<p>Just wondered, now that kids are heading off for college soon (or are already there) if anyone has felt the compulsion to cram in some ‘life-skill’ lessons for their teen? And, what might you have told them?</p>
<p>Some things I’ve tried to pass on recently (usually w/the tag line: “this will benefit you in life!”):</p>
<p>1) always wrap up the left-over pizza in plastic wrap or put it in a tupperware—jamming the whole box in the fridge will just leave you w/dry cardboard the next day</p>
<p>2) talk to girls you don’t think are even remotely attractive – it will give you practice and you might be surprised, these girls could have many good qualities (plus cute friends). <— superficial, but trying to convince son not to dismiss everyone who is not a bikini-model…</p>
<p>3) communicate if you are going to be late to/with anything—that way you don’t look like you are unconcerned.</p>
<p>4) create a filing system for your important papers</p>
Chedva
June 16, 2008, 8:37am
2
<p>5) learn how to refill a prescription. My d thought that the pharmacy would just refill it automatically and she’d just go pick it up.</p>
<p>That’s a good one, Chedva! I’m hoping to find things I haven’t thought of, myself!</p>
<p>6) Don’t wait until there is absolutely no possibility that you could pass the course. If you don’t understand something, seek help early.</p>
<p>I can’t stress this enough, especially for procrastinators. It is MUCH easier to maintain a good GPA starting in freshman year than it is to spend the following three years trying to reach one.</p>
<p>Also, take vitamins daily. My kids rarely got sick when many of the other kids did.</p>
Chedva
June 16, 2008, 9:01am
6
<p>7) If you don’t want to sort your clothes into lights/darks, wash only in COLD water. Otherwise, you’ll be wearing pink underwear & formerly white shirts.</p>
<p>Here is a GREAT list that was compiled in a similar thread a few months ago:
Posted by spideygirl
<p>LIFE SKILLS:
Keep track of finances (it’s easy to get carried away, especially if you’re going to school in an urban area or find yourself among friends who are able to spend a lot of money)
Arrive on campus knowing how to do laundry.
If your department or college sends out a newsletter with news and opportunities, READ IT! I’ve found some really cool clubs/jobs/internship offers that my friends all miss out on because they can’t be bothered to read the e-mail.
Befriend a professor other than your advisor…they can be sources of invaluable advice. My advisor actually made me do this and it helped me out so much when crap started to happen somewhere around mid-November and I had to seek a medical drop, scale back on extracurricular activities, get a room change, etc.
Don’t drink on school nights unless you have 8 hours set aside for rest. Doing anything hung over is terrible. If people are doing drugs around you, and if you choose to partake, do it responsibly. I’ve seen a lot of kids end up becoming stoners and they perform poorly academically.
Say NO…to alcohol, peer pressure, friends, etc to ensure moderation and sanity in your life. You don’t need to hang around your friends 24/7 when you have work to do
Know how to arrive on time - that is, how long it takes you to get out the door, how long the drive or walk is…
Communication skills: you need to be able to speak with people, to befriend them and also to be able to get what you want from people. For as bad as that sounds, if you know how to communicate and get your point across you will be much better at getting what you want in life, ranging from a boyfriend/girlfriend to getting a job that you want. If you feel like you don’t have people or communication skills, it might not be a bad idea to take a class on it.
Advocate for yourself. With professors, roommates, boyfriends, girlfriends, advisors, financial aid staff, etc. It will save you a world of difficulty.
Know boundaries…and respect them. This includes with professors (i.e., don’t walk into a prof’s office asking questions outside of office hours unless you’ve developed the relationship ahead of time, and even then, you should approach with caution and sensitivity), staff (respect their time…especially that of admin assts and student life staff), respect your student leaders’ needs for time to study and so forth (don’t abuse your RAs…), respect your peers (e.g., if in a group project, don’t give them calls 5 minutes before you want to meet!)…and I hope you already understand boundaries in opposite sex relationships, but if not, you should learn them quickly.
