Basic budgeting. Had a coworker who made decent money but was always broke because she couldn’t grasp the concept of not spending her entire paycheck in the first week. She’d literally buy $7 coffees daily then panic about rent.
Effort. At some point circa 2011, we forgot how powerful effort can be in every aspect of our lives.
Send a treat to your best friend, do the yard for your folks, have a kind conversation with someone looking for an ear. Effort makes life just a little better, either for you or someone around you.
Yes i know someone told you that you matter and your feelings matter. The truth is to the majority of the world you do not and your feelings do not, while your allowed to feel them you dont always need to express them. Often there are many situations where a conflict could be completely avoided if you just realize people, in general, don’t care about what your feeling and if you just move on and control what you can control you’ll be happier.
In an office setting, adding more paper to the copy machine or printer. I know that these days there is so much less printing, but is really isn’t that hard.
I teach at a university so I’m going to have to say reading comprehension. Here’s a question from a recent exam.
> There are four photons traveling through space: green light, orange light, X-ray, and radio. Rank the photons smallest to largest by the following quantities:
> A) Frequency
> B) Wavelength
> C) Speed
I had four students write the words “smallest” and “largest” in the blanks. I had two students circle one of the letters as though it were a multiple choice problem. By the way, they’re sent an email the week before about what problems to expect so they know what to study. They were told a week in advance they would be ranking different photons by frequency, wavelength, and speed. They’re also allowed to bring a single page of notes into the exam.
Sometimes, it’s something as basic as tying a knot that holds. Like tying shoelaces. Grown ass adults tripping over laces is stupid. Other times, it’s simple budgeting. Don’t come in here and say that you can’t pay your share of something small and ask me to cover it when you are holding a giant ice coffee and breakfast sandwich from Starbucks. I don’t have extra money either, but I’m mindful of what I have.
Reading comprehension. The amount of comments online that just entirely misunderstood what the person they’re replying to said or just give a pointless or nonsensical reply is depressing.
Questioning what you are told. Like, basic reasoning and healthy scepticism. Not conspiracy theory level, just not blindly believing everything you hear.
Showing kindness. Like when Karen’s are screaming at high school kids because their fries were a medium instead of large… come on now. Or like when someone is trying to merge in traffic and people are too egotistical to just let them in. “Treat other the way you want to be treated” is a saying that I learned when I was 5 and it has been a motto I’ve lived by ever since.
Reading/reading comprehension, cooking, basic hygiene, basic budgeting, consequences, and even a little bit of critical thinking. I’ve met so many people who fail completely at all of it.
I sold one of those oversized dollhouses on marketplace when my daughter outgrew it. It was huge and it didn’t fit into the back of the ladies SUV. No biggie, I went and got a screw driver to unattach the top level to make it fit. It was four screws. This woman was AMAZED! FLABBERGASTED! That I was able to do this. She was going to have to get her husband to reassemble it when she got home because it was “too complicated”. It was four screws.
How to tell an opinion from a fact/news. I’m not being cynical here or attacking analytical skills. It came as a shock to me when a FB friend posted a screenshot of a tweet/social media post and said that meant something was true. When I told her it wasn’t a fact and that someone just said that on line as their opinion, she seemed genuinely confused. Her response was, “a lot of people are saying it.”
She literally could not tell the difference between a news report/fact and people just repeating the same opinion online. It was terrifying.
I don’t expect this of the generations that had to stay inside as children but people older than 40 who don’t have a basic knowledge of using tools. It truly surprised me when any of the feral generations born before 1985 don’t know how to swing a hammer, use a saw, or which sized Phillips or Robertson screwdrivers to use. We grew up outside building club houses and fixing our bikes (or at least trying to) or building skateboards.
Laundry. It’s not even a skill, the machines do all the work for you. I’ve never understood how laundry is a daunting task to anyone. It’s literally the easiest thing. Again, the machines do all the work.
Changing a tire on a car/truck!!! Maybe not big city folk, but smaller cities and towns, I always thought that was a life skill?? Along with checking the oil, how do people drive and not know how to do basic things like that??!!
Comments
How to drive.
Reddit has a log out button
How to merge onto the fucking highway 😎😎
Googling.
Emotional regulation
Cooking. I am not the best cook but if you give me a recipe I can make it.
