Unless you are a person of great wealth and can afford servants, I think you should be able to take care of yourself and your house. I am always aghast to discover otherwise intelligent people who cannot do anything around their own homes.
I know grown men in my own extended family who cannot make themselves a simple sandwich, because they have always had their wives to do it for them.
Everyone - male, female, old young etc. - should know how to basically take care of themselves and their homes. Many people cannot, though. It always amazes me to hear the tales.
When I was a kid, I had to do chores. I mean, besides simply keeping my room straight. I was expected to set the table, often straighten up the den, help Mother in the kitchen. As I got older, the complexity of chores increased. By the time I was about 11, I could do my own laundry.
Now, we often had maids. That didn't absolve me from my chores.
By the age of 12 or so, I could cook a meal for the family. Wouldn't be anything gourmet, but I could get a meal on the table. [In my house, "meal" meant a meat and a vegetable, usually a carb like rice or potatoes, and a glass of milk.]
My mother figured that every child should know how to do things around the house, like wash dishes, laundry, basic mopping, dusting, running the vacuum. When I was about 8, Mom had gone into the hospital with blood clots in her legs and nearly died, and she vowed that when she got out she would make me and my brother self-sufficient and capable, so we would be OK on our home if something happened to her.
(My dad could do a little bit around the house, but he never did laundry in his entire life, and most cooking things were beyond him. He could make an omelet that could be used as a hockey puck..)
Now, fast forward, and my brother is just as capable around the house as me, or more so. He can do laundry, iron, make a bed, cook a meal [from scratch] - anything.
I've been having to make up some hours at work this week and so Michael has been called upon to help out more at the house. Thanks to him, my gardens and plants are still alive despite our lack of rain. He's unloaded the dishwasher, cleaned up after Coco, and helped Mother with computer issues.
I was very proud of him last night, though. He cooked a pork roast. Mother talked him through the process, but he did it, and cooked it. It wasn't a simple one, either - it was marinated in butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard, cayenne, etc. When we finally were able to sit down and eat last night, he ate a good bit of it. (I had just fixed some rice and roasted asparagus.) It was delicious.
My friend Paul had come over yesterday to work on Mother's computer, and he talked to Michael about how important it is to know how to cook and clean. Paul is like Bruce, he can do anything around the house. The way he explained it, though, in typical Paul fashion, was funny, and Mike was receptive to it. Paul pointed out that when he grows up and has roommates, they will likely leave disgusting piles of dishes in the sink, and he will know how to wash them.
And then find new roommates. LOL
Paul also said "And Michael, when you're dating and you go out with a woman, and she tells you she doesn't know how to cook or do anything around the house, just tell yourself, OK, we might go out another time or two, but then we're done. "Cause she won't EVER learn to do anything around the house. Trust me."
Mike just grinned.
Now, I am not trying to be arrogant, because lord knows there are still a lot of things I can learn about how to better run a house and keep it clean and cook, but I am basically competent. Michael is fast approaching a level of basic competence, too. I am very proud of that.
Life lessons will continue, of course, but if you are a parent, give some serious thought along these lines: how can I prepare my child to be self-sufficient when they go out in the world?
By the time he or she is 16, in my opinion, a child should be able to:
clean anything around the house appropriately
plunge a toilet
cook some basic foods from scratch to make a simple but tasty meal [without opening a can or frozen package]
know how to follow a recipe
know how to make a household budget and stick to it
know how to make wise choices when buying household things
do their own laundry
do basic yard work
**********************************************************************************************************************************
Discuss amongst yourselves... LOL
Recent Comments