Part of the Parent Manual

There are times, as a parent, when I feel that I crushed the whole "parent thing".  But then, I'm reminded that there are certain lessons that would've been nice to know ahead of time.  Like, you have to teach your kids to skip, hop, run, and to say "please" and "thank-you".  I remember once, one of my kids asked, "Mom, do you now how to skip?"  That question took me by surprise because I seem to remember not ever knowing how to skip.  But then, I asked my mom if I had always skipped.  The reaction I got was a bit surprising.  She said, "Um no.  But watching you figure it out was quite the show."  That began a journey to learn which skills I needed to teach my kids and which ones would come "naturally".  

Now that they are about to venture out on their own, I'm left to ask myself, "Did I teach them everything I thought comes naturally?"  Thank goodness they aren't afraid to ask.  I got a call today from my daughter saying, "Now, I'm asking because I don't want to burn down the house..."  What was she asking about?  Whether or not a cast iron skillet was safe to put in the oven.  This led to... what items, besides metal you don't put in the microwave, what items you don't put in the oven.  My son has asked questions about depositing money, applying for a credit card, how that works, and when they apply interest.  I'm sure I'll get more of these types of questions, just to remind me that a Parent's Manual would've been nice.