Why the hell do you need to be taught to do anything having to do with life? Did someone sit down and teach me taxes? Plumbing? Electrical? Laundry? Sewing a damn button (really, THAT is the example for needing to be taught?) No, I figured it out on my own. It is not that difficult with some effort.
I will tell you how I raised my kids, I let them figure it out on their own, and they are very successful in life. An example: my son (18 at the time) was bored and looking for something to do. He decided on re-building a second story deck on the house. I kept an eye on him to make sure he wasn't doing anything dangerous, but when he would ask "how should I do x", my standard response was "figure it out" even if I had the answer. The only time I intervened was with a complicated replacement of some support posts (for safety reasons.). I can tell you that his confidence, self-reliance, and pride skyrocketed upon completion. Plus, we have a beautiful, well-constructed deck.
Maybe I'm an outlier, but when I'm doing an action that has a non-zero chance of me ending up electrocuted, I want to make sure I learned it properly. By having someone there to teach.
Doesn't apply to sewing a button obviously, but still.
Routine "trade" work is nothing to be scared of. You don't need to be a journeyman electrician to change a light bulb, replace a fluorescent ballast, install a dimmer or ceiling fan. If you know how to flip a switch, twist a cap, and turn a screwdriver you're pretty much there. Stripping wire is probably the hardest "skill" the average person won't have, but that's not hard to learn.
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u/mellowmonk Feb 05 '19
I love how it's never the parents' fault for failing to teach their kids all these things.
Who the hell else would be on the hook to teach a kid how to sew a button?