Not every school offers comprehensive classes on "adulting", but wouldn't it be hugely beneficial?
Examples of such classes would include maintaining financial stability and healthy relationships; and preparing for job interviews in a professional manner – and yes, even cooking and cleaning.
According to Study International, adulting classes are not only offered in universities but also in schools through private courses and in libraries.
But what if adulting classes were mandatory additions to the school curriculum?
Wondering about the logistics of learning basic life skills as part of an academic requirement, Redditor anafaurberto asked:
"How would you feel about school taking up an extra hour every day to teach basic 'adult stuff' like washing clothes, basic cooking, paying taxes?"
Everything But The Kitchen Sink
"My rural a** school did this in the 00s.... home ec, sewing, taxes, cooking, woodworking, etc. Could even get into metal working, accounting, quilting, pottery, etc if you wanted to."
Value Of Education
"My school did the same. I was a good student but at that age you just don't realize the valuable information they're giving you, you kept the information long enough to pass the tests and then you went and got alcohol poisoning in a field while your parents thought you were at a movie with Nicole and Becki."
Fun With Pasta
"My home ec class had groups of three students try to make one pot of spaghetti and every single group's spaghetti was inedible in different ways and it made me afraid to try cooking again."
Meanwhile, In Australia
"This is kind of the basis for home ec (the main subject I teach) as it is these days in Australia. It's moved towards solution-based problem solving. Students learn about how ingredients interact with one another under different conditions, they learn about nutrition, they learn about technology in food (ranging from how UHT works to GMOs to drones in agriculture), about ethics in the food industry, food security, marketing, sustainability, etc. It's a huge subject. In their last couple of years they can choose to do a subject that is focused on cooking and the hospitality industry but they can also choose more academic subjects around food and/or health so up until then we cover all the stuff they need to know and be capable of doing to go either way. Kids fresh into high school start super basic and make a couple of very easy things with the real purpose of teaching them to be safe, work both independently and with others, write and follow a plan based on a recipe, and clean up properly. It's also when we start teaching them why they need to use brown vs white sugar and keep eggs out of the fridge for baking, etc. At my school it's mandatory in their first year and after that they can choose."
Swedish Options
"We have this in Sweden."
"Sewing and woodworking are the two options of 'crafting' class. You get to try both and then pick one to stick with."
"We have 'hemkunskap' (maybe it's called something different now, this is middle school/junior high stuff and I'm 30 this year so been a while), directly translating to 'home knowledge,' where, at least when I did it, mostly did cooking, but there was some classes and tests on washing clothes, cleaning and such things. Some home economy as well."
"There was nothing on taxes afaik, but here I pay taxes by logging into our equivalent of the IRS's website and press a button."
Definitely 'No' To Extra Class Hours
"My school had a class like that, most of the classmates didn't pay attention and now complain 10 years later that they never learned about taxes and credit card interest. Also some parents were super upset about the school 'overstepping' their boundaries by teaching basic budgeting, I can't imagine that situation has gotten any better in the last 10 years. I'm not against the class being taught, but at the at the end of the day you have to realize that all that stuff is easily learned once you are an adult with just a minimum amount of research - if someone isn't taking the 15 minutes it takes to learn how to wash their clothes properly or watch a youtube video for a basic recipe as an adult when they actually need to do those things to function, no way in hell as a teen would they pay attention to a class that tried to teach them that. It's still a good idea to have the class, but it isn't some magical fix everyone seems to think it is.
I am against the adding an extra hour of school though on top of regular school though."
Mackenzie Ziegler Whatever GIF by KenzieGiphyAttentions Spans
"Right? I mean, there's a class on budgeting and credit cards already. IT's call Math class and everybody hates it and doesn't pay attention. I blew people's minds in high school one day by actually USING the quadratic formula to find the maximum of something. That's like the first thing you cover when you get to quadratics."
"Other things that are teaching actual skills like home ec or woodworking are fine and should be encouraged more. But everybody looking around and wondering why they weren't told about interest rates isn't paying attention in math class. Full stop."
Would Be A "Full-Time Job"
"I'd be opposed to the extra hour. But not the activities."
"School was already an 8 hour a day thing, pushing it up to 9 hours means it actually becomes longer than a full time job. And that's before you get to homework and sh*t like that."
No Obligation
"I agree. It could be done as an elective. These are things that could and should be taught by parents, but they aren't things all parents know, and not all kids have parents who would take the time to teach them either way. It should be available for kids who want it, but not required, and certainly not adding an extra hour to the school day."
Enough Is Enough
"Lets be real. It's already pushing overtime every single week. We just had to take our work home with us and spend an hour (or more) working on it every night. Hell, some kids push 50+ hours every week."
Here's The Point Of Education:
"Schools have these already and the kids in them don't care. It's not immediately relevant to their lives so they don't pay attention. Sorta like if I were to talk to you about the do's and don'ts of denture cream. You say, 'eh, I'll figure it out later when I need to know it' and stop paying attention."
"I've taught in several schools that have tried to teach social skills, kindness, meditation, financial literacy, etc. In every case, the kids did not care. It was their least favorite part of the day because it felt like a waste of time."
"The point of education is to teach thinking, not doing. A well-educated student can teach themselves these things. A quick Google search can teach you how to file taxes, cook, etc. But you can't Google how to do Algebra 2 and expect to understand what you read without some background in the subject matter."
"Edit: I got upvotes? Now I'm mad with power, so I'll say this:"
"I hear arguments like this post all the time, and I think the real issue is people not taking responsibility. 'I can't cook? That must be the school's fault! We need education reform!' No, it's not the school's fault. It's your fault. You could literally Google a recipe in 20 seconds. Stop blaming other people for your problems."
"People don't realize that the point of education isn't to teach facts, but the change your brain. For example, physics and math majors earn the highest scores in the MCAT, GMAT, and LSAT. It's not because they learned those things in class, but because their curriculum emphasizes logical thinking. When students slack in schoolwork, they're not just missing out on the opportunity to know stuff; they're missing out on the opportunity to be smarter."
– gman4734
It's About Developing The Brain
"People don't understand that education is more about developing the brain rather than retaining knowledge."
"You can easily obtain knowledge from reading a book or watching videos. But education forces you to do stuff like read and write a lot or practice a lot of math problems. Those tasks help develop the brain and develop critical thinking skills."
"Even undergrad programs in engineering are not really meant to retain knowledge. They are meant to wire the brain to think like an engineer. Most of your knowledge in engineering is going to come from training you receive in industry and just working in projects in industry."
A good majority of Redditors believed that any additional time spent at school for the sake of acquiring adulting skills was a waste of time.
The argument that students go to school to learn how to learn remained a compelling one, and that the discovery of how to cook or doing laundry was either a quick Google or YouTube search away.
Because spending more time at school than necessary is awesome, said no one, ever.
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.