Recently, I have come across several examples of what I can only call “failed young adults”.  People, over the age of 21, several of them with college degrees, who can’t seem to manage simple life skills on their own.  Things like hailing a taxi, or getting themselves from their parents home to their own (out of state) apartment.  Sometimes even little things like getting themselves, independently, to a local event they want to attend.

Now, I’m not complaining about young adults asking for advice, it’s when they need someone else to actually “do for them”, that I get concerned.

It seems to me, that a parent’s job is not, and should not be, to make sure that their child is never disappointed, never bruised, and always happy.  A parent’s job is to make sure that their child can be a fully functioning, independent adult when the time comes.  That means letting the child get bruises as a child, and make mistakes as a teenager.  Letting (and sometimes forcing a recalcitrant youth) to take risks so that they can gain the confidence required to function at a bare minimum level of competence.

As a parent, if I fail to teach my child life skills, like cooking, cleaning up after themselves, managing their money, and organizing their own transportation, then I have failed as a parent.

If we as a society are failing to teach out children these things, aren’t we failing too?