Important life skills to teach teens

Whether you have a son or daughter, they should know how to deal with independence before it's time for them to move out.  As a parent, this means starting to teach them basic skills they'll use in independent living a few years ahead of time.  Teaching these skills of independence is also a great way for your teen to show they're ready to take on more responsibilities and they can be trusted to take care of themselves. 

Cooking

Teach your teen how to cook by having them help you prepare dinners.  This is especially important when the dinner is easy to make.  Those are probably the types of dinners your teen will be most reliant on when they move out.  If you're chopping vegetables for a stir fry, have them help.  Boiling water for pasta?  Keep them around in the kitchen so they know at what point to add the pasta.  For some people, this is a no-brainer and they've been doing it since first grade, but for some, these skills just fell by the wayside.  Be sure your teen can use basic methods for cooking that don't necessarily rely on the microwave.  Bake some muffins, boil some rice, and fry up a stir-fry dinner.  Once they know how to do it, it's less likely they'll be stuck eating fast food when they move out.

Laundry

If your teen doesn't already do their own laundry, have them start.  They can separate colors, run the washer, transfer the load to the dryer, include a fabric softener sheet (if your family uses them) and fold their own clothes.  If they haven't done this before, show them how without being angry about it.  No one wants to hear "see what I've done for you for years?!"  It's good they're starting now.

Cleaning the House

When your teen no longer lives with you, it's likely they'll have a roommate.  Whether it's a shared apartment or a dorm room, their life will be much easier if they do their part toward keeping the house clean.  Get them in the habit early.  There are many things teenagers might not have had to do for themselves because you (or someone else) were always here to do it for them.  Have them take over changing the sheets on their bed and keeping their own room clean and the living room picked up.  Take turns cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen  At first these might seem like overwhelmingly taxing inconveniences to your teenager, but remind them it gets easier with practice so it's best to get that practice in now financial habits include not just saving money, but knowing what to buy at the store and keeping track of account balances.  Be sure your teen has their own checking account and savings account.  If they don't already have a credit card with you as a co-signer, you might want to discuss that option with them.  While it might seem a little risky, giving a teenager a credit card and letting them run with it, you can arrange the credit limit with the bank and it will help your teen build a credit history.

Talk to your teen about good spending habits, good saving habits, and how to create a budget in excel or whatever database program you might be familiar with.

Sewing

How to repair clothes is a worthwhile skill to learn.  It can save many items from being tossed or donated.   Be sure your teen can sew up a simple rip in a shirt and that they can replace a button.  While a shirt is still wearable even when it's missing a button, it does look a little shabby.

Car Maintenance

Every teenager should learn to drive and to check basic fluids and engine parts.  Even if your teen doesn't yet own a car, be sure they know how to check basic fluids like oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and windshield wiper fluid.  They should be able to add oil, coolant, and windshield wiper fluid.  Let them know that it's ok to add water to a coolant system in a pinch.  Also be sure they know how to check fan belts for cracks, check brake pads, and check how deep the treads are on tires.  Tire blowouts can be stressful, dangerous, and frightening.  You can also have your teen practice mentally calculating gas mileage next time you're both at a gas station by dividing the number of miles driven since the last gas station fill-up and dividing that by how many gallons are being added.  Remember to reset the odometer.

Social Skills

Be sure your teen knows how to act appropriately in different social situations.  Appropriate behavior is very different on a date versus meeting with a professor during office hours.  Be sure they know to make contact when shaking hands and when drinking a toast.  Check to see they know how to dress appropriately at an interview.  And be sure they know to keep their hands on the steering wheel and remain polite if they ever get pulled over by a police officer while driving.  Remind them if they want to contest the ticket, it's best to do it in a courtroom rather
than argue with the cop.

Influence

Remind them that as an adult, they have untold influence over the direction of their own life.  The decisions they make can have lasting consequences.  They can make or break their own future.  Encourage them to follow their dreams and to plan out how to achieve those dreams.  Hopes and future goals are important but not worth very much if they're never acted upon.  Remind your teen to be proactive about following their desires, loving what they do (or doing something else), working hard, and having fun. 

When they finally do move out and strike off on their own, send them away with a care package to help them get started with all the skills you've been teaching them.  Cleaning supplies should include a broom, bucket, all-purpose cleaner, gloves, rags, sponges, a toilet brush and toilet cleaner, and a plunger.  Cooking supplies should include plates, bowls, eating utensils, a couple of mixing bowls, a cookie sheet/muffin tin, a large pot for cooking pasta, two saucepans, at least one frying pan, and a crock pot or rice cooker for convenient cooking.  Don't forget to give them some basic recipes for dishes like tacos, quiche (easy with store-bought pie crust), stir fry, lasagna, homemade muffins (when they feel homesick) and chili.  Also include any special dishes that only you make or that you know they love.  These recipes can either be given on paper or in software format on a USB stick.  Also on that USB stick, include a budget template to help them get started creating their own budget.  Also give them a clothing repair kit with white and black all-purpose thread, a package of needles, and some extra buttons.