The skills that make up adulthood

My maternal grandmother used to make me clothes. There was this really stylish gold outfit she made me once and a beautiful hooded cape that I still have. I never understood how she could figure out what size I was at any given moment, but I was always amazed that she had that skill.

My Mom has a knack for growing things. She can put together soil beds and get tomatoes and peppers to bloom in no time at all. Everything she touches grows well: We once had watermelons that came up to our knees.

I don't have either of these skills. It's not that I couldn't learn them - I understand that I could devote the time and energy to them - but I don't. I am in awe of both those skill sets, as they seem so "adult" to me.

So, I wonder what the things are that I do now that my son will think of as very adult, but still never learn for himself. The truth is that the skills that make up adulthood are constantly changing. What constitutes an adult lifestyle to my Mom's generation or my generation will be completely different by the time my son leaves the nest.

I think about the things that my husband and I are actively teaching our son now - how to cook, how things are made, how to research questions. Which of these things will he take into his adulthood? Which of them will he find an alternative way to complete?

I tell my son that I am always trying to learn new skills, and I hope that he carries a similar mindset throughout his life. Maybe by the time he leaves my nest, I'll have the time to pick up some of the skills that I've admired from the women in my family. It would be good to show him that his Mom is still growing up, too.

What skills do you wish you had? Tell me in the comments.