How to cook
Cursive (reading and/or writing)
Financial literacy
Basic budgeting. Had a coworker who made decent money but was always broke because she couldn’t grasp the concept of not spending her entire paycheck in the first week. She’d literally buy $7 coffees daily then panic about rent.
How to throw garbage into a garbage can instead of out a car window while driving.
How to use the card reader at a store.
How to search for information or find stuff online
How to say no to getting blackout drunk on a work night
How to cook
I don’t know if it’s because they don’t know it, but I’m always shocked when people pull out their phone for simple math problems.
basic hygiene
Reading above a 6th grade level
Common sense
How to jack their own car. Everyone with a car should know this one.
Reading and text interpretation.
Basic automotive maintenance.
Not messing up the title of your Reddit post, causing you to repost it after getting clowned in the comments for your spelling.
Edit: wait, this is actually a different account that the first post, that was u/neutrul111
I think I’ll go with “Not checking if the question you want to ask has already been asked in the last 3 hours.” then.
Effort. At some point circa 2011, we forgot how powerful effort can be in every aspect of our lives.
Send a treat to your best friend, do the yard for your folks, have a kind conversation with someone looking for an ear. Effort makes life just a little better, either for you or someone around you.
Using the search to see that this question has been asked countless times
According to Reddit, how to wipe their butts after they poo. Why are there so many posts about it …
How to think for themselves
How to behave on social media.
Change a tire.
Don’t know their right from left and vise versa
Budgeting
Understanding the basics of the Constitution.
Common sense
Human decency
How to change a tire and how to correctly jump start another vehicle.
Basic reading comprehension and math skills.
The ability to read and comprehend.
Typing.
Chewing food with your mouth closed…
Problem solving.
Hand washing
How to use a blinker
How to spell.
Using a Thermostat.
Taking accountability for their mistakes
If you see people talking, don’t interrupt. Just wait.. a coworker drives us all nuts because she can’t understand to wait a moment.
Drivers forgetting or ignoring stop signs
Cleaning up after themselves
How to be empathetic for other people
My brother is 19 soon. He STILL can’t cook. I’m 15 and cook 4 nights a week and he can’t even cook eggs without smoking up the whole kitchen
How to shut their mouth…..
Yes i know someone told you that you matter and your feelings matter. The truth is to the majority of the world you do not and your feelings do not, while your allowed to feel them you dont always need to express them. Often there are many situations where a conflict could be completely avoided if you just realize people, in general, don’t care about what your feeling and if you just move on and control what you can control you’ll be happier.
As a man I know how to use a sewing machine to make clothing and I know how to can food.
Basic literacy
House cleaning skills
Thinking.
How to properly wash a dish.
Not electing a rapist to be President
Reading comprehension.
How to swim
How to write in cursive (I’m looking at you, my millennial son!)
Manners.
How a 4-way stop sign works
Doing laundry. If all your white shirts are pink I’ll just laugh at you.
Self-care
In an office setting, adding more paper to the copy machine or printer. I know that these days there is so much less printing, but is really isn’t that hard.
How to mind your own damn business.
Swim, so many adults are saved from drowning because they try to learn to surf but not swim.
Listening
Reading emails and CHECKING THE DAMN SPAM FOLDER WHEN THEY DON’T SEE ONE THEY’RE EXPECTING
The proper use of there, their, and they’re
How to take criticisms without being angered
Using an apostrophe correctly.
CPR
Well confirmed by this post and the comments, I suck at being an adult
I teach at a university so I’m going to have to say reading comprehension. Here’s a question from a recent exam.
> There are four photons traveling through space: green light, orange light, X-ray, and radio. Rank the photons smallest to largest by the following quantities:
> A) Frequency
> B) Wavelength
> C) Speed
I had four students write the words “smallest” and “largest” in the blanks. I had two students circle one of the letters as though it were a multiple choice problem. By the way, they’re sent an email the week before about what problems to expect so they know what to study. They were told a week in advance they would be ranking different photons by frequency, wavelength, and speed. They’re also allowed to bring a single page of notes into the exam.
Cleaning your butt. Apparently it’s “gay” for some guys to clean 🤢
Reading/writing. Used to work in a restaurant and half the cooks couldn’t read the tickets. Had to tell them everything
Throwing away their trash in a trash can. One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing coffee cups on Target shelves.
Drive a manual transmission.
Basic sewing. Like replacing a button.
Mailman here. Believe or not, how to address an envelope.
