"Basic" Skills

[Chinnies215]

So, this issue hasn't been debated so much as brought up at the retired naval ship I volunteer at. What were considered "basic" skills 50 years ago, have essentially been lost on the youth / young adults today. Things like fixing a sink yourself, being able to change your own oil, insulating spaces in your own house, putting in a new electrical outlet, hooking up things that you buy--like a washer/dryer, dishwasher.. hooking up your own computer even (which they didn't have... but if these skills were passed on.. and it was a valued part of life then we'd all know how to do it). My sister's boyfriend calls his father every time he has a screw loose anywhere :p Does anyone else find it important that young people should learn these skills, basic things needed to keep things moving along smoothly without having to call up a repair person every time there's a slight problem? The amount of money people spend nowadays on getting these simple things fixed is astronomical! I realize that it's a convenience, but sometimes it's an inconvenience.. If you have to wait a couple days to schedule the computer guy to hook it all up for you, well that's not convenient.

Also, along the same lines, we were also musing about how wasteful people are today. An older man told us how his grandaughter had a baby and he was like oh, well at least you don't have to buy formula because she's well endowed :p And she goes "eww gross, I'm not breast feeding." The amount of money saved in using natural breast milk over formula.. That's just one example. They are all very old (60s+ :p) and have lived very different lives than us, but the few young people like us who are there are really learning some great things from these older people! Like how to conserve and not miss it at all! How to do basic home improvement things, even how to solder and plump things up!

I think that there should be a push to instill these values and these skills that really were once "basic" skills in the young people of today. If we don't.. eventually a simple repair will be costing hundreds of dollars just because there will be a 1:10,000 ratio of "skilled" people to people who need their skills!!

BUT.. I do live in the crowded wasteful Northeast and perhaps in more Central America people are a bit more conservation wise and skilled :p

[alpayton]

My dad was raised on a farm in central KY. He worked his way to where he is today - the owner and pharmacist of an independent pharmacy. He will still go erect and paint fences on the llama farm, rake leaves, cut trees, run electrical wires, etc.

My mom was raised in a small rural town in southern KY. She had a pet chicken when she was a kid. Today, she is the wife of the pharmacist and it's totally typical to find her fixing a toilet, repairing a water heater, using vice grips for various things, rewiring electrical fixtures, her skills are totally endless.

I am totally thankful to both of my parents for showing me how to do things on my own. It has saved me literally thousands of dollars and given me a boost in confidence that a woman can do anything - sometimes it just requires thinking "outside of the box."

I just replaced the lighting on an entertainment center housing a 61" TV the other day because the 3 can-lights kept blowing all the time. I would find myself replacing those indoor floodlights at least once every 2 weeks and at $3.50 each, that gets expensive! So, I used the brain that I was given and took the can-light out of the cabinet, bought some small "button" halogen cabinet lights, modified the top of the entertainment center where the can-light was by running a 1"x4" across the top of the hole and fixing it to the top of the cabinet with screws, and screwing the new halogen fixture to the underside of the 1"x4". The halogen lights are now fully functional and look great! Without the confidence and know-how that my parents gave me when I was younger, I would have never in my wildest dreams have attempted this fix and just continued paying for the bulbs and eventually gone broke replacing them. Now, I won't have to worry about that anymore. YAY, mom and dad!

[Cinder and Me]

Yup, its something that has been lost over time. In a way technology has made life so easy, that we don't even have to think anymore. Of course that goes both ways though. With technology comes new advancements in science and what-not...but still, some values are lost along the way.

My mom and dad raised me to try and fix things myself before going elsewhere for help. My dad fixes everything in the house from the car, dishwasher, A/C, insulation, painting, electrical, etc. My mom is really good with electronics and setting up all the entertainment system and water quality system (reverse osmosis for our 200gL fish tank). My dad also fixes all the cars! :thumbsupwink: And THAT has saved me loads of $$$. Luckily they both have taught me a lot, and sadly, I know a lot more about "guy" things that most guys my age do. :neener:

[crazychillakid]

My parents don't have the time to teach us things.Or,when there home from work,their to tired.And thats why we have the internet.