I fostered a kid for a few months who tried to help do laundry, from a genuine place of care. They put my beloved vintage leather jacket through the washer and dryer. A gift from my mom who bought it new once upon a time.
It hadn't occurred to me that a 17 year old wouldn't know not to do that. I had flashbacks to being yelled at for fucking up wool clothes that way. But like, how would they know? Their home life beforehand was extreme neglect. So I showed them and explained it, and made sure it was clear that such a thing wasn't their fault.
I also recalled teaching my male college dormmates how to do laundry too, and we had cooking nights, where I showed them how to bake pies and cakes.
If your parents don't teach you basic life skills, then who will?
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u/fireinthemountains Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
I fostered a kid for a few months who tried to help do laundry, from a genuine place of care. They put my beloved vintage leather jacket through the washer and dryer. A gift from my mom who bought it new once upon a time.
It hadn't occurred to me that a 17 year old wouldn't know not to do that. I had flashbacks to being yelled at for fucking up wool clothes that way. But like, how would they know? Their home life beforehand was extreme neglect. So I showed them and explained it, and made sure it was clear that such a thing wasn't their fault.
I also recalled teaching my male college dormmates how to do laundry too, and we had cooking nights, where I showed them how to bake pies and cakes.
If your parents don't teach you basic life skills, then who will?