TOPIC:
We all want to raise our children to be competent adults, able to function on their own, and that includes being able to do basics like laundry, cooking, and simple home repairs. What do you do to help prepare your children for adulthood?
ANSWERS:
Having only boys I am proud to share how sufficient they are. I never wanted to raise a son whose wife might one day say those words "I wish you had..."
Since about the age of 12 or so, the boys have all done their own laundry. They are totally competent on knowing when their clothes are dirty, when they need a particular item and how to clean it. It certainly takes the stress away from me having to sort laundry. This keeps their laundry separate! The boys have also been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. Some of them cooked at young ages, as young as 5. Some of them not till much older. But biting my tongue and letting them create things has been such a blessing to them. The two older are self sufficient on their own and the next ones have both excelled in Foods 11 and 12 and just in their own experimental stages. By allowing them time to just "be" comfortable in the kitchen without rules was awesome for them all.
We also have make-your-own dinner nights and it’s your turn to cook nights. It’s all about family. We all do for family not just MOM.
From the April 2011 NLHS newsletter
"Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com"