Posted on 10/03/2010 7:23:17 PM PDT by Immerito
NEW YORK — Second-graders who can’t tie shoes or zip jackets. Four-year-olds in Pull-Ups diapers. Five-year-olds in strollers. Teens and preteens befuddled by can openers and ice-cube trays. College kids who have never done laundry, taken a bus alone or addressed an envelope.
Are we raising a generation of nincompoops? And do we have only ourselves to blame? Or are some of these things simply the result of kids growing up with push-button technology in an era when mechanical devices are gradually being replaced by electronics?
Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter "literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for a can that requires a can opener, and her shoulders slump and she goes for something else."
Teenagers are so accustomed to either throwing their clothes on the floor or hanging them on hooks that Maushart says her "kids actually struggle with the mechanics of a clothes hanger."
Many kids never learn to do ordinary household tasks. They have no chores. Take-out and drive-through meals have replaced home cooking. And busy families who can afford it often outsource house-cleaning and lawn care.
(Excerpt) Read more at thechronicleherald.ca ...
Actually I work in a bank and meet a lot of teens (14-18) who come in to open accounts with their parents. Most of them seem remarkably well-spoken, but that might either be the area I live in, or the fact that the kids I interact with are those astute enough to open bank accounts.
I never write or type vulgar language.
My general plan for when my son (and any additional kids we may have) get older is to basically show him things every weekend.
One weekend, I might show him the mortgage papers and payments we’re making. The next, maybe he will watch me fix the sink or something.
In my generation, parents seemed to shy away from anything that might indicate to the kids how much money the parents make, including balancing a checkbook, and while there are good reasons for that, I think it’s MORE important to show them how to budget and balance a checkbook even if it allows them to have some idea of your income.
I pay bills online mostly, but since my family is out of state the USPS still gets a lot of useage from me.
You reminded me of when I used to bet people that I could hand horizontally off a pole. That was always a big money maker.
Not to mention that many laces today are round rather than flat. They never stay tied.
Oops replied to the wrong post.
My son (6) can’t tie his shoes - he likes Crocs and other shoes for easy slip on and slip off. But he is homeschooled and can ice skate and can tell you about the Cold war.
My son graduates from San Diego Boot at the end of the month.
I know EXACTLY what you mean! ;-P
I put it in Google both ways and it came up. I think you can spell it either way.
I know! I teach middle school and by the time they get to me, it's almost too late. Whether they know it or not depends on what school they went to, so I'll have half a room that can do it and half that can't... trying to teach the ones that don't know leaves the other half bored and I don't like to assign "busy work." For a couple years I tried making them learn, but I've given up.
My three year old can wash dishes, fold laundry, mop and change diapers. She likes to “help” so I figured why not! LOL
So the tv is on an alarm?
I need this for my kids. They work but have to be harped on.
My girls learned D’Nealean Pre-Cursive. Then I started to homeschool. Cursive was not high on my list.
Both picked up signatures on their own. I insist that they must be able to read Cursive. Both are faster at printing than I am at cursive. AND everyone can read their writing. In the classes they take outside of the house, they are told how wonderful it is that teachers can read what they write.
Hey, when I managed a Psych office, all forms were printed. (now it’s computerized). I had to stop using cursive for a while.
Cursive is a thing of the past.
I spent some time researching people’s reactions to that quote. Amazing how many people think it impossible to achieve the whole list, and consider doing 2-3 items laudable.
That isn’t the job of teachers, in my view (nor is sex education), but of parents.
I stand corrected; every legal document I have ever seen had a signature (in cursive) upon it, so I assumed it was a legal requirement.
Good quote; it’s given me some food for thought.
Thanks.
> “young people could benefit from a boot camp for life skills.” <
You are spot-on.
I don’t know how many times I’ve told my 24 year old son that the first thing that one does when he moves is to submit a change of address card to the Post Office; that way one stays up with their mail and BILL PAYMENTS!
GOOD GRIEF!
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