50 Forgotten Skills Our Grandchildren Are Missing Out on — But Still Need to Know

Traditional skills like knitting, letter writing, and pudding making are all dying out because parents aren’t passing down their know-how, according to new research.

Doing the dishes, ironing, and spring cleaning are also among the skills mothers aren’t teaching their offspring. Organizing the laundry, mending socks, and making “proper” gravy also feature in the top 50 forgotten skills.

The study, done by the U.K.’s Addis Housewares, found that over half of 2,000 moms of children age 2 and above don’t have the time to teach their kids these valuable skills.

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A spokesman for Addis Housewares said: “Our research shows many traditional skills are not being passed down anymore. Some skills — like darning socks, perhaps — might be thought of as a little old-fashioned, but some like handwriting and sewing buttons, for instance, are helpful things to know. Perhaps, as the research suggests, mums are so busy working and looking after their kids — among other things — they understandably struggle to find the time to teach them what they know.”

The traditional art of meding appears doomed, along with how to polish brass and silverware. We also aren’t passing down advice on how to make jam, patch a pair of pants, or descale a kettle.

On average, modern mothers estimate they learned 22 skills from their own moms and use seven of them every day. The most important skill for moms to pass down is cooking, followed by the ability to look after money and moral values.

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Eight in 10 mothers said their offspring enjoy learning things from them, but 64 percent think much of their know-how will no longer be relevant to modern day kids.

Instead of asking his or her mom how to do something, one in 10 kids is turning to the internet for help. But six in 10 people polled said they wished they’d learned more skills from their own moms.

Below, you can find the full list of forgotten skills: