Sonya Bateson: Six life skills I wish I had been taught before I graduated

I had to learn through trial and error. Lots and lots of errors. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION:

The day I moved into my first flat was the day I was bequeathed an… heirloom, of sorts.

My parents helped drag the heavy old bed into my room. The base had wooden legs that screwed into the bottom, and they were getting a bit loose in its old age. The base itself was covered in rips, but you couldn't see them with the lumpy mattress on top.

That mattress. Let's just say the first night in my new home was an experience I'll never forget. I reckon I can still feel the bruises today. But after a few long nights of trial and error, I found that lying in a kind of diagonal manner across the bed resulted in a full eight hours.

That bed had been handed down from family member to family member during transitional periods in each of our lives, then handed down to the next relative once we achieved functioning adulthood.

Of course, I was the one to finally break it.

And, no, before you ask, there's no raunchy story behind it either. I was vacuuming and whacked one of the legs, which somehow snapped the frame. It must have been some strange fluke of a weakness in the wood, or perhaps it was sitting at a funny angle and I hit it just right. Or maybe I'm secretly the Hulk. We'll never know.

But that meant it was time for the bed to finally retire to wherever broken beds go. And that meant I had to make my first big adult purchase – without any savings.

What's a young, dumb 21-year-old to do?

First, I tried to hit up all the op-shops. No luck. The Warehouse? Nothing affordable. Trade Me? Don't be silly, this was the days before internet on phones was really a thing.

Then, I saw a sign.

Not the miraculous kind - a literal sign on a window. Twenty-four months interest-free.

Into the store I went and signed my life away in exchange for a new bedroom set – and my first credit card.

I knew I had to pay off the credit card before that 24 months was up. But that was as far as my knowledge on credit went.

And so, I began making regular payments out of every paycheck. I figured I'd pay it off in 18 months or so, giving me a bit of breathing room in case the worst were to happen.

I got pretty close, too.

But, spoiler alert: Bad things did, indeed, happen. And when you've got credit readily available, it's easy to use.

First, I lost my job and had to move towns. Second, my car needed some pretty serious repairs. Third, I had to pay a bond at my new home. And fourth, my new pay cycle was monthly, which meant weeks to wait until my first payday.

That credit card, supposed to be paid off in 24 months, soon began ticking up interest at an exorbitant rate. I was finally earning my first decent wage, but still living off two-minute noodles and spaghetti.

It took years to get rid of that damned thing.

Experiences like that stick with you. To this day, I've never had another credit card, despite being older and (slightly) wiser. Once burned, twice shy, goes the old adage.

Being bad with money was one of the biggest obstacles I faced in my younger years. I'd like to think that my life would have run along a very different path had I learned about finances in school.

Instead, I had to learn through trial and error. Lots and lots of errors.

This kind of valuable knowledge shouldn't be reserved for those who are able to learn from their parents.

Looking back on my school years, there are six life skills I wish every child was taught before they were old enough to leave school:

1. How to manage your personal finances.

2. How the local, regional and national governments work and why it is important to vote.

3. Basic te reo Māori and tikanga.

4. Healthy relationships and techniques for managing your mental health.

5. Mending, fixing and maintenance of clothing, homes, cars and appliances.

6. Analysing online content and how to identify reputable information.

From the little bit of research I did, it appears that some personal finance skills are now being taught in schools, although I couldn't determine how in-depth those lessons are, or whether it's something that every child will be taught. I hope that is indeed the case, and that it will prevent more sorry cases like my own in the future.

The way I see it, everything on my list is a practical skill that is important for all Kiwi adults to know in the 21st century. And they're skills that don't necessarily need their own classes.

For example: teaching financial literacy through maths. Practising techniques for managing your mental health while playing sports, or learning about healthy relationships during the birds-and-bees talk.

Making beautiful patches for your clothes in art class, or growing vegetables during science. The more we expose our kids to these skills at school and at home, the more they will become well-rounded adults.

They are our future; we need to prepare them for that task.

Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader, and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a Millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.