Life Skills

I haven't taught my kids nearly enough about doing their laundry. I haven't been vigilant enough about their practicing good oral hygiene, and I'm not sure they could navigate without a GPS. I'll admit it--I worry that I have left them underprepared in the life skills department.

But then I see my son assimilate all the knowledge he has gotten from YouTube videos to come up with a solution for his own questions, and I realize I can check the box for "analyzing and processing information."

And I see my daughter master every new app and program effortlessly, and I realize I can check the box for "keeping up with new technology."

I see my son keep at figuring something out, even when I've said it's time to go, and I realize I can check the box for "persistence."

And I hear my daughter fight for what she wants to do from so many angles, she just has to get her way, and I realize I can check the box for "negotiating skills."

I see my son find our car in a parking lot after hours in a mall and all the cars looking basically the same, and I realize I can check the boxes for "spatial reasoning" and "memory."

And I watch my daughter move effortlessly from one group of people to another, and I realize I can check the box for "interpersonal skills."

Perhaps we're not teaching our kids all the life skills we think they will need. But the truth is, the skills they need are changing, and some of the activities to which they gravitate are giving them just the skills that will help them make it in today's world and workforce.

So, I guess I shouldn't worry (except possibly about dirty clothes and unhealthy teeth). Turns out that in the life skills department, the kids are doing just fine.