Thursday, December 16, 2010

Kids today

Is it just me or do others see an apparent failure on the part of families and schools to prepare today’s youth to survive in the world?

More and more I seem to encounter young people who lack what would have been basic skills when I was growing up. They can’t write a check or balance a check book. Thanks to ATM machines and debit cards they may not know what a check is. They can’t properly address a letter, mend a tear in their clothing, or cook a meal without a microwave oven. In short it seems that while they may be book smart they have failed to learn basic survival skills.

My mother taught me to sew, my dad showed me how to cook, and in high school I learned to balance a check book and fill out a tax form. Growing up I learned such lost skills as phone etiquette and respecting other people and their property. Basic things that allowed me to live in and survive as I made my way in the world.

Not only have we let these young people down, but we have let ourselves down also. Remember these are the people who will be running our world in the future.