14 Surprising (and Funny) Things We Forgot to Teach Our College-Bound Kids

Parents often concentrate on specific areas when they impart wisdom on their college-bound children. Many of the most commonly shared tips focus on academic success, while others include tips on navigating common social situations and being safe while out and about.While all of those things are important, they arent the only things teens need to know as they prepare to head out to college. Many critical life lessons get overlooked accidentally, and most parents dont even realize they didnt teach a crucial skill until a situation (at times, a humorous one) brings it to light.Here is a look at 14 surprising things parents frequently forget to teach their college-bound kids.Contents1 Automotive Skills1.1 1. How to Remove a Gas Cap1.2 2. How to Check the Oil in a Car (and Other Basic Maintenance)1.3 3. That the Key Can Open the Door2 Paperwork, Letters, and Legal Document Requirements2.1 4. You Cant Use Pencil (or Many Colored Pens)2.2 5. How to Address a Letter and Handle Postage2.3 6. How to Deal with Paper Checks2.4 7. How to Create a Budget (and Other Personal Finance Skills)3 Landline Telephones3.1 8. Not Knowing That Landline Phones Dont Hang Themselves Up3.2 9. What a Busy Signal Sounds Like3.3 10. The Term Pound Key3.4 11. Dialing 1 Before Phone Numbers4 Other Life Skills4.1 12. How to Read an Analog Clock4.2 13. Using a Manual Can Opener4.3 14. Dealing with CursiveAutomotive SkillsMost college-bound children know how to drive a car. But, that doesnt mean they know everything about operating a vehicle. As a result, they may find themselves in a bind simply because they didnt learn a few of the basics, including:1. How to Remove a Gas CapUnless a college-bound student has their own car and already fills their own gas tank, you dont want to assume they actually know how to handle this everyday task. Some teens dont know how to open the door that guards the tank (or where it is on the vehicle) or how to remove the gas cap unless a parent or friend shows them. And, since it is such a mundane activity for most adults, it is an easy life skill to overlook.2. How to Check the Oil in a Car (and Other Basic Maintenance)Heres another task that many parents simply forget to teach their teens. Some teens arent even aware oil levels need to be monitored or that oil needs to be changed on a specific schedule. The same can go for other basic maintenance, like tire rotations, brake pad replacements, and more.While most of the information is in the vehicles manual, few teens have actually read one. This can create a big hole in their life skills knowledge unless a parent or friend tells them what needs to be done.3. That the Key Can Open the DoorSince most car doors can be unlocked with a button on a fob, many teens have never had to use a key to unlock their vehicle. If the battery on their key fob dies, they might not know they arent stranded until the battery is replaced.This isnt a situation that happens often. But, if you dont want your teen call ing for help because they think they cant get inside their car, it isnt a bad idea to point out that using the key is an option.Paperwork, Letters, and Legal Document RequirementsDigital technology allows for many forms of communication to be handled online, including everything from sending messages to completing documents. As a result, some teens dont understand a variety of basics when it comes to dealing with paperwork, letters, legal documents, and more, including:4. You Cant Use Pencil (or Many Colored Pens)Legal documents, background check forms, various job or scholarship applications, bank checks, and a range of other documents have to be completed with a pen. Usually, the ink has to be blue or black. Otherwise, the paperwork gets rejected.Since todays world is so incredibly digital, many teens havent encountered much paperwork. Unless they have been told that pencil or certain colored pen inks arent acceptable, they might get stuck having to redo some of their work when it gets rejected.5. How to Address a Letter and Handle PostageAnother side effect of digital communication is many college-bound teens dont send letters or packages themselves. Between email, messengers, and the ability to send a package straight from a retailer, a surprising number of teens havent had to address a single envelope or pay for postage through a shipping company.Most parents assume this is covered in school. While many students still go over how to address a letter, if the knowledge isnt used, it is typically lost. Similarly, if teens arent told how to pay to have a package they are sending shipped, they might assume this isnt a step they have to handle.6. How to Deal with Paper ChecksWhile banking apps have made depositing checks easier, not all teens know what to do if they receive a check. Some may not know how to endorse one, causing deposit attempts to fail. Others might not even realize it is their responsibility to deposit a check, assuming it acts more like a rec eipt for a digital transfer.Similarly, many