthday, because I was a strong swimmer. Everyone else stayed on the beach because the waves looked too big. They were right, they were too big!!!

theironduke

6,995 posts

218 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
If- Covers most of the bases I think.

Pablo Escobar

3,114 posts

219 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
How to roll.

You never know, the time may come when he's down to his last magazine and bayonet about to be overrun.
That last crinkly rolled up fag will x10 the hero factor.

Wheat

505 posts

160 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
My mother taught me a hell of a lot about this world. But something she told me when I was getting hassle of fellow pupils at school, at the age of 12-14 ish, has stuck with me through life.. "You will always meet a tosser, what ever you try and do in life, the trick is just to smile at them and get on with things"

First time I heard her 'swear' and a great piece of advice.

CHamphill

4,097 posts

168 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Fun Bus said:
How to lose gracefully.
And how to win gracefully, perhaps?

Better to learn both, I thinksmile

dipwing

267 posts

281 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Use common sense. Not many people appear to do that nowadays.

I suppose personally I wished I'd followed my dream and learnt to fly. I always wanted to fly fast jets or helicopters in the RAF.
And having just returned from Duxford today I still (at 39 years old) wished I'd done it.

So:
1. Use common sense.
2. Follow your dreams and don't let hard work get in the way of you not getting there.


Oldsparkplug

10,203 posts

158 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Give them the space and opportunity to find out for themselves. Just be around to help, advise, mop up afterwards.
They won't listen anyhow, my kids never did, I never did. Being allowed to learn myself was the best thing my parents ever did, it was far more effective than being wrapped in cotton wool and simply advised.

nails1979

642 posts

171 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
How to take stuff apart. If you can take it apart then you can rebuild it. If you can take it apart then you can probably fix it. If you know how to build it then you can make it.
Apply with logic and can be applied to most parts of life.

steveatesh

5,363 posts

194 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Any people skills type stuff, such as how to listen, being patient with others, not everybody has the same values but that doesn't make them bad people, when your mouth is open you are not learning anything, that type of stff cos it's so important later in life and they might as well get not the habit at a young age.

Fishtigua

9,786 posts

225 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Well, the obvious. STOP IT! You'll go blind.

Me, a dog and a horse made my world such a fun place at an early age. Sailing yachts came later.

Jasandjules

72,602 posts

259 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Compassion for animals
Consideration for others

rottie102

4,033 posts

214 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
If son -

How to knock somebody down when needed.

Don't raise another pathetic "Mr Darcy"

Another thing - not to be a dick with women

rottie102

4,033 posts

214 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Gargamel said:
Why social media is a terrible load of old toss.
Yeah, that's what Zuckenberg's parents think! He should have been practising assembling Ikea wardrobes wink

Hooli

32,278 posts

230 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
How to vote UKIP




/stands back & waits

Fishtigua

9,786 posts

225 months

Wednesday 28th August 2013
quotequote all
Hooli said:
How to vote UKIP

/stands back & waits
Ooh, sunshine. That'll be a bloody long wait.