# Practical stuff everyone should know **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700 "2002-06-24T12:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/1 "2002-06-24T12:54:21Z")
My Perfect Child[sup]TM[/sup] will be living at home for two more years before making her way into the big, bad world of college, then life. As a parent, I need to prepare her for the day when Mom and Dad aren’t at hand to help out. In fact, once we get her settled - likely in Orlando, since she wants to go to UCF - I’ll be joining my husband in Maryland, so we’ll be 800+ miles away. Things she knows:[ul]How to do laundry How to follow a recipe How to run a lawnmower and weed whacker How to sail a boat How to run a vacuum cleaner How to program a VCR, microwave, cell phone, cordless phone Never never never mix bleach and ammonia[/ul] Things she _needs_ to know:[ul]How to change a tire, check her oil and other fluids, basic auto mechanics How to budget and pay bills How to establish credit How to sew on a button and repair a hem How to stop a toilet from running and running and running How to change a furnace filter[/ul] Teaching her to talk and brush her teeth was easy - teaching her to be independent and self-sufficient is a bit trickier. But it’ll be the equivalent of tossing her in the deep end of the pool, sorta. Grandma and Grandpa live in Ocala - they’ll be an hour or so away and Uncle Mark lives in Gainesville, maybe 2 hours away. Still, it’s strange thinking that my baby, my one and only child will be on her own at the much-too-young age of 18. (yeah, yeah, my mother and mother-in-law both married at 18, but that was half a century ago!!) \ I’ve got two years to teach her everything she needs to know. What have I forgotten?? ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/2 "2002-06-24T13:09:48Z")
How to wire a plug How to get someone reliable to fix things (like emergency plumbing) and how much to pay them How to get her bf to clean her bathroom floor for her (…ok - not vital - but I managed it and it’s SUCH a help!) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/3 "2002-06-24T13:11:08Z")
[Here you go.](http://www.worstcasescenarios.com) ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/4 "2002-06-24T13:18:29Z")
[ul][li]Rights as a tenant when in rented property, including (UK-specific) the need for Gas Safety Certificates to be provided annually by the landlord.[/li][li]The ability to at least understand the fundamentals in a legal document such as a lease or contract (i.e. to know when you’re being ripped off).[/li][li]How to change a fuse and to reset a fusebox.[/li][li]How to change a tap washer (and to know where the main water stopcock is!).[/li]Basic first aid (if at college, at least knowing how to look after someone who’s drunk so much they’ve passed out).[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/5 "2002-06-24T13:25:28Z")
How to food shop so her budget is maximised - how to use and re-use basic foods like pasta and tinned tomatos and such. Buy her a decent Student’s Cookbook! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/6 "2002-06-24T13:36:25Z")
**Crusoe** , she has had first aid and CPR training - and you’re right, it’s a definite good-to-know item. **Scarlett** , thanks for the site - looks like hours of surfing fun! **istara** , I made a deal with my husband that his only chore was to be scrubbing the shower. I’ll spare you the sad tale of how often that gets done without reminders. And not only finding reliable repair people, but how to pick a doctor and dentist, apart from Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Moe. **Francesca** , she goes grocery shopping with me frequently - she’s pretty good at finding good deals. Thanks for the added ideas! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/7 "2002-06-24T13:41:19Z")
How to make: [ul][li]Shortcrust pastry[/li][li]Basic soups/stews/casseroles[/li][li]A simple roast dinner[/li][li]Sponge cakes[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_The\_Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Buck\_The\_Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_The_Diver)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/8 "2002-06-24T13:42:13Z")
Self-defense. Many colleges and women’s groups offer these courses. Martial arts schools, too. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/9 "2002-06-24T13:43:35Z")
I should qualify the above by mentioning that I’m a bloke and I can do them all; I posted the comment, then realised it could be read as a ‘women must do the chores’ post. ---
**Author:** ![rubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@rubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubes)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/10 "2002-06-24T13:49:39Z")
What is the proper way to choose a doctor or dentist? ---
**Author:** ![miamouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@miamouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miamouse)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/11 "2002-06-24T16:08:37Z")
When you should bite your tongue and when you should speak up. (From someone who has a little trouble doing either at various times.) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/12 "2002-06-24T16:18:28Z")
**rubes** - my method, proper or im, is to ask people who’ve lived in the area, bounce their recommendations against my insurance company’s “Preferred Physician” list, then call their office - you can tell a lot by how you’re treated on the phone. Plus, if I can’t get an appointment in what I consider to be a reasonable period, I try another. Granted, it’s not foolproof, but I have managed to avoid the bad experiences of some friends/coworkers. ---
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/13 "2002-06-24T16:23:32Z")
How to pick locks \<---- VERY USEFULL! I’ve saved a bundle on locksmiths. Basics of computer repair… Like how to swap out components and troubleshoot stuff yourself. How to bartend! And probably most imortant, teching her never to give up. ---
**Author:** ![miamouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@miamouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miamouse)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/14 "2002-06-24T16:24:00Z")
Oh, and (sorry to do this to ya **FairyChatMom** but she’ll need this too) even though she’s only sixteen she’ll need to learn soon (or now) about birth control, STDs and the various ploys a guy would use to try to take advantage of her. ---
**Author:** ![HerMajestyLorna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7cd45c/32.png) [@HerMajestyLorna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HerMajestyLorna)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/15 "2002-06-24T16:38:08Z")
How to have a 15 minute conversation with _anyone_. How to negotiate public transportation systems. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/16 "2002-06-24T16:42:01Z")
**miamouse** , we’ve had _those_ talks a’plenty. How bizarre is it that I’m more concerned with whether she knows how to use an electric drill?? Then again, is it too late to sell her on a remote convent school?!? ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/17 "2002-06-24T17:13:56Z")
If you manage to convince your teenager to go to a conevnt school, be sure and tell me how you managed it. Jr Ranger 1 is not far behind The Perfect Child. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/18 "2002-06-24T17:18:18Z")
Knowing when to swallow your pride and ask for help is a difficult, but very important lesson, to learn. I don’t know that it can be taught. Knowing that a night on the town with the credit card is going to cost more in the long run. Money management skills are a must in college. Knowing that she doesn’t know it all is a sure sign of maturity. Another lesson that probably can’t be taught. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/19 "2002-06-24T17:36:41Z")
While this thread seems to be pretty daughter specific, I’ll throw in one the young men sometimes have a little difficulty learning: You don’t _have_ to sleep with her just because she wants to. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700/20 "2002-06-24T17:51:08Z")
How to do minor wiring without shocking onesself (Cable TV “extensions”, moving phones, adding phones, etc…). Time management tricks, as with Money management. Comfort in asking for help. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-stuff-everyone-should-know/115700.md?page=2)