When young adults leave the nest it can be a mixture of happy and sad emotions and many parents worry about how their children will fare on their own. While there is a lot of valuable information that your children will need to know if they want to live independently, there are a few basics that will get you through the first few months and you’ll find in the long-run that your children will harass you far less if you teach them these valuable skills.
How to cook a meal
Whether it’s scrambled eggs on toast or a full Sunday roast, it’s important that your child knows how to cook at least one reasonably healthy meal – that means that it should not come in a box or come in powder form. There may be a time when money is tight and when they can’t afford to get a takeaway every night, and they will likely be very grateful to you if they have enough practice to cook themselves something. More importantly, learning how to cook something on their own will teach them how to take initiative in the kitchen. Teens and young adults that have never cooked anything for themselves may feel a bit helpless when the time comes to don an apron. So, give them a bit of confidence and one day they might be cooking for you.
How to do their washing
As much as you probably love your children, you probably don’t’ want them popping in every weekend with a bag of laundry for you to do for them. Before your children leave home they should know the basics of doing their own washing, which means separating colours and fabrics, which materials need which temperatures, and how to get rid of a stain. Let them practice for themselves before they leave home and let them take charge of their own washing.
How to manage their money
What are your children usually like with their pocket money? Do they save it, spend it over a period or splurge and spend it all in one go? Even if you’re still giving them an allowance after they leave the house, in order to live well while they’re not living at home they need to know how to budget and pay their bills. Students and young people that don’t learn these are often the first people to turn to short term loans for financial support. So, teach them how to budget, how to manage their bank accounts and how to pay the essential bills, like rent and utilities.
Basic fixes
There are a fair few basic fixes that you can teach your child to give them a bit more independence. For example, if they drive, they should know how to change a tyre. You can also teach them how to unclog and scale a drain, how to sew on a button, or how to change a light bulb. These are all things that you need if you want to survive on your own, and it will make their life and your life a lot easier if you teach these things to them before they leave.
Basic first aid and emergency protocol
It can be a big worry for parents that something will happen to their children when they’re not there, especially if your child is going to be living alone. To put your mind at ease and to prepare your child for the worst, you should be teaching them the basics of first aid before they leave the home as well as what to do in an emergency. This should include CPR (which you can learn with your child if you don’t know it), how to treat cuts and burns, and how to handle basic illnesses. It’s also important that your child knows what to do in the case of an emergency, like a fire or if an intruder enters their home. While it might be scary and upsetting to think about this happing to your children, it’s important that you teach them these valuable lessons.