If you have never had to figure things out for yourself, please start now. Be resilient. Don’t call your parents for help with every little thing. Of course it’s good to ask them things … but when you can do it on your own, you should. It’s good practice for life.
Stand up for yourself. Don’t let life “happen.” If you want something, go get it. If you don’t get what you want, ask why not … that’s the only way to learn. Ask how you can do it better next time. Ask what you need to do to get it in the future. Don’t assume you can’t do/have something. Try! This applies to grades, jobs, etc. Learning how to get along in life is an important thing to do in college.
Realize that breaking the law can be extremely expensive, mess up your future, and even land you in prison. Theres no more parental oversight, so learn how to BEHAVE (and be prepared for the consequences if you dont).</p>
<p>MONEY
Watch your spending. If you attend a school in a major city and when the weekend comes, is there a large percentage of the students that are leaving the campus to take in the city life? If money is a real issue, it is going to be really lonely being left on campus most weekends, when your friends want to leave campus to go out to dinner, club, show, bar, etc. Also, consider that even with great transportation, it slows down during late hours and the friend will want to split a cab and you only have enough for the bus or train.
Greek life is often obscenely expensive.
To avoid going home for every single break, MAKE FRIENDS WHO LIVE NEAR THE SCHOOL! Home is 3,000 miles away from me and plane tickets are much too expensive to fly more than at Christmas and for the summer.
Take the total of what you have to spend for the semester, divide by the number of weeks, and STICK WITH THAT AS A WEEKLY BUDGET. Take unexpected expenses, such as frat dues, into account.</p>
<p>STUDY/CLASSROOM SKILLS:
Figure out what the textbooks are going to be for the classes you are going to take and read them ahead of time. Show up knowing the material. You will learn way more, do way better, and be under way less stress. I can’t understand why more students don’t realize this.
Work hard, THEN play hard.
Don’t put off reading. It’ll pile up.
Learn how to write well BEFORE hitting campus.
Don’t get cocky about school - aka don’t cram. Ask as many upperclassmen as you know how they stay on top of their work and try their strategies because almost everyone (who does well) will say some of the same things - namely go to classes, use office hours, don’t study in your room, utilize the library, etc.
In college, you don’t have to do every page of the reading. In fact, it’s probably impossible. If you’re humanities major, you can end up with upwards of 1000 pages of reading a week, in really dense history/philosophy books. You can skim, and that is ok. Read the introduction and conclusion of the books, and read the first and last sentence of every paragraph. You’ll still get the most important ideas (while skipping over unnecessary details) and not waste too much time.
Also, write in the margins. Note important points, because it will help you more
Sit up front, and build a relationship with your teacher. You don’t have to be that kiss ass who laughs at everything the prof says, but you should participate often, and ask questions when you have them. than you can ever imagine when you have to write a paper on it later in the semester.
Do NOT assume that just because you got a 5 in [Insert AP courses here] and your college is still making you take it, that you do not need to attend lecture/study. I realized that college courses are far more thorough than any AP, but at a time way too late to recover my GPA.
Go to class. There is no way to make up for absences and missed information. Only miss class if you are ill or have some other very important obligation (like a funeral). If you MUST miss classes and you know in advance, discuss this with the professor in advance.
College is tough. I know this is obvious but trust me sometimes you can get so cocky that you underestimate the difficulty of college. This is especially true if you go to a school that has the quarter system. Let me tell you time flies by fast! One day its the first week of school and before you know it its finals!
Study in the LIBRARY! Get away from PEOPLE for a two hour time slot to study if you can, daily…so you can focus and get some relief from noise, distractions and irritating people.
Stay focused on your goals and learn to say “NO!” to people.
Set a schedule and stick to it.
From a self-described loafer (on how to survive with that problem): Figure out which classes you can skip. You DO NOT have to go to all of your classes, some lectures are completely useless. You will save a lot of time by skipping unimportant classes.
Inflate your GPA - take at least one really easy class a semester, maybe more. Only take one class that is terribly difficult. Only take one class a semester that is a small seminar.
