Basic skills - would you admit to lacking?

It all depends who was asking. I could sew - and knit even crochet - in my youth but now my fingers aren't so dexterous and I struggle to thread a needle. It may be a lack of physical ability, perhaps due to arthritis, rather than not knowing how to do some task.
Someone at home on her own might be happy to sew buttoms - or even nametapes -remember them? on a school uniform for a friend's kids. Just to a have a chat and a cuppa especially during lockdown.

LauraNorder

Just looked on wiki knowhow to find out how to do the big whistle. Step by step instructions but still no more than a sigh and nearly choked myself in the process.

I'm sure you have to have the right kind of teeth.
Mine aren't

Many of my school friends learnt sewing skills at senior school when they had to do at least one year of a needlework class as well a cookery class.

jaylucy I had to do one year of needlework and cookery at senior school and the total sum of my achievements was one shapeless seersucker nightdress stitched by hand, scrambled eggs and some fairy cakes. I can't remember learning anything particularly useful and did more at primary school.

I was so happy to switch to Latin - much more enjoyable ?

I too have learned how to do lots of things by you tube videos. I did all of the wallpapering by myself over the years - DH did the battering if he was available. I’ve even done the staircase. My new house has high ceilings so it would be more difficult now. I taught myself to crochet in my teens. There are lots of books and videos for that. As you ladies would agree, there’s great satisfaction in achieving independence and seeing the results. Mind you, when up the ladder the other day trying to get the cover off the smoke alarm to change the battery, I thought I was going to pull the ceiling down!

It is a shame isn’t jaylucy, these basic skills should be taught at school.
We had an hour a week of needlework then swapped half way through the year to cookery for the first three years of high school. The boys had woodwork and metalwork.
Now I’d like to see all pupils taking all four subjects.
Nutrition should be part of the cookery lessons and everyone should know how to sew on a button or turn up a hem before leaving school.
I’d also like to see a bit of time given to basic parenting skills. So much child cruelty and neglect in our society today.

I can sew on a button, but that's it. And yes, we did have sewing and knitting at school, but I was totally useless at it. I remember the knitting with horror - we had to knit a simple square. Without a word of a lie, everyone else in the class had finished theirs and I hadn't even got mine cast on. My mother tried repeatedly to teach me, even when I was pregnant with my daughter, and eventually gave up in disgust. I just can't seem to co-ordinate my hands to do sewing or knitting properly, although I can do other complicated tasks which require manual dexterity quite easily.

@SueDonim
Neither of my DD’s can sew on a button. At least, they claim they can’t. hmm. They’re both left-handed (I’m not) and that is their claim to their ineptitude.

Being lefthanded is no excuse for not being able to do things... you just do them with the left hand!

I'm a leftie and was perfectly capable of sewing buttons until my MS and arthritis took over, I used to knit as well.

The thing with teaching someone to do things that are other-handed is to sit opposite them so that they see the mirror of what you're doing and can learn it their way around. I have 2 rh sons and they've done OK with my lh teaching.

On one of my community groups, barely a week goes by without someone wanting buttons sewn on or hems sewn, trousers shortened. I have so far stopped myself from saying "buy some Bondaweb " etc!
I was taught many sewing skills by my mother who had been a seamstress, so made my own clothes from about the age of 10.
Many of my school friends learnt sewing skills at senior school when they had to do at least one year of a needlework class as well a cookery class.
When my son was in middle school they had "Food Technology " that barely taught them anything beyond beans on toast or making a pizza, so not sure where the technology came in! He was taught nothing about nutrition and then when he did "Crafts" they didn't sew, they glued!

Just looked on wiki knowhow to find out how to do the big whistle. Step by step instructions but still no more than a sigh and nearly choked myself in the process.

I taught myself to splice a rope with the aid of a book

No one taught me to cook (apart from one term of cookery when I was 13) but somehow I've managed to feed our lot quite well.
If in doubt YouTube - computer help, mending a food blender, etc

Yes, car maintenance. Hopeless. I have also found as I get older I am more wary of backing the car and less confident as regards spatial awareness, particularly at night. Means I rarely drive after dark now even though the optician says I can.

Chewbacca do you take private lessons? Love a sheepdog trial and have no intention of any sabotage, but the power, oh the power

I'd love to be able to do the two finger whistle.... alas it's one skill I've never mastered. I can cook, sew (including tailoring and alterations), knit and crochet, garden, tile, plaster, fit carpets ( with a knee-kicker no less!) lay wood floors or laminate, set out a staircase, and French polish, but whistling other than a feeble blow between pursed lips evades me.......

Much to my mother's dismay, I learnt to whistle with 2 fingers when I was a child. Despite regular smacks around the back of my head, I perfected the skill and can still let rip with such a loud, ear piercing whistle that I managed to bring a local sheep dog trial to a sudden halt.

Oh Margiknot! That reminds me. My daughter went off for a gap year quite a few years ago and set the TV up for me, for one button switch on. Something went wrong and it didn't work, so I lived for the year without TV. When she came home, she showed me, she'd put a sticker on the TV with 'Do This!' on it to fix it. I hadn't noticed it.

Can I admit to not being able to get the TV to work? Oh for a simple switch- but now it’s switch on 4 devices, ( computer, skybox, screen, sound, selector box) wait for them to fire up- and hope I’ve got it right! Valve sets were simpler!

When my daughters were younger I was working full time, so my husband, who was a student then, took on the lion’s share of household duties. I once came home from work to find that both daughters had beautiful French braids that my husband had done. He’d spotted that lots of girls had them and asked one of the local mums to show him how to do them. And that’s just one of the reason’s I call him The Wonderful Man!

He’ll try his hand at almost anything and rarely gives up without mastering it, whatever the challenge might be.

Hopeless at public speaking - I am a real chatterbox and very confident in social situations - but put me in front of an audience and I just clam up! Also admire people who can drive long distances and think nothing of driving to somewhere they have never been - I'm ashamed to say that I'm a real wuss and only drive locally. I also can't do front crawl but thankfully am quite a strong breast stroke swimmer. Would love to be able to whistle with two fingers, but sadly am only proficient in clicking them (to the fascination of my 7 year old granddaughter who keeps trying but failing at it ?) . I am very practical and love sewing and can wallpaper, paint, garden, cook and really enjoy ironing (!!) but can't put up a shelf and have never used a rawplug to hang a picture (DH does all the DIY tasks). DH and I have recently discussed that we really do need to teach each other our skills so if one of us becomes ill, we will be able to cope. Don't fancy my chances teaching him to iron though, he's got the patience of a toddler!

I can’t throw a ball over arm!

A very necessary life skill, LauraNorder! It should taught in schools.

SueDonim I would give my eye teeth to be able to spit in to a spittoon accurately.

My MIL could whistle through her fingers. She was a very respectable lady! Her Indian Army grandfather had taught her how to do it and also how to spit into a spittoon accurately.

Dh can also do the ear-splitting whistle.

My mother could do the whistle, although as a respectable middle class lady she didn't get many opportunities.

My friend can do that whistle, she’s such a demure looking woman too.