by L.S. Watts

Created on: May 22, 2009

Public Schools are now focused more on who has the highest test scores than preparing children for the real world. Although some schools do offer Life Skills classes, it is only available to Special Education Students. These classes should be made available and mandatory to all students.

I have seen some seniors in high school graduate with an excellent grade point average, but ask them to create a budget, balance a checkbook, or simply know how to work a washer and dryer and they may just fall short. Society today is so education oriented that they have forgotten to teach our children basic life skills. Sure the students may be able to work complicated Calculus problem or split an atom, but what are they going to do outside work and school? How will they survive?

Setting a Budget

This is important because they will need to know how best to spend and invest their money. They also need to know whether they can afford the rent of an apartment or a car payment of their favorite car. As adults know full well, sometimes fun and entertainment takes a back seat in our budget yet many times young people make it first and wonder why they can't pay their bills.

Balancing a Checkbook

More and more young people are dealing with insufficient funds because they haven't been taught how to balance a checkbook. Most banks have online banking and I have noticed they depend upon this too much. Many times they will just log on to check their balance instead of looking at their bank register.

Debit Cards

Many young people don't realize that debit cards are not a free pass to unlimited money. In fact many are deceived by the Visa or MasterCard logos into assuming a debit card is a credit card. They also need to understand that when they swipe the card, they need to record it in their checkbook. Many forget.

Credit Cards

Young people don't realize how damaging credit cards can be. They aren't aware of the fine print and interest. Some will just carelessly swipe the card, not worrying about having to pay the money back. Some young people have the mindset that credit cards are like free money.

Credit Report

People of all ages need to learn more about how credit agencies work. For young people they could be damaging their credit report without realizing it. One day they will realize that they won't be able to buy a home for their new family, or a car to get around in, and even be prevented from getting a job that will provide stability for their family.

Consumer Skills

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