Things Every Kid Should Learn

[Wheelgunner]

What 3 things are the most important for a kid to learn between the ages of 8-10? 

Firearm-related or not.  Specific, practical skills are preferred, but all opinions welcome.

[Whisper]

For a kid, or for anyone else, #1 is always "Pay attention to what is going on around you."  That one is far ahead of whatever is in second and third place.

My opinion, and worth every cent you paid for it.

Cheers,

Whisper

[peejman]

Verbal communication skills. They need the confidence and vocabulary to adequately communicate clearly and with tact.  The ability to listen, process what they heard, and respond appropriately.  Whether asking or answering, with adult or another child. 

 

The value of hard work, and the satisfaction of a job well done. Both physical work of sports or building/fixing things, and mental work of school subjects.   Work seems less like drudgery when they can see the goal/end game. 

[Sleep profit]

Teach them the love of God  , country, and family   Teach  Gun and fire safety. And when and how to use 911  

[Alleycat72]

I've told my boys to always be nice and respectful of every girl they meet. The ugly girls especially. Some of them will end up drop dead gorgeous in their 20s and they'll remember that you were the one that was always nice to them.

[Grayfox54]

I'll go along with what's already been mentioned. But I'll add learn to listen to, respect and learn from your elders. Good manners and common courtesy. 

As far as practical skills, by age 8-10 a child should know how to properly and safely use and care for a knife. The four firearms safety rules. How to fix simple no cook meals. Cereal, sandwiches and such. 

[KahrMan]

How to change a tire. How to do simple plumbing fixes.

[TripleGGG]

Basic money management 

Honesty 

Ownership of your decisions / mistakes and how to learn from them. 

[Grayfox54]

5 minutes ago, TripleGGG said:

Ownership of your decisions / mistakes and how to learn from them. 

Absolutely that one. The world is full of young people who genuinely believe "its not my fault!" 

[Ronald_55]

I agree with a lot of the above. Here are a few more. There are no perfect 3. 

How to walk away from a fight. Sometimes the best win is avoiding it. About that age I had no concept of that. Applies to boys and girls for both physical and verbal fights. Nothing is accomplished. 

Basic physical self defense. Nothing fancy, just how to save their ass if it turns into a brawl before they can walk away. Or in case an adult tries to drag them off. At that point there is no fair fight. Doesn't have to be martial arts or anything. How to punch without breaking their hand or cutting themselves up on teeth. 

How to correctly sharpen a knife. 

How to do basic car maintenance. Change the oil, swap the wipers, change out bulbs, etc. If nothing else, it is a way to save cash or make a few dollars in a pinch. 

How to cook basic food. Fry eggs, make grilled cheese, or heat up canned soup. You would be surprised how many adults can barely do that. 

How to wash clothes

How to sew a basic stitch. Again nothing fancy, just something to close up a hole in the crotch of their pants or shirt in an emergency or until they can buy more. I've darned socks, sewed zippers together, etc just so I can make it until the end of the day and not have to leave work unpaid. Plus, I use the same skill in my hobby leatherwork. 

 

Kids need to know a lot to be well rounded and that age is a good time. When they get into their teens, they think they already know it all. lol

[Whisper]

23 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

How to do basic car maintenance. Change the oil, swap the wipers, change out bulbs, etc. If nothing else, it is a way to save cash or make a few dollars in a pinch. 

Hmm.  I'm skeptical my dad, who taught me how to change oil, would have trusted me to do it on my own when I was eight.  I sure wouldn't have trusted my own kids to do it at that age.  But maybe your kids are better.    

[Luckyforward]

2 hours ago, peejman said:

Verbal communication skills. They need the confidence and vocabulary to adequately communicate clearly and with tact.  The ability to listen, process what they heard, and respond appropriately.  Whether asking or answering, with adult or another child. 

 

The value of hard work, and the satisfaction of a job well done. Both physical work of sports or building/fixing things, and mental work of school subjects.   Work seems less like drudgery when they can see the goal/end game. 

Amen! for communication skills, especially learning to LISTEN!

