Stacy:

I'm thinking once they get into their 30s and 40s they all will come back to it.

As a parent, and I know that I speak for my husband as well, it is our desire that the skills we have demonstrated throughout our children's lives will be ones that they see value in as adults.We have demonstrated a love of those skills as well as a high standard of skill level in each area. We see importance in them, therefore we would like our children to see importance in them. It takes work and a good learning curve to go from "knowing" how to do something to being "good" at it. As we all know, life takes its twists and turns, and necessity is the mother of invention. When they need the skill, they will then be interested in developing it further. They will also have the confidence to give it a try. After all, both my husband and I tackle tasks as a challenge rather then a burden. That in itself is a learned "skill." 

When my eldest daughter got married, her husband knew I was the family hair stylist. After all, he saw the results in the men/boys of the family. He asked her to cut his hair. She said that although she had very little interest in doing it while she lived at home, she watched me numerous times over the years, and had the confidence to take the plunge and do it. There was a learning curve, but her husband was never embarrassed with the results.

I just read recently, that 100 years ago, it was expected that you should make something rather then buying it. Today, it is expected that you should buy something rather then make it. Things have changed, haven't they?    

Along with many of the skills mentioned, ours are taught shooting and target skills plus beginning gunsmithing and ammo reloading; HAM radio and wireless communications (good skills to have during an emergency - even a paid skill on occasion); auto repair; small engine maintenance and repair; CPR and beginning first aid and lots of home maintenance and DIY skills.

I only hope that they can recall these if/when they need them...Liz 

Gigi:

I just read recently, that 100 years ago, it was expected that you should make something rather then buying it. Today, it is expected that you should buy something rather then make it. Things have changed, haven't they?  

Gigi, I agree with you, they have changed too far in the wrong direction, and that change needs to be reversed back to self-sufficiency for as many as are willing to do it. The results will be less impact on world resources. Edey

I am not surprised that there is a lot of young people that don't have basic skills like cooking. I see it in the teenage homestay students we get. And it is a world wide issue. 7 different countries we have had students, different continents, different races and cultures. plus a new one next week.  Now I learned teenagers are teenagers no matter where they are from but the common thread is lack of basic skills.   I know they think they are doing the right thing getting them to study first but has confirmed my feeling about teaching my kids the basic skills.  They will know how to cook, clean etc.   Auto repair etc is dh area. 

I have been so fortunate in my life in this regard, I think.  My grandmother is one of those handy people and she taught me to knit and crochet (although my crochet skills are almost non-existant, but, funny, her knitting skills are the same!) and run a sewing machine, and then she encouraged me when I taught myself beadwork. 

I now belong to a medieval re-enactment organization that REALLY emphasizes learning skills.  Yes, you COULD buy everything you needed, but people praise you and are more impressed when you make it yourself.  I am constantly trying to better the things I make for myself and my husband because I enjoy the praise (and I enjoy instructing on how I did it, or listening to others who do something similar). 

I've learned a lot since I got into re-enacting.  I knew the basics of pattern-reading and sewing, but I had never made a garment.  Now I toss out half a dozen garments a year.  I also, with the aid of a book, taught myself how to draft some patterns, and now I can alter commercial ones as well.  By looking at someone's instructions online, I figured out how to do medieval bead embroidery. 

Other people have taught me weaving and spinning and different embroidery stitches and egg tempura painting, and I can't remember what all else.  My husband has taught me how to make a fire (although he still reserves the making of it to himself--he can't give it up!) and I know a bit about cooking on it (again, he wants to do that himself).  We tend to dye fabric over the open fire jointly, though. 

So, that's why I feel lucky: my grandmother got me interested and now lots of people are available to teach me new things and I can teach them things in return. 

I'm currently trying to learn how to make a wig/hairpiece.  I think I've got a line on an 18th century re-enactor who can talk me through it.   

