What do you want to be sure to teach your kid before they head off to college?

[shoboemom]

Now that I am realizing that my D will be heading off to college in a couple years, I find myself suddenly thinking of things we ought to be sure to teach her before that time comes.
I thought perhaps we could help each other brainstorm some ideas.

Recently I have thought, I want my D to learn:
How to safely use a grill (gas and charcoal)
How to fix a running or overflowing or stopped up toilet
How to balance a checkbook
Alcohol strengths and standard measures (got that idea here on CC)

I'm looking forward to reading more ideas...

[stevensmama]

How to do laundry
Basic cooking skills
How to clean a bathroom
How to sew on buttons and do basic mending

[intparent]

We have only two hard and fast rules on things they have to learn before leaving home:

1. How to swim
2. How to drive a car

That said, I am thinking that how to run a lawn mower is a good idea... D1 never learned, and probably should have.

Also, now that D1 has graduated from college and heading off into the "real world" to a new city and job in a few weeks, I find myself spending a lot of time explaining the various kinds of insurance to her.

[menloparkmom]

slightly off target, but this old thread has a lot of good advice about things that parents of soon to be college freshman need to consider or do !

Things To Do Before/When Child Leaves for College

[Izzie]

I was shocked when my son called me freshman year to ask where you go to buy stamps. He had only been to the post office to apply for a passport. Other than that, he's a pretty smart kid

[mother22]

How to change a tire
Safety around electricity (how to use the fuse box, safety around a downed power line)
CPR

[eastcoascrazy]

The only things that I worry about them having learned are those things for which life doesn't give do-overs. Whether or not they've learned those lessons well enough ... Well, it is a source of anxiety for most of us, I'd guess, hoping that we have taught them enough common sense and impulse control to keep thm out of trouble.

Don't drink and drive.
Don't get in a car with anyone who's been drinking.
Don't get a fake ID.
Don't get arrested.
Don't do anything that might cause you to get arrested.
Don't experiment with hard drugs.
Don't walk alone late at night off campus.
Don't argue with drunks.
Don't argue with any police officer.
Don't act on any thought that might have seemed like a good idea at 3AM.
Don't run with scissors.


Just ... don't! Stop and think!

[flyaround]

wear sunscreen

[GA2012MOM]

Always use a condom.

[ucbalumnus]

Originally Posted by flyaround

wear sunscreen

Obviously, this depends on how intense the sun is in your area, how long you will be in the sun, and the darkness of your skin. A dark skinned person who will be out in the sun for a time well below his/her sunburn time limit may prefer to not use sunscreen in order to make more vitamin D.

[Lakemom]

ucbalumnus, no one uses enough sunscreen or reapplies it often enough to really block their body's ability to take in Vit D and you only need about 15-20 min of sun a day to get enough. Better to have the habit of sunscreen to protect your skin for your entire life.

I think teaching those double checking habits, to not assume others are going to do what was only asked of them once is valuable.

[SansSerif]

Here's what my dad said when he dropped me off at college at the age of 17:

"Do anything you want. Just don't tell me about it."

His philosophy was that if I could handle it myself and didn't have to ask him for help, then it couldn't be that bad. He realized I was going to do stuff he didn't approve of. And he knew that I was a smart girl with good sense, so I'd be okay. He just didn't want to have to know about it and worry about it.

[lvvcsf]

How to cook, read a recipe, make a menu and grocery shop. How to check and top off the engine's oil, the others I thought of have already been mentioned.

[bethievt]

Especially for girls, don't leave a drink unattended. For boys or girls, just be kind.

[Lakemom]

bethievt a friend of mine who has girls recently pointed out about not leaving glasses unattended and I would never have thought of it but it is also good advice for boys.