[pop pop]

Teach him that he will be the provider and protector of his family.  Also teach him about Jesus the Savior and God the Father. 

[OldIronFan]

That their value as a person is not defined by how much money they make, what kind of vehicle they drive, or how big their house is. Rather it is found in how hard they work, how hard they work on improving themselves, and how they treat others in this world. 

Teach them critical thinking skills and how to ask the tough questions of the people around them, the world around them, and most importantly about themselves. They should learn to be comfortable or at least confident enough to ask those tough questions and critically evaluate the answers for bias and truth especially in the case of authority figures or even their own parents. 

Teach them that life long education is a necessary and worthy endeavor. That does not necessarily mean traditional school, college or university by the way. Education comes in many forms and should be valued. 

There are many paths to success and happiness and most of them have nothing to do with money or what you own. They almost all come from within first. 

All that "money does not equal happiness" talk should be tempered with a really good lesson in money management. Money does not equal happiness but poorly managing it, debt, and constant struggles surrounding money can sure bring lots of stress and unhappiness. 

[Ronald_55]

2 hours ago, Whisper said:

Hmm.  I'm skeptical my dad, who taught me how to change oil, would have trusted me to do it on my own when I was eight.  I sure wouldn't have trusted my own kids to do it at that age.  But maybe your kids are better.    

Remember you are teaching them, not letting them open an auto shop. Part of it is letting then DO it with attentive supervision. Not like they have to do it all. Let them pour in the oil after watching a couple. Build them up to driving a screwdriver through a stubborn oil filter.  Then they have the skills to make $20 or friends here and there in high school and college.

Like guns, you can watch all you like. but until you fire them, you really don't know much. 

 

[peejman]

I'll add.... basic household skills or what we called chores....   laundry, cooking, cleaning, ironing, caring for critters, trash disposal, simple organizing, ....  all the things I can't get my teenager to do without threat of bodily harm. 

[FUJIMO]

From where I'm sitting we have lost a great many teachers ( elders) and that's the key, or it was for me. My rearing was done by an older generation and now with each passing generation the circle grows smaller.

[gary_boom]

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was if your co workers make you mad don’t let them know it, they will just ride you more. 

[tacops]

8 hours ago, Whisper said:

For a kid, or for anyone else, #1 is always "Pay attention to what is going on around you." 

For years I preached at my kids to maintain "Situational Awareness" and always remember that "two is one and one is none".  I have since heard both my kids repeat these.  Made my chest swell.

Edited February 1, 2023 by tacops

[tacops]

My Dad always told me to "Use my head for something besides a hat rack".  I hope that maybe I achieved that goal.

[Erik88]

Basic handyman skills. I was never taught anything about tools. I've learned everything as an adult by watching YouTube or using forums. My learning curve would have been a lot smaller had I learned some basics as a kid.

 I know someone already mentioned cooking and I agree. Same story. I learned how to cook as an adult. 

 

 

[Hozzie]

There are a lot, but anymore the #1 thing that seems to be lacking is the ability of kids to cope with adversity and failure.  They need to learn how to deal with adversity and failure and even understand what is even worth caring about.  Failure is a great teacher.   

Putting them in positions to fail is not all bad.  They need to then use some reasoning to figure out why they failed and how they can improve next time regardless of the scenario.

[Wheelgunner]

Kiddo's sick and I'm short on time tonight, but a quick note to thank you guys for all the responses.  Much appreciated.

[Capbyrd]

1.  You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake.  You are the same decaying organic matter as anything else. 

2.  Time is precious.  
 

3.   Your unalienable rights do not entitle you to the products of anyone else’s labor.  If you aren’t willing to work for it, then you don’t need/deserve it. 
 

 

*Bonus: If you ain’t you first, you’re last. And rubbin’s racin.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Capbyrd

[superduty]

21 hours ago, Alleycat72 said:

I've told my boys to always be nice and respectful of every girl they meet. The ugly girls especially. Some of them will end up drop dead gorgeous in their 20s and they'll remember that you were the one that was always nice to them.

A lesson that my father taught me, and I've passed on to my son.