I’M JUST CURIOUS: Common sense education

by Debbie Walker

I found this information on Facebook, and I have no idea who originally wrote it, but I applaud them. The title is 40 Old-Fashioned Skills That Kids Need to Know Today! I was pleased when I realized Kathy and I taught some of these to our little first graders. They are not in any particular order, but I wish I had seen this when I was raising my daughter. A check list for parents to go by would have been helpful.

{ } How to write a letter; { } How to make a phone call. {1 } How to take a message. {2 } How to get to know an older person. { } How to play with a baby. { } How to sew on a button. (There are people who throw away a shirt or a blouse because they lost a button! Not in my house!); { 3} How to make a genuine apology. { } How to read slowly. { } How to hammer a nail. { } How to shake hands. { } How to introduce yourself. { } How to take notice of needs around you. { 4} How to make a scrambled egg. { } How to see a job/task through to completion. { } How to write a thank you note. { } How to fix something instead of replacing it. { } How to hang a picture. { } How to wash dishes. { } How to wait and save for something. { } How to ask questions to get to know someone better { } How to read a map. { } How to find a book in the library. { } How to ask for assistance from an elder. { } How to select a gift that the receiver will appreciate. { } How to admit a mistake. { } How to iron a shirt. { } How to give someone the benefit of the doubt. { }How to weigh out the pros and the cons of a decision { }.

{1} If your child is not old enough to take a message properly, hands off the phone. {2}Practice on the grandparents either on the phone or in person; You will be giving them both quite a gift, { 3 } An apology given with rolled eyes or a sarcastic voice is worse than never getting one, it’s the same thing. {4 } Allow your child to make scrambled eggs before he/she becomes 18. Yes, that was sarcastic because I have seen parents cutting meat for kids who were 16: they didn’t want them to get cut.

I am sure you have some answers or two for some of these comments as I do. Would you like to share them with me or just add them to the list? My thought behind these is for parents to use as a check list for teaching their children. Little things like a child who has not learned to tie their shoelaces before they enter school, please put them in Velcro sneakers. Teachers don’t need to tie 19 pairs of sneakers once or twice a day. And not all teachers have an aide.

Ok, that’s enough time for me, now it’s your turn. I’m just curious how many of you will share with me. I’ll be waiting at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Have a great week and thanks for reading.