Ironing.
How to wash hands correctly. How to use manners. How to use common sense. How to use logic.
How 4 way stop intersections work. Or how roundabouts work. Or really any kind of traffic laws.
Sometimes, it’s something as basic as tying a knot that holds. Like tying shoelaces. Grown ass adults tripping over laces is stupid. Other times, it’s simple budgeting. Don’t come in here and say that you can’t pay your share of something small and ask me to cover it when you are holding a giant ice coffee and breakfast sandwich from Starbucks. I don’t have extra money either, but I’m mindful of what I have.
Empathy
Saying thank you when someone holds the door for you… aka manners
How to read an analog clock, how to write a check, how to write/read cursive, how to change a tire, simple stuff like that.
Critical thinking
Cause and effect
What happens to others, CAN happen to you
How to drive a manual vehicle.
Consent. How to give it, how to receive it, how to say no. How to hear no. Understanding that consent can be withdrawn at any point in the process.
Parents teaching their kids manners.
How to cook at least one simple meal. Like, how are you surviving on just takeout and vibes?
To spend less money than you make, not the other way around
Basic IT skills. Power button, what a mouse and keyboard is, the difference between the pc and the screen. CMON DEBRA ITS NOT THAT HARD.
Reading a room. Like, how do you not notice when it’s time to stop talking or when your joke didn’t land?
Reading comprehension. The amount of comments online that just entirely misunderstood what the person they’re replying to said or just give a pointless or nonsensical reply is depressing.
Questioning what you are told. Like, basic reasoning and healthy scepticism. Not conspiracy theory level, just not blindly believing everything you hear.
The concept of taking your pet to the vet instead of asking the internet what’s wrong, especially when it’s an urgent situation.
Showing kindness. Like when Karen’s are screaming at high school kids because their fries were a medium instead of large… come on now. Or like when someone is trying to merge in traffic and people are too egotistical to just let them in. “Treat other the way you want to be treated” is a saying that I learned when I was 5 and it has been a motto I’ve lived by ever since.
Reading/reading comprehension, cooking, basic hygiene, basic budgeting, consequences, and even a little bit of critical thinking. I’ve met so many people who fail completely at all of it.
Basic sewing. I’ve known people throw out a shirt because a button fell off.
Using a basic tool like a screwdriver.
I sold one of those oversized dollhouses on marketplace when my daughter outgrew it. It was huge and it didn’t fit into the back of the ladies SUV. No biggie, I went and got a screw driver to unattach the top level to make it fit. It was four screws. This woman was AMAZED! FLABBERGASTED! That I was able to do this. She was going to have to get her husband to reassemble it when she got home because it was “too complicated”. It was four screws.
How to tell an opinion from a fact/news. I’m not being cynical here or attacking analytical skills. It came as a shock to me when a FB friend posted a screenshot of a tweet/social media post and said that meant something was true. When I told her it wasn’t a fact and that someone just said that on line as their opinion, she seemed genuinely confused. Her response was, “a lot of people are saying it.”
She literally could not tell the difference between a news report/fact and people just repeating the same opinion online. It was terrifying.
Critical thinking.
How to clean efficiently.
Cooking
Changing an auto tire.
Manners
I don’t expect this of the generations that had to stay inside as children but people older than 40 who don’t have a basic knowledge of using tools. It truly surprised me when any of the feral generations born before 1985 don’t know how to swing a hammer, use a saw, or which sized Phillips or Robertson screwdrivers to use. We grew up outside building club houses and fixing our bikes (or at least trying to) or building skateboards.
Lose and loose 😭
Laundry. It’s not even a skill, the machines do all the work for you. I’ve never understood how laundry is a daunting task to anyone. It’s literally the easiest thing. Again, the machines do all the work.
Cooking. My dad is 73 and just learned how to preheat the oven a couple months ago. Like how have you gotten this far in life?😂
Swim
Sweeping
Language comprehension. It’s amazing how many people hear what they want to hear.
Hygiene
Reading. How do you function as an adult if you can’t read?
Changing a tire on a car/truck!!! Maybe not big city folk, but smaller cities and towns, I always thought that was a life skill?? Along with checking the oil, how do people drive and not know how to do basic things like that??!!
How to shower, brush your teeth and wear deodorant everyday.
Tying shoelaces properly 🫣
Using a fucking turn signal.
Thinking for yourself
How to read in cursive