Rodney

This has been noted by many even in the boomer generation -- that the domestic skills of their parents (sewing, cooking, home repair, gardening, auto maintenance, woodworking, simple plumbing and electrical work, even laundry) -- were not passed down for whatever reason. This phenomenon is credited for the vast boom in "how to" books on every conceivable subject, and also the many classes on such subject that are available from adult ed classes in most fair-sized school districts. People who didn't learn this stuff when they are young are trying to teach themselves.

You even find it in churches: families (often just the mother and child) in mid-30s showing up at a church, with the parents not even knowing the basics of Christianity, because they never had to go after age 8. But they're in their 30s now and figure that their kid should get exposed to religious ed because that's what parents are supposed to do, but they haven't the faintest idea of what's going on themselves. I've seen it.

If they've got the time, that is. And too often, people who already have kids, don't have the time or energy.

In my own generation (mid-boomer), I'm still trying to figure out why domestic knowledge so often wasn't passed on. I was a minor from the mid-50s til the early '70s. Dad worked 40 hours max, Mom stayed home and made the home most of the time. They took care of everything around the house (and they were competent at it). They weren't really interested in teaching it, though. I had one or two chores that were mainly symbolic (take out the garbage, mow the lawn), maybe the idea that they got from TV sitcoms about what a boy should do around the house).

Yeah, I watched a lot of TV and read. Not much else was asked of me.