Make a weekly schedule. Have a SET TIME for meals each day of the week. For example, I usually start classes at 1, then another at 4. I eat at 12, 3, 6, 9, midnight every day to keep my energy up.
Pay attention to ALL of the information on the syllabi you receive. Do not lose it.
Learn your college’s policy on academic dishonesty. Do not plagiarize.
Take notes in class. Do not use your laptop to play around on Facebook in class.
Go to your professors’ office hours. At said office hours, do not ask how to get an A. Instead, ask relevant questions about the material under study.
Do not treat a grade as if it is a starting point for negotiation. Remember that grades are earned, not given.
Attend classes, even if told by friends that attendance is optional.
When facing difficulties in class, COMMUNICATE with your professors.
Do not expect your professors to make exceptions for you. If the syllabus says an assignment is due on a certain day, do not attempt to negotiate because that’s the day of your sister’s wedding / family ski trip / fraternity party. Turn the assignment in EARLY.
Remember that college opens up a world of opportunity for you that many others do not have. Appreciate it, enjoy it, and remember to thank your parents.
GO TO CLASS. If you get behind, youre screwed. If you dont understand something: go get help immediately. Dont let things start slipping. In science and math, this is doubly true.
Learn how to take notes so that you can go back and understand the information later. Note taking is a personal thing, so spend the first week of college figuring out what works for you (notebook vs. loose leaf, pen vs. paper, organized headings vs. stream-of-consciousness key words)
Get to know your professors. Even if the class is small and you think they already know you, and even if the class is huge and you are pretty sure they won’t have the time for you, get to know them anyway. Make sure they know who you are, and build relationships with them. Why: If you ever need help with the class, they will know who you are, what you are like, and will be more able to offer help that is tailored to your needs. If you ever need a recommendation, they will remember you and be able to write a sincere rec, not a canned one. But most importantly, it’s a way of being truly present for and engaged in your education, and enriches the whole process for you and the professors.
Time management: Draw a Monday-through Sunday hourly schedule for the semester as a grid of boxes on a sheet of plain paper. Color in or outline boxes for class (lectures, discussion, tutorials, labs) periods with a highlighter or light color pencil. This will create a visual picture of time periods that you have to be in class. Now block out extracurricular commitment periods, i.e. sports and jobs time. You’ll see A LOT OF EMPTY BOXES. Now color in some of these for study periods. Typically, you need at least 1 hour of study for each hour of lecture, but 1.5 is better, and 2 is appropriate if you hope to get some As. So, if you’ve got 15 hours of class, fill in study blocks for 15 to 30 hours. It’s okay to leave Friday night and Saturday blank, but in this case, allot some time for Sunday study, e.g. 4 to 6 hours. If you create a time-prescribed study schedule, and stick to it, you’ll do great. No last-minute cramming or all-nighters and then being a zombie for tests. You’ll retain information long term, rather than forgetting it as with cramming.
Study groups are life-savers. What you don’t know, someone else will. I learned so much from my study partners.
Don’t procrastinate.
Accept constructive criticism. If a professor notes a comment on a paper or suggests that your project requires more work, don’t get defensive and blow him or her off. Instead, take advantage of office hours to meet with the professor to get a fuller understanding of how your work can be improved.
Supplemental reading is not always optional. The “A” student is the one that has done not only the required reading, but the supplemental reading.
You are not there to memorize facts and spit them back out to the professor. You’ve got to learn the facts, consider how they apply and gain a complete, rather than superficial, understanding.
Consider the idea of reviewing your notes every night. Rewrite, condense and organize your notes: they will make more sense come exam time, the process requires that you understand what you are organizing and you will know right away where the problems are (that’s when you check the book or go to office hours) instead of discovering that you don’t understand something the night before the test.
Actually outline your required reading (you’ve heard about it all through high school, never had to do it…now’s the time). This helps you actively interact with the material you are reading, and means you will have FAR less to study when exam time comes.