The skills i have are:

cooking and baking

crochet (self taught)

decoupage (self taught)

gardening

My mother did all the cooking and cleaning when i was growing up. so when i moved out i didn't know how to do laundry properly. that's sad. i learned how to cook better when i was in college and i took a food production course. no more hamburger helper. My son will know how to cook and do his own wash.

My dh handles all the car maintenance. he's very good at it. his dad taught him and he also learned by doing. That's how i learned to do many of my skills.

Keriamon:

I now belong to a medieval re-enactment organization that REALLY emphasizes learning skills. 

Keriamon

I have friends who do civil war re-enactments. I also have a friend who is scottish and he does highland games. He wears the kilt and he makes his own mead and scrub ( which is a pretty good alcholic drink). I think it's very cool and good for you that you are doing something you enjoy.

Beer/ale-making is something my husband can do, while we have friends that do mead and liquors.  My husband also blacksmiths, while a couple of our friends keep bees.  So, between us all, we don't lack for much in the way of skills.  So when we want something and don't want to do it ourselves--like have homegrown honey, but not raise bees for it--we can trade some skill--like new steel tent stakes--for whatever we want. 

It can be odd, at times, because we're like some sort of sub-culture, where the rules of regular culture don't apply.  Like making something is more impressive and praiseworthy than buying something; a made gift is better than a bought one.  People are important for the work they do with their hands, not for their income or "what they do for a living."  Service to the community is both expected to some degree, and praised when it is given.  My husband actually works more hours at our large, week-long event than he works at his regular job; he's put in 60-70 hours of work before at our war.

So finding a community to foster the development of skills is, I think, VERY important to everyone.  Knitting is all well and good, but it's a totally different ball game when you are knitting around your peers.  Sharing information furthers everyone's skills, while praise from others causes you to naturally want to excel.  The more compliments I get on my clothing, for example, the more new stuff I want and the better looking I want it to be, and more historically-accurate.  I had a friend, who was of very high rank for her own artistic skills, mention that she and someone else had been talking about me at an event where I was so well-dressed, despite the heat, and she said that I was "disgustingly goregeous all the time."  It was a very great compliment to me, and I have strived to live up to the expectation that I should be disgustingly gorgeous all the time.    If I was making stuff that no one appreciated, I'd not strive nearly so hard. 

A theory here - in re-enacting it's the direct interaction with others, the sharing of time, talk, skills, hobbies, without the interference of TV, cell phones, computers, news reports, radio, etc., that I think is the appeal of re-enacting. It's the same way with camping. It's simple - camp fire, sit around talking, sharing, laughing, eating basic simple food. Your hands keep busy, others need what you can do, you need what they can do. It satisfies a need in us for simplicity and camaraderie that conveniences and modern equipment have stolen from us. Women would share food preparation and preservation in the fall, because the more hands working the more food got preserved before the food spoiled, and the better chance for survival in bad times. Men helped each other plow their fields and harvest the crops, and it all got done before winter set in. Quilts were made with several hands sewing together the layers, one woman stitching a quilt takes a long time, 6 women working on both sides of a quilt frame can finish a quilt in a few hours. The talk is enjoyable, lessons on life are shared and passed on to others, and you go home at the end of the day with a great sense of accomplishment that you did something good and worthwhile, and you also realize that the good and bad things that you experience in life are the same good and bad that others experience, and somehow the load seems lighter, because you realize you are not alone. You want to keep sharing with others so you learn that you can have a different opinion than they do, but you can still respect them anyway, and life gets richer for it. Patience, respect and courtesy. Three very important rules of life. Edey

elovestea:

A theory here - in re-enacting it's the direct interaction with others, the sharing of time, talk, skills, hobbies,

Definitely.  My husband and I took a year off from re-enacting due to getting ready for our wedding and then I was really burned out from the pressure of getting everything done, so I wanted to stay home and not do anything for a while.  When we finally went to an event again, we both remembered why we liked going to them; when you don't go, you forget.  Also, I got re-inspired to make medieval clothes and pick my other sub-hobbies back up again. 

That's why I think it's good for people with a hobby-skill to be physically involved with others who do the same thing; it keeps you inspired.