At what age did you learn ...

Queenie

... the following skills?

Sew on a button
Knit
Darn
Crochet
Cook
Clean
Patchwork
Basic budgeting (7yo)

My mother taught us all from the age of 5yo, yes, even my 4 brothers! (Nowt sexist about her )

What skills were you taught at a young age?
Which skills would you have liked to have learned, but were not taught (with hindsight)?
Which skills are you teaching *your* young 'uns?

System

I was 17, my husband was 6 years older than me, and he taught me my basic household skills.

I have always tried to teach my kids basics too, but they just arent interested.

Quackers

Judi wrote:

I was 17, my husband was 6 years older than me, and he taught me my basic household skills.
.

There's almost a 'snap' there Judi.

Mr Q taught me all of my basic skills when we got married. I was 18. He was 24. He even had to teach me how to use a washing machine!!!

The only thing I could do was cook - my nan taught me that. She did everything else for me

VickyA_2

My gran taught me how to knit and (vaguely crochet). Haven't knitted a thing for years - the last thing was a scarecrow when I was at primary school. She also taught me how to darn and sew on a button - not that it's very neat. Cooking I picked up when I was 16. I like to think that I'm good at budgeting, but I'm definitely getting better!

As for cleaning, I've never been very good at it I'm afraid!

MATH

SNAP, Queenie, There was no gender assigning in our house either. I was taught how to sew, knit, cook, and watch Peyton Place alongside my sister by my mum. My sister was taught how change a tyre, decorate, garden etc alongside with me by my dad. It has stood us both in such good stead. I've been a domestic engineer for 10yrs and my sisters hubby travels with his job so she needs to be able to do these things herself.

Mrs MATH's childhood education seems to have consisted of mooning over Donny Osmond (his favourite colour is purple, apparently), and eating spangles by the skip load. I gave up trying to train her years ago.


Still love ya though baby (just in case you read this) heheheheh

Queenie

Man_bout_the_house wrote:

......... I was taught how to sew, knit, cook, and watch Peyton Place alongside my sister by my mum.

ROFLMAO!!!! ( :eek:oops, screen now splattered with that glass of wine I was using to celebrate Jason W's achievement with ) It was "Crown Court" in our house.

Sadly my ddad died when I was 6yo so the Macho stuff was left to fall to the wayside ... mind you, my X was a Jack of all trades and had plenty of patience in teaching me macho things

*Donny lurves purple??? Well I'll be blowed! I was more your David Cassidy meself*

Squidgy

My mum and nan taught me to knit can't remember when, was very young.
Mum taught me cooking (still so young I can't remember) and has been trying to teach me to make clothes (I did help make my bridesmaid dresses)
Nan taught me crochet, but I'll be buggered if I can remember how to do it.
I taught myself how to do all cleaning, and am slowly trying to teach the hubby!

Anything else?

catznine

My Mum taught me the basics like cooking, sewing, mending and knitting when I was about 7 or 8 which was reinforced by my apparent love of gaining new brownie badges, I think there was even one for making a bed! Also one called hostess badge for making a cup of tea and a cake and laying a nice tea tray! But I digress


I wish I knew how to crochet and quilt and I only recently learnt how to do patchwork. I also wish I knew more about car maintainance but I do thankfully know how to dial the AA! I can however read a map better than my other half- after a long time walking in circles on a ramble some time ago I noticed we were passing the same rock yet again - he insisted we were following the right footpath - turned out to be a contour line! :rolleyes:

System

Quackers wrote:

The only thing I could do was cook - my nan taught me that. She did everything else for me

I couldnt even cook, i remember my first meal without any help was a stew. I didnt realize you had to put fluid in with the ingredients. It came out as a solid lump.:o

Edinburghlass_2

Judi wrote:

I couldnt even cook, i remember my first meal without any help was a stew. I didnt realize you had to put fluid in with the ingredients. It came out as a solid lump.:o

Mmm sounds like tea in my house now but fortunately my daughter is taking Home Ec as one of her subjects and loves messing about in the kitchen and teaching her old Mum.

I enjoyed sewing and knitting as a child but don't remember finishing many of them. I was about 14 when the washing machine was replaced with our first automatic and from then on my Mum made us do our own washing and ironing.

Talking of Brownies and Guides, my Mum used to be a tester for cook's badge and I also remember we had to be the tasters and always enjoyed those days when it was little fairy cakes to try

Lillibet_2

My Mum taught me to cook from when I was old enought to safely stand at the counter on a stool. At 7 years old I could make a lasagne (under supervision) from scratch. My Nan died when I was 5 but not before she taught me how to plant seeds & bulbs & care for them, and how to lick the cake mix out of the bowl! My Dad taught me how to budget at 11, when I started receiving an additional allowance to buy snacks & lunch at secondary school. He also taught me how to check the oil, water & tyres & put petrol in (well, it's hard when you've never done it before!) my first car at 17. My first boyfriend taught me that a bad workman blames his tools! My first husband taught me that no matter how well you think you know someone, you actually don't (it was only when we got divorced that I finally began applying those budgeting techniques my dad had taught me years earlier). You guys have taught me that there's always an alternitive, for which I humbly thank you.