[Diolla]

My DS is 16 and has been cooking since he was 12 (actually been helping since he was 4 it helps with math skills) I figured it was a life skill he needed to have. Maybe it is alot of open a box/can and mix up ingredients but I know that if I am too tired to cook some nights he won't starve and I don't have to worry about it or take him out somewhere. For my B-day he made me chicken noodles just so I wouldn't have to cook.

Budgeting, Cooking, Cleaning, earning their own money (whether from you or someone else) are things you need to teach them so when the time comes to go out on their own they can function in the world.

DS gets a set amount for expenses such as school & clothes and has to earn the rest by doing extra around the house. Today he spent 2 hours helping me clean and organize our storage shed, worked hard out in the heat and I gave him $10. Next week is school enrollment and he has been saving all summer from his expense money to pay for it. (I give him a set amount each month) Then he'll be off to the store for clothes & supplies. He decided to save his bus money and ride his bike until the weather gets bad.

Anyway, the point is that I don't worry about him not being able to handle these things when he gets out into the real world because he is learning these things now. I think you need to teach yours to not only help you out but to make them more prepared for the world after childhood.