Network, network, network. That is learn at least 1-2 people in class’s phone number/become friendly. Why? Because when you miss class/notes there is someone to call to give you the notes or to even bounce ideas off of. If you’re friendly people will be willing to share things with you and you to them.
A wise biology professor told us that for every hour of lecture, you have to study 2 hours in order to achieve an A. It’s just a good rule of thumb. You have to experiment to find out how long you actually need to study in order to make that A. You also have to experiment to find out the best way you study. For me, I have to draw pictures or flowcharts of what a particular paragraph in the textbook is saying. I can’t tell you the number of times a picture I had created which I had committed to memory allowed me to pick the correct answer on a test, even on those multiple-choice tests with 2 possible choices that are so very similar. Mnemonics also work very well for me.
Read material before it is discussed in class.
Spread out studying over a few days, cramming is bad.
Sit at front of class.
Ask questions and engage in class discussions Class participation helps your grades.
Brush up on presentation/public speaking skills.</p>
<p>SCHEDULING:
Pick classes first for the quality of professor, then for the time it’s offered, and lastly for its location (having classes reasonably close together is always a good thing). Some create schedules around not having class on certain days, or never having class before 11 or 12 – it’s not worth sacrificing a potentially amazing learning experience just to sleep a bit longer.
Don’t pick early classes if you’re not a morning person.
Use your first semester to determine what kind of schedule works for you. Some people like to start class at noon and end late and others like to start early and end early, etc. I’m in favor of starting mid-morning and taking classes one right after the other. It’s nice to get them all done at once and have afternoons off. Feel free to play around and figure out what works for you. The timing of your schedule is sometimes more important than the classes themselves.
Don’t take a ridiculously hard course load your first semester. You will be adjusting to an entirely new situation, and having a more moderate workload will really make your transition to college life easier.
College is an entirely different ball game, and maxing yourself out first semester freshman year is a very, very bad idea. Some people burn out right away because they overload themselves. Take it easy. You have 7 more semesters. There is no shame in not pressing your upper intellectual limits your first semester. You’ll be glad you didn’t, because when your first set of midterms roll around, you won’t be freaking.
Many students who go in thinking they can do a double major, or at least graduate in four years, find out that they can’t when they look at what classes are actually available to register for.
Don’t overdo it your first semester. I could easily have handled more my first semester, but I enjoyed being able to go out and meet people without having to worry about falling behind so early in my college career.
Another thing to remember about intense schedules - if you know you’re going to be playing a sport or participating in a time-consuming activity over any given semester, plan around it. It might be better to take the more challenging courses in a different semester and switch to a lighter load during the one where you have other commitments. This way, you can try some potentially fun classes and not kill yourself over the stress of hard courses/major extracurriculars.
Use Google Calendar
Joining an organization, club or team can help you manage your time better since you will have to stay on top of your schedule to do well.</p>
<p>HEALTH AND PERSONAL CARE SKILLS:
Manage your ingestion of alcoholic beverages and pharmaceuticals of all kinds. Just because everybody around you does drugs and drinks incessantly (and in large amounts!) does NOT MEAN that you should give into the peer pressure to fit in. People start to respect you more if that’s not what you like to do–maybe watching movies/eating at restaurants instead. OF course, an occasional indulgence in alcohol is not a bad thing if you are safe, but…Going over the top like my friends did at Tulane was…the STUPIDEST thing.
Make time for fun
Find out what you really like and what makes you happy
Shower daily. Always.
It’s easy to avoid the freshman 15 with a little effort. Working out with friends is much more fun, and playing intramurals is a great way to keep in shape without any serious time commitment. There are also good options at salad bars (usually), so take advantage when the lettuce is fresh.
If you get sick, go see health services
You know those pretty flowers and tress in the brochures that aren’t native to the area around the campus? Yeah. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly have allergies.
Wash your hands more than you usually would. Get a flu shot if you can. Generally try and stay healthy - trust me, being sick in college can be miserable, but there’s a lot you can do to avoid it.
