Adulthood Lessons

[derAlte]

Day in and day out, both at work and in the church, I deal with many individuals who are...shall we say...adulthood challenged. Life is profoundly difficult for them because they have never learned how to function as an adult. I'm sure such classes exist but I haven't seen them. If a curriculum on adulthood were to be designed, what topics should be covered in it?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Personal hygiene
2. Budgeting and money management
3. Time management
4. Etiquette/manners
5. Personal responsibility/Enablement/Entitlement
6. Parenting skills
7. Long term life planning
8. Nutrition
9. Gumption/Personal drive

What topics do you think should be covered in a hypothetical adulthood curriculum?

[Esaias]

A swift kick in the rear from Life™ does wonders for causing people to grow up. Coddling is the bane of civilization at present.

[derAlte]

Originally Posted by Esaias

A swift kick in the rear from Life™ does wonders for causing people to grow up. Coddling is the bane of civilization at present.

Preach it, my Brother!

[Amanah]

everyone needs to learn how to cook
and how to do basic car maintenance.

[derAlte]

Originally Posted by Amanah

everyone needs to learn how to cook
and how to do basic car maintenance.

Excellent suggestions!

[Esaias]

The problem is largely two-fold.

1. Too many young men don't have any adult men in their lives from which to model and learn manhood.

2. Too many adults avoid "shaming"* those who don't know how to function, thus there is little to no peer pressure to grow up.

Peer pressure can be powerful and serves a societal purpose. When society places little or no expectations on a person, well, naturally they don't conform to those expectations.

*Note: by "shaming" (with quote marks) I do not mean reproaching someone and castigating them. I mean for example saying "What? You never learned how to change a tire on a car? Here, son, let me show you how. You can do the next one yourself." Which used to be just common sense, but now it's called "shaming".

[houston]

I had to learn a lot of things myself when I’d run into a situation. And that LATE in life. Too bad there was not a man in the church to give some peer pressure.

[houston]

A young man began to attend church with one of the young married dudes. The teen expressed to the brother that he began to see him as a father. The brother told him “I’m not your father,” and we didn’t see the teen after that.

It’s a sad story. Pete was in a gang at the time. He lossed out because someone didn’t give a, ... well. I don’t need to finish that.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by houston

A young man began to attend church with one of the young married dudes. The teen expressed to the brother that he began to see him as a father. The brother told him “I’m not your father,” and we didn’t see the teen after that.

It’s a sad story. Pete was in a gang at the time. He lossed out because someone didn’t give a, ... well. I don’t need to finish that.

That is sad.

[houston]

Originally Posted by Esaias

That is sad.

Indeed.