Basic life skills seem to be a lost art these days. So much so that there are services for things that any able-bodied adult should be able to handle on their own. To make matters worse, we have peaked in middle-school, arrested development types shit-posting on social media. Talking about “A real man/woman should [insert basic life skill here]”. But why are they sitting on their asses waiting on some man/woman to do some basic, functional adult shit they can do themselves? Simple…they’re don’t want to learn the skills. Many “running from adulthood” types don’t want to acknowledge that not having basic life skills makes them useless to themselves. If you’re useless to yourself then you will be useless in personal & business relationships. Somebody who has their shit together has no obligation to take up the slack for you either. That goes for men and women.
Examples Of The Bullshit
I’ve seen lame, mediocre dudes making shit posts like, “She gotta be able to cook and keep a house clean, blah blah blah”. Meanwhile, these low-skill dudes are couch surfing between friends’ & relatives’ houses. Or they never moved out their mama’s house & sleeping on an air mattress on a floor that doubles as a cloths hamper. No, dude…YOU need to be a grown ass man & know how to cook for yourself and keep your own damn house clean. YOU need to get some damn life skills.
I’ve also seen childish women talking about, “A man needs to pay my bills.” or “A man needs to CashApp me some money to kick it this weekend”. Meanwhile she’s recklessly juggling utility bills, dodging collection calls, & applying for credit with their kids’ Social Security numbers. No, lady…YOU need to be a grown ass woman and budget better & live within your means. YOU too need to get some damn life skills.
Most of these nitwits (men &women) can barely fix your own meals. Out here eating restaurant food regularly, heating up frozen dinners, misusing appliances, and or making struggle plates. That’s just a sampling…the personal philosophies from the useless & entitled are abundant and varied. What’s even more ridiculous, some folks actually brag about NOT having life skills…like it’s some a badge of honor. It’s like a race to the bottom with some of y’all.
Seriously, what inspires y’all to come up with this shit? Are you actually putting thought into it or just recklessly clout chasing by throwing out half-baked memes? I’ve sort of glossed over the nuclear family dynamic before. But the working father/home maker mother, “Leave It To Beaver” shit has always been a luxury dynamic that much of America didn’t have…especially Black families. In many households, both parents worked & took care of the household needs regardless of socio-economic status. Sometimes the mother cleaned & cooked and other times the father did. Both man & woman at least knew how to check the oil level on a dipstick. Taking care of the bills was shared responsibility in many cases. But some where along the line (probably the 1970’s) things got distorted & expectations became unrealistic.
What Are Life Skills?
Life skills are what a person needs to sustain themselves as a functional adult within society. Yes…this is an overly simplified definition. Life skills are numerous and so are their categories. For the sake of simplicity, we will stick with a few categories.
- Housekeeping Skills include how to cook & use kitchen appliances, house cleaning, basic sewing, unclogging a sink or toilet, using a tools & home repairs 101.
- Technical Skills include how to make a schedule, basic writing skills, effective communication, basic technology skills, basic cybersecurity (passwords, etc), resume & cover letter skills, & research skills,.
- Survival Skills include personal safety, emergency preparedness, basic first aid, surviving without electricity, map reading (w/a compass & paper map…not GPS), basic car maintenance (check fluids, tire pressure, how to change a tire).
- Money Management Skills include budgeting, personal book keeping, debt management, balancing a bank account, investing (stocks, ETF’s, etc), selecting a tax pro, & negotiating skills.
- Self-Awareness Skills include organizing priorities, understanding your values, realizing your calling, how to focus, basic etiquette, critical thinking, & basic Civics.
- Relationship Skills include emotional intelligence, good partnership communication, how to value & express respect, how to value & express love, & accepting compliments & criticism.
- Wellness & Mental Health Skills include basic hygiene, proper sleep, & exercise & nutrition.
Some folks are going to look at this and think, “I’m not doing all that shit.” Yeah…we know your dysfunctional ass won’t. But some people just might read this, do keyword searches, and research deeper. With that, I’ll leave researching the details to you fine people. You have enough information to find out how to learn these skills on your own. There are several YouTube channels dedicated to this stuff too. Both men & women need to know these skills in order to be functional adults. If you choose not to learn them then you’re choosing to be useless to yourself & a liability to those around you.