teens dont know how to fill out a check. Even if most banks have bill pay options that handle it for them or they can pay their bills online with a credit or debit card, not knowing how to write a check could lead to some less than ideal situations.This is another area where parents need to make sure their children know what to do. By and large, depositing and writing checks (and many other everyday banking activities) arent taught in school, and a teens peers may be as clueless about checks as they are.7. How to Create a Budget (and Other Personal Finance Skills)Most schools dont teach students much (if anything) about how to create a budget. Most teens rely on banking apps to track how much money they have, an approach that isnt always accurate depending on pending transactions, and struggle to plan when they need to cover upcoming expenses. Similarly, many college-bound students arent familiar with other personal finance concepts, like calculating interest, because they werent taught in school.This is one area where not teaching your student could create a dire situation. Parents should take the time to show their teens how to create a budget and make sure they understand how interest works, what a credit score means, and more.Landline TelephonesMany homes gave up their landline telephones once mobile plans became affordable or started offering unlimited talk. In some cases, teens have barely used landline phones, so they dont always know exactly how they work. This can lead to some pretty humorous mistakes, including:8. Not Knowing That Landline Phones Dont Hang Themselves UpMobile phones will disconnect themselves from a call completely if either caller hangs up, but landlines dont work that way. If one caller hangs up, a landline may stay on the line, usually results in an obnoxious tone after a few seconds.A surprising number of teens dont realize they have to hang up a landline phone (especially if it is cord less). While this isnt a problem that should come up often, if they have a desk job, it might happen more often than a parent would think.9. What a Busy Signal Sounds LikeWhen a person calls a mobile phone, if that line is in use, the caller might hear a beep while the phone rings to tell them the recipient is on another call and then gets routed to voicemail. Even many landlines send a call to voicemail if the line is busy. As a result, many teens have never heard an actual busy signal and might have no clue what that sound means if they do encounter it.10. The Term Pound KeyMany automated systems ask callers to input information, like an account number, and then hit the pound key to indicate they are done with the entry. However, thanks to social media, many teens know that symbol as a hashtag and dont realize that it is also the pound key.11. Dialing 1 Before Phone NumbersWith a cell phone, you dont have to dial 1 before a long distance number. The phone handles that part for the user, which is pretty convenient. But it also means many teens dont realize you have to do that part yourself on many landlines.Other Life SkillsThere are a variety of different life skills; many parents consider common sense that leaves teens perplexed, including:12. How to Read an Analog ClockThanks to digital technology, knowing how to read an analog clock isnt always common knowledge. Instead of having to decipher what the hands on the clocks face mean, people can glance at their phone screen and just read the numbers.Similarly, some teens dont know what phrases like a quarter to or half past a particular hour means. Unless a parent gives them this knowledge, even a college-bound student could struggle with telling the time when it isnt digital.13. Using a Manual Can OpenerAnother casualty of the increasing level of convenience many manufacturers build into their product; fewer teens have had to use a manual can opener. Instead, they expect to see pop tops, leaving them flummox ed if the can doesnt have a pull tab.14. Dealing with CursiveWhile one could debate whether being able to write in cursive is critical (barring possibly signatures on documents), many teens dont know how to read cursive either. Since they either never learned cursive or havent used it since earlier in their school career, they can struggle to decipher what words written in cursive say, especially if it has a lot of flourishes or each letter isnt incredibly clear.Ultimately, the list above shows just how easy it is for a college-bound student to end up with a knowledge gap. Parents should take a moment and consider what critical skills their teen may be missing, and then make an effort to teach them before they head off to school. Otherwise, parents shouldnt be surprised if they get some interesting emergency calls from their student in the near future.If you and your child would like to learn more about how to get started with scholarships, sign up for ourfree college scholarship we binar! Its a great way to learn about the process and how to identify opportunities that can help your student avoid debt while pursuing their education!