Incompetent Kids: Can your children look after themselves?

As another autumn rolls around, thousands of bright-eyed youngsters are packing their bags and heading to university for their first taste of adult life. You might think your kids are fairly savvy, but with a recent survey finding that one in three students can't boil an egg, there might be more cause for concern than you initially thought.


So why are today's teens so incompetent when it comes to basic life skills? It's tempting to point to parents giving their offspring an easy ride at home, but perhaps they simply have other practical talents. While this generation's kids might be clueless when it comes to rustling up a simple spag bol, they're likely to be more tech-happy than their ancestors. Tasks that may perplex older relatives are proving a doddle for this age group, with the same survey pointing out that over half of students can set up a new laptop with broadband and upload photos to their computers. This can seem impressive indeed to those of us who have trouble just turning the things on, but it won't clean the kitchen or put food on the table.

Fortunately there are plenty of handy tips that you can pass on to your children for when they're suddenly forced to fend for themselves. If you're concerned that ready meals might become a food staple, teach them how to knock up a few simple and healthy recipes before they leave. Talk about how to store and cool food safely, and explain that they can cook bigger batches to keep in the freezer as a quick meal when the studying (or possibly partying) takes its toll. Buy a student cookbook and encourage them to try some recipes at home. Not only will this save you cooking, but it will reassure you that they can cope alone!


You can also offer more general household tips, such as how to get red wine out of a carpet and ways to deal with a blocked drain. Unless you feel like doing a term's worth of washing come Christmas, make sure your kids know how to keep their precious clothes clean before they head off to university. Meanwhile you can avoid your own laundry horrors with this great range of Indesit washing machines.

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