If you’re really sick, email your professor and tell him that you can’t make it. There are two ways to approach sickness when you’re living on your own. You can either get the rest you need, and get better quickly. Or you can put your body under unnecessary stress and go to class when it isn’t absolutely necessary.
Find a place that works for you (e.g. a nearby park, rooftop, under a tree) that you can always go to meditate/study/relax … Stress/tension builds up fast, and blowing steam at your roommate does NOT make things better.
SHOWER SHOES. BRING SHOWER SHOES. Grab a pair of cheap flip-flops or something.
Learn to say you’re going to sleep when you are even if there’s a group of people chilling in your room. Trust me this is vital if you ever want to go to sleep and especially if you live in the ‘hangout’ room (i.e. the room everyone goes to hang out)
Find good places to eat early on. Make sure you keep up energy.
Start the day with food! A small meal is INFINITELY better than no food, and gives you energy that gets you through the day.
Learn how to clean effectively; you won’t believe how healthier you’ll be if you keep your room ship-shape.
Eat well & exercise
STD Prevention. Seriously. Most students know how to prevent AIDs and pregnancy, but not all students understand how to protect themselves against other sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes and the Human papillomavirus. Make sure you know how ALL STDs are transmitted and how they can be prevented.</p>
<p>SOCIAL SKILLS/FRIENDS
Be outgoing and get involved
Leave your door open the first few weeks. It’s the best way to get to know people in your hall.
Even if you’re not athletic, find something to do - theater, dance, pottery, etc., anything to keep you busy in the winter months when not much else is going on.
I guess one important thing is not to restrict yourself only to those activities in which your friends will be taking part. A lot of people I know make this mistake. Make sure to pursue some of your interests as well, even if it means you’ll (initially) have to do it alone. What is more, this way you are more likely to make new friends than if say you had dragged your best friend along.
If you go to a small school, be aware of your reputation! This is especially important the first couple weeks of your freshman year. Do you always want to be known as that girl who got really drunk and made some horrible mistakes? Do you want alcohol citations? And most importantly, do you want to walk into a room full of people you don’t know and hear them talking about you? Be to be aware that things will come back to haunt you and people are often quick to judge you over one mistake.
If you’re going to a top-tier school far away from home, deflate your bloated ego, at least when you return home to visit your friends.
Join organizations that you’re passionate about. This can be very rewarding and oftentimes you become good friends with the others in the group.
Orientations - attend both local and international student orientations. Spending a few days hanging out with newbies can actually build up friendship faster than you think.
Join groups, clubs on whatever you like. Spending time with other members adds more friends.
Come to parties. It doesnt matter if you drink or not. There are loads of sensible parties where they dont drink much.
DONT BE IN A HURRY to find a boyfriend or girlfriend. Frankly, being “single” is really a better choice for at least six months…and by single I dont mean playing the field and fooling around…I mean NOT INVOLVED with anyone on a personal or intimate level. Make friends without being “involved.”
Dont be one of those annoying “complainers” and “cynics” who endlessly complain about the food, dorm stuff, or rules and regs, or professors…or other students. Be a POSITIVE influence upon people…GOOD KARMA so to speak. Nobody likes a complainer.
Rush even if you are unsure of whether or not you want to join a fraternity or sorority. Even if you don’t join, you will meet tons of new people. And if you do join, it will be one of the most amazing experiences of your life. Pledging can be time-consuming, but the bonds built with pledge brothers or sisters will be unbreakable.
Stay in contact frequently with your family. Call your mom.
Don’t think just because you’ve found your niche or your “clique” of friends you shouldn’t be open to new friends because you’d be surprised to find people in all walks of life that are amazing and have had interesting upbringings.</p>
<p>HOUSING
Decide on living guidelines with your roommate before becoming friends. It’s much easier to set rules when you’re still getting used to each other as opposed to when you might be good friends and feelings could get hurt.
