Author: Eryn 🐰

What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?

I wish schools still taught home economics. There’s something about watching kids leave high school and realizing that some of them genuinely don’t know how to do basic adult things that makes me think, maybe we should bring this class back.

I know the argument is that it’s the parents’ responsibility to teach their kids how to be functioning adults. And, to a degree, I completely agree. As a parent, it will be my responsibility to teach my daughter how to take care of herself, manage money, cook, clean, do laundry, and generally navigate life.

But I would love for there to be a class at school that could teach my kid something I don’t know how to do.

Because that’s the thing about home ec that I think gets lost when people talk about it today. It wasn’t simply “here’s a recipe, now make dinner.” At least historically, these classes could cover a surprisingly broad range of practical skills.

Some schools had simulated homes, with mock living spaces, kitchens with multiple workstations and appliances, and sewing areas where students could actually practice the things they were learning.

There were practical labs where students learned things like setting a table, doing laundry, ironing, sewing, and constructing garments. You weren’t just sitting at a desk memorizing information. You were actually learning how to do things.

The curriculum could also cover food and nutrition, including meal planning, baking, and cooking. There were lessons on clothing and textiles, such as reading patterns and operating a sewing machine. And there could even be lessons on child care, budgeting, and managing a household.

Now, obviously, some of the old curriculum is incredibly outdated.

I don’t need my daughter learning how to be a perfect housewife whose primary goal is to support her husband. And I definitely don’t think the solution is bringing back a class where girls learn to cook and sew while boys go off and learn something else.

I think everyone should take it.

Boys need to know how to do laundry. Girls need to know how to change a tire. Boys should know how to cook. Girls should know how to balance a budget. Everyone should know how to sew on a button, clean a bathroom, grocery shop, understand basic nutrition, and take care of a home.

And honestly, I’d love for the curriculum to go even further than the traditional home ec classes did.

Teach kids how to make a budget. How credit cards and interest work. How to read a lease before signing it. How to grocery shop without spending your entire paycheck on snacks. How to meal plan. How to do basic sewing and clothing repairs. How to properly clean different surfaces. How to read a nutrition label. Basic cooking techniques instead of just following recipes. Maybe even basic car maintenance and household repairs.

Because there are so many things we assume kids will just magically learn once they become adults.

And sometimes they don’t.

Not because their parents don’t care. Sometimes their parents weren’t taught either. Sometimes they’re working constantly and don’t have the time. Sometimes a kid grows up in a household where certain skills just aren’t needed often enough to learn them. And sometimes you simply don’t know what you don’t know.

That’s why I don’t see a practical-life-skills class as replacing parents. I see it as another resource for parents and kids.

If I can teach my daughter how to cook, great. If her school can teach her how to sew, budget, change a tire, understand a lease, or safely use a power tool, even better.

I don’t want to recreate 1950s home economics.

I want to take the useful parts of it, throw away the outdated gender roles, and create a modern “how to be a functioning adult” class.

Honestly, I think I’d sign up for it now. There are definitely things I still don’t know how to do.

What’s a skill you consider basic, that most people don’t actually know how to do?

Artificial intelligence has become an incredible tool for writers, students, and professionals alike. I use AI grammar editors myself, and I appreciate how quickly they catch mistakes and improve clarity. But lately, I’ve started to wonder if our growing dependence on these tools is causing us to lose one of the most basic skills we were taught in school.

Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure aren’t just arbitrary rules. They’re the foundation of effective communication. From elementary school onward, we’re taught how to write clearly so we can express our ideas, communicate professionally, and understand one another. Yet today, many of us type first and rely on AI to fix everything afterward.

The convenience is undeniable, but it comes with a cost. When software automatically corrects every comma, misspelled word, or awkward sentence, we stop paying attention to why the correction was needed. Over time, those skills begin to fade because we no longer practice them ourselves.

I’m not suggesting we abandon AI. These tools are incredibly useful for proofreading, editing, and catching mistakes we might otherwise miss. However, they should enhance our writing—not replace the knowledge behind it.

If we continue to outsource basic writing skills to technology, future generations may never develop the confidence to write well without assistance. AI should be a helpful editor, not a substitute for literacy. The ability to communicate clearly is a lifelong skill, and it’s one worth preserving, even in an age where artificial intelligence can write almost anything for us.

What’s your biggest dream?

The older I get, the sillier my biggest dream sounds.

I want to do something that makes a difference.

Not in a “change the entire world” kind of way, but in a way that changes someone’s world. I want to encourage people to be a little kinder, a little more hopeful, a little more content with the lives they already have.

That’s why I wanted to be a teacher when I was younger. It’s why I started this blog. It’s why I still want to write a novel someday. It’s why I’ve always wanted a YouTube channel.

I don’t want to be a motivational speaker or give TED Talk-style life advice. I don’t have all the answers.

I want to be the person saying, “Hey, I’m kind of a mess too. Here’s how I’m learning to be content with my life. Maybe something here will help you be content with yours.”

The problem is… I have very little faith in myself.

I recently realized I inherited that from my mom.

Shocker.

Despite that, I still keep coming back to the same dream: I want to build community.

It feels like something we’re desperately missing. There are people trying to create it, and I love seeing that, but it also feels like so many opportunities to connect come with a price tag.

I wanted to join a Silent Book Club, but they met at a café where everyone was expected to spend at least $5 every visit. Five dollars isn’t much on its own, but meeting twice a week adds up quickly.

I joined a women’s walking group and genuinely loved it. Then gas prices climbed, and driving to the meetup every week became harder to justify.

I even considered joining a pickleball league, but by the time you buy athletic clothes, a paddle, balls, and decent shoes if you don’t already own them, it’s another expensive hobby.

Maybe this is something I notice more because I’m broke.

Or maybe a lot more people feel this way than we realize.

I want to find ways for people to spend time together that don’t require constantly opening their wallets. Places where you can show up exactly as you are, without feeling like community is another subscription service.

Maybe that’s the dream I’ve been chasing all along.

I don’t know exactly what it’ll look like yet.

I just know I want to create something that makes people feel a little less alone.

And I believe I’ll find that community someday.

It might take a while, but I think it’ll be worth the wait.