@sseamom Although some things seem obvious and that children would learn just by observing (e.g. stamps, envelopes), as these posts show, it isn’t usually the case. Just think about all the stress parents have when their child first learns how to drive a car! Sure, they’ve been in cars their whole life, they’ve seen their parents drive them for hours on end, they see people drive them on TV, etc. but they sure do need a lot of help to learn this ordinary, daily task! 
Same for ordinary, daily tasks that we adults take for granted.
Be the eldest of four girls I automatically learned how to take care of my younger sisters and was mom’s helper as they grew up. Last summer my college aged daughter babysat our neighbors 1 year old for the first time and called me over because she didn’t know how to put a diaper on a baby. Being an only child she had never had experience doing that.
S1 has yet to realize that you occasionally need to sweep a floor. And taking sports jackets to the cleaners – I had to tell him to do that. But he does know how to iron, make reservations, pick a hotel, jump a car, clear off snow, unstick a car from a snowdrift and do laundry. S2 has only had questions about food – if I defrost it, how long do I have before it goes bad? Do eggs spoil? How do I make chicken stuff like Nana? . He has no sense of direction and I worry about him driving in the real world.
When S2 was still in high school, he’d put things like his Brooks Brothers sports jacket in the hamper. We had to have a talk about that.
Ds1 is in his first real job and has learned so much. He rents cars, books hotels, files expense accounts, etc. But he refuses to get his own credit card!!! He’s gone from ours to the company’s.
You can’t use a credit card for things like renting a car for personal use. It has a lot more consumer protections than a debit card – he should get one. But you probably already told him that.
I also get lots of food questions from my daughter - things like - can I eat the yogurt if it has today’s date, how long can I keep leftover pasta before it goes bad, how can I tell if an egg is still good, etc. She calls from the grocery store to ask about ingredients and brands and I email her recipes all the time. Not sure if this reflects that she never cooked by herself at home (although she helped all the time) or the priority of food in her life!
This thread has been enlightening - lots of stuff for me to work on with DS before he leaves next fall!
I don’t think he has ever filled out a form at a doctor’s office. I always do them, even now. It’s just much faster. 
I want him to start building a credit history as he will have to buy a car this year. I told him this morning the better his credit history/score the lower the interest rate. He didn’t seem moved.
Credit card discussion. I have talked about this on every Skype with S, who started a job 4 months ago. I know I should not give up. He just doesn’t figure it is worth the hassle. Maybe I will use the rental car issue, but until he is 25, he probably can’t rent a car anyway.
^He can rent a car with a credit card while he’s under 25 but it is more expensive… 
My very smart son wanted to boil water, and he informed me he DID know how. He proceeded to take the Pyrex measuring up, fill it with water, and place it on the stovetop.
This presumes that the button came off a dry-clean only garment. Your wardrobe is 100% not mine if that’s the case
D1 once told me all I ever taught her was how to swear and drink! Since she is very successful at this point in her life, I guess I taught her the right things.
My brother once started a fire making tea.
My dd forwards me tasty and buzzfeed videos for things like making cookies and cake pops.
Rather than trying to make them herself she might be thinking I’m going to make them for her.
One day she is going to need to learn how to cook real food on her own.
All of these great stories remind me of my brothers college roommate who once used a gas torch to defrost their freezer
@dragonmom. My dry cleaner sews on buttons without also cleaning the garment if you want. Most will. so not sure what you mean
So… were we, the parents all born pre-programmed to do every thing right? Did our own parents teach us every possible thing? Fess up, we all were clueless about one thing or another. I still remember the horror of paying for groceries with a check (remember those?) and writing a completely wrong number on it… I completely froze, and It did not dawn on me that I could have solved the problem by voiding the messed up check and writing a new one!
As long as no lives or limbs have been lost in the learning process, all is well. Do not beat yourself up if your kid does not know how to sew on a button. It is not rocket science - most people with at least one hand will learn quickly. 
When S1 got a summer job, he discovered who FICA is.