Think long and hard before going to a specific school and rooming with friends from high school. People change and just because they were your best friend in high school doesn’t mean that will stay the same way when in college. It also doesn’t mean that you two are compatible roommates at all. I feel it can be a hindrance to room with a good friend because it doesn’t allow you to open up to other people. I found it’s best to room with a stranger because you both are experiencing the same things for the first time and you have each other for support that first semester (or even year) as you slowly begin to find other friends through clubs and activities
You will never need as much as you bring initially, try to take some back during any breaks.
Be flexible…but also have clear rules. If your roomate wants you to leave for the evening so they can “hook up” with their boyfriend or girlfriend…learn to say, “Hey guys…how about finding somewhere else to hook up?” Its YOUR room too.
If you get the roommate from hell…just do your best to get along and then spend your time elsewhere. If its really serious, ask the resident directors to get involved and make a change or to discipline the offenders. Drug abuse should NEVER be tolerated because it can affect YOU in ways you cannot possibly imagine: legal trouble, reputation, health issues.
Most problems in college are NOT related to classrooms or profs. Not even the food. Most problems are related to dorm life.
If you mess it up, you clean it up.
It’s ok to set up some rules yourself, its your room after all, and most people usually respect them.
Try not to room with your best friend. You’re bound to get on each other’s nerves. And in the end, it’s better to be enemy with someone you don’t care as much about as losing your best friend.
If you do not get along with your roommate from the beginning, FIND another roommate quickly.</p>
<p>MISCELLANEOUS
Take advantage of any event with free food on campus. They’re usually fun and it’s a great way to score a non-dining-services meal.
Fire alarms are sensitive. Careful with your popcorn, kids
Some of the most helpful advice I’ve received: try and have one professor every quarter who you would feel comfortable asking for a recommendation. Even if it’s awkward, speak up in class. You don’t have to suck up or anything, just make sure they know who you are.
Do not presume or expect that the administration will be open or helpful. Find an upperclassman who knows how to work the system and use this to your advantage. Don’t think that the admins can read your mind or remember what you told them- be annoying (well, reasonably), make sure you make yourself clear!
Get involved in a new activity every year. Do it really well. Spend time and build a social network within your activity, and if you don’t get a leadership role, focus on another activity the next year.
Focus on getting good summer or on-campus internships. Start your internship search in the fall, and keep your options open. A good internship during the summer is as good as a high GPA.
Focus on your resume
Learn the skill of LETTING THINGS GO! You need to move forward in college. Got a C on a paper? Talk to the prof and leave it at that.
Pick up a copy of “Being a college student for Dummies” and read it cover to cover.
</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/494820-skills-needed-college-6.html[/url] ”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/494820-skills-needed-college-6.html</a></p> ;
<p>7) Know how to iron a shirt.
<p>NOTE: spideygirl’s link says it all, but posting anyway.</p>
<p>JS#1 I really like your number 3 post, and we should remember it goes both ways.</p>
<p>I never taught my children table manners. I was raised in a house where that was heavily emphasized and it ruined many meals.</p>
<p>In twelth grade I realized I needed to teach impeccable table manners, when a Dear Abbey column discussed how all the Harvard Boys, looked down upon the less cultured classmates. I hung the column on my fridge all year, and made frequent reference to it, while I taught.</p>
<p>Many job interviews require a lunch inteview, so this is important. Also, men holding doors, allowing women to procede first, etc. During the feminist movement these were not so important skills, but they seem to be back in vogue. (But not with my husband!)</p>
<p>did a few things with my kids…
<p>
</p>
<p>Rather than play the gender role game, I would amend this to saying that people of all genders should be courteous. This includes holding doors for the people close behind you (regardless of gender), and offering to let others proceed first (especially if they are your interviewers for a job, potential clients that you are trying to impress, etc).</p>
