Remember when "adult" was just a noun, not a verb? Yes? If so, then you probably don't need to attend Adulting Class. But if you do, no judgment.
Let's face it — no matter how old you get, the endless chores of being a grown-up never end. There's always laundry to sort, bills to pay, and other non-fun obligations that I'd rather not think about right now, thankyouverymuch.
And to make things worse, these generally aren't skills that you learn in school. For many young, newly minted adults, living on your own for the first time feels sort of like being thrown to the wolves. And even older adults often have a skill gap somewhere (how do I change a tire?!).
That's why Bullitt Central High School in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, recently held its first "Adulting Day."
During Adulting Day, community members came to the school to teach students about all sorts of practical life skills. Students could choose the skills that they felt they needed to learn, like paying taxes, doing laundry, and, yes, changing a tire.
Precalculus is great and all, but this? This is useful.
Adulting isn't fun for anyone, but it's never more difficult than when you're just getting started. There are so many things to figure out — things that your parents may or may not have ever taught you (or even figured out themselves).
It can all get pretty daunting.
Moreover, if you don't figure out how to adult properly in the very beginning, it can seriously screw you over later.
We all know someone who's still paying off credit card debt from their early 20s.
Looking back, it would've definitely made life easier to just… learn this stuff in school.
Recently, a social media post made the rounds in which parents reflected on the various life skills that they wish their high school teachers had taught them.
That's how Christy Hardin got the idea to bring "Adulting Day" to Bullitt Central High School.
Christy is the director of the Bullitt Central High School Family Resource and Youth Services Center.
"I think that the idea occurred to me originally, I saw a Facebook post that parents passed around saying they needed a class in high school on taxes, and cooking," Christy told Kentucky's Wave 3 News. "Our kids can get that, but they have to choose it. And [Adulting Day] was a day they could pick and choose pieces they didn’t feel like they had gotten so far."
Community members came to the high school to teach senior students about every life skill that an 18-year-old could possibly need, including dorm room cooking.
And how to wisely manage a credit card or loan.
And even how to change a tire.
An officer came to the school to teach students about how to interact with officers during traffic stops, while another speaker came from the US Army.
Still others speakers covered homesickness, resume building, sewing, and other skills.
Basically, everything that kids need to know to safely enter the terrifying land of grown-ups.
While it's wonderful that kids get to fill their brains with the arts and sciences, it's also really important that they know how to get by in this world.
While the classes at Bullitt Central High School were just part of a one-day conference, Adulting Day has sparked a larger discussion among people on social media about how, and whether, these life skills should be taught in school.
Some say that, rather than holding schools responsible for teaching kids how to adult, parents should pick up the slack.
Others recall when life skills were taught in every school as part of a regular, ongoing class. It was called Home Economics.
And some others pointed out that, since not every kid does get to learn this stuff at home, teaching it at school can only be a benefit.
As one fellow adult wrote: "I'd like a crash course and I'm 33."
Seriously, I'll sign up for the "changing a tire" and "sewing" classes now, thanks.
