Children often learn important life lessons from their parents, but what if they don’t gain essential life skills?
Recent reports show that Gen Z is increasingly enrolling in “adulting” classes to learn skills like cooking, budgeting, and changing a tire because they weren’t taught these skills growing up.
Gentle parenting and teaching life skills was the topic of discussion during What’s the Buzz on Live In The D Monday.
Hosts Tati Amare and Kim DeGiulio were joined in conversation by Blaine Fowler from “Blaine and Lauren” on 96.3 WDVD, Vanessa Cohen, who is the creator of Motor City Date Night, and Live In The D intern Brooklynn Miller.
First, the group talked about whether they think parents aren’t teaching enough of these basic life skills today, where now the generation that’s entering the workforce is finding it necessary to seek out these skills.
Vanessa, who is a millennial mom, said she thinks there’s softer parenting and children are coddled more these days. She also said that she’s found her kids turning to technology to learn life skills.
Brooklynn, who is part of Gen Z, shared that she thinks there should be a balance between asking your parents and using technology when it comes to learning these essential skills.
Tati said she will still call her mom to ask her how to do certain things.
The group’s discussion also included whether these life skills should be taught by parents or in schools.
“Back in the day, home ec was an elective,” Blaine said. He talked about how this offered knowledge on topics like balancing a checkbook.
Brooklynn shared that she would have liked to have been taught more home economics skills in school.
Brooklynn, Tati, and Kim all admitted that they don’t know how to change a tire. Vanessa joked that she knows how to call AAA.
Watch the video above to see the group’s entire conversation.