<p>Here’s one that I’ve seen bite a lot of folks:</p>
<p>When you come home on breaks, you may find that you no longer relate to some or all of your old high school friends, no longer have anything in common, anything you want to talk about with them. This doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you - growing apart happens - but it can be disconcerting if you weren’t warned.</p>
<p>And a couple of others:</p>
<p>Learn some basic personal finance.</p>
<p>Start looking for jobs as soon as you’re reasonably adjusted to the academic demands of college. Even if you don’t need the extra money, you’ll gain valuable field experience - and perhaps more importantly, you’ll learn how to do a job search and everything that comes with it while you can still afford to mess up.</p>
<p>These are great!</p>
<p>Thanks for posting the link from spideygirl. I have to admit, however, it’s overwhelming even for me and son would probably throw a hard object if I tried to inflict all of that on him (although each one is true, surely).</p>
<p>Since son is finishing his HS junior year, trying the rather modest route: holding doors for people, offering to help ladies in distress (e.g. dropped a pile of books/packages), improved table manners, how to fill out Rx, taking vitamins.</p>
<p>Now that I have spidey’s comprehensive list, I can throw a few of those in periodically. It’s all good for HS, too. :-)</p>
<p>“Learn to cook a few simple meals. THE best babe-magnet ever.”</p>
<p>(My H’s advice to our 15 yo son.)</p>
<p>We did, do, and still do the last minute life skills even for a 23 yo with 3 degrees.http://www.uwajimaya.com %5DUwajimaya.com %5B/url”>http://www.uwajimaya.com ]Uwajimaya.com [/url</a>], big retail store, and wants to know if apples and watermelons and cabbages and meats are priced reasonably. This kid has been around the world, away at college for 6 years, Summers at different cities for school and internships, interns in India, and he wants to know if the price of watermelon is reasonable? </p>
<p>Put him in an airport as an 8 yo, and he can find the next plane to where-ever, and the oddest restroom that only US Congressional Representatives know about.</p>
<p>XD LongPrime…that got a little chuckle out of me because I’m totally the same way. I’ve traveled quite a bit by myself, but I’m just now learning to handle my own finances.</p>
<p>Parents: TEACH YOUR KIDS TO USE QUICKEN, and put it on whatever they’ll be taking with them to school. This has been such a help to me. Every time I spend money from my bank account, I put it in my Quicken, even if the bank hasn’t received it yet. That way, I know EXACTLY how much money I have left to spend and I don’t have to worry about overdrafting (even though my bank has no overdraft fees).</p>
<p>^ he uses MS Money and scolds me for not using the more detailed version. </p>
<p>But watermelons?</p>
<p>Understand that your parents aren’t total dolts and do have some valuable information to pass along and that it is ok to do some of the things they suggest…</p>
<p>XD pmrlcomm-I figured that one out a long time ago.</p>
<p>Also-understand that yes, your parents do have sensors in your clothes and DO know when you’ve done something they wouldn’t approve of. </p>
<p>Or maybe that’s just my parents. I swear they’re psychic. I’m assuming this will lighten once I’m 300 miles away though. XD</p>
SJTH
June 16, 2008, 8:32pm
19
<p>Learn to Grill/BBQ
<p>I know there are more…</p>
<p>can you tell I have boys?</p>
<p>Those are great (& funny! lol at watermelons…although, at an embarassingly adult age I called my mom to talk me through cleaning the oven…).</p>
<p>Agree re: the look people to whom you are talking in the eye.</p>
<p>I’ve also said: when responding to a question, you almost can’t go wrong if you give something/anything more than a one-word answer (e.g. “How are you?” instead of “Fine” say, “Fine; I’m really looking forward to the summer. How are you?”).</p>
<p>I need some of these life skills, btw. Maybe should try Quicken…! </p>
<p>I’m also working on (w/son): keeping the bathroom sink toothpaste free (“your future roommate will thank you!”) and making maybe 3 meals (other than frozen pizza).</p>
<p>Another random one: try not to make extended eye contact w/people in cars/strangers (who are guys), etc. No need to engage/provoke. Also: keep your car keys in the same place every time you get out of the car! (getting locked out of car in bad neighborhood–not fun).</p>