13 Boomer Skills Everyone Had in the Past That Kids Today Don’t Have

Life for boomers was vastly different than what kids today experience, and they needed different skills to navigate their days. As times have changed, many of those boomer skills are now uncommon among today’s kids.

Kids today were born with technology playing a large role in their lives. They haven’t known a time when electronics couldn’t do so many things. On the other hand, boomers didn’t live a technology-driven life or have many of the electronic tools we can access now.

The boomer skills listed here were common for people to use in the past. Many skills have become lost to time, but these bring back nostalgic memories for boomers.

Writing in Cursive

Boomers were required to learn how to write in cursive. Many still use cursive today since they used it for most of their childhood.

In 2010, cursive writing stopped being required teaching in school. Now, many kids can’t write or read cursive. Some teachers do still teach it, but their curriculum requirements don’t allow enough time to ensure all kids catch on.

Traveling by Bus

Baby boomers often relied on public transit, using it to get across town or the country. They knew which busses to take and if they needed to transfer to a different bus at any point.

Today, many kids don’t know where to find a public bus stop or station. They also don’t know how to buy bus tickets or pay their fare.

Ironing

Many clothing pieces today are wrinkle-resistant, so ironing them isn’t necessary. If you don’t fold or hang it up on time and it gets wrinkles, you can usually get it out by tossing it back into the dryer.

Boomers didn’t have it so easy and typically had to iron their clothing. Some kids today may not have seen an iron before, let alone used one.

Using a Typewriter

When boomers wanted to type something, they had to use a typewriter. They had to load it correctly and avoid typing mistakes because they couldn’t undo them. As they pushed each key, a letter would be imprinted on the paper as they went along.

Today, kids have the ease of computers for typing, where they have spell-check and the luxury of the backspace button. Most have likely never used a typewriter and wouldn’t know what to do with one.

Understanding a Checkbook

Many kids today have never seen a checkbook, let alone learned to understand one. They don’t know how to write a check or balance a checkbook.

With debit cards and other forms of electronic payments, kids may never need to touch a checkbook, even as adults. However, they should still learn to balance their bank accounts and keep track of their purchases.

Using a Physical Dictionary

Today, kids can use a search engine to look up the meaning of a word. They don’t have to find a dictionary and search through words in alphabetical order.

This lost skill isn’t so bad because dictionaries use tons of paper and require reprinting anytime they need an update. Online dictionaries can get updated quickly without wasting paper.

Reading an Analog Clock

Boomers had to use an analog clock to figure out the time. They also had to make sure they were set accurately by calling a number to get the time, listening for church bells, or setting their watch based on clocks in town.

Today, many kids don’t know how to read an analog clock. Instead, they rely on digital clocks or looking at the time on their electronic devices.

Using a Map

Paper maps were the way to go before everyone had a navigation system at their fingertips. Boomers knew how to read a map and how easy it was to get off course.

Kids today don’t often experience their parents using a paper map for road trips anymore and have never learned how to use one themselves. Map reading is a helpful skill, but navigation systems improved travel for everyone. However, there might be a problem if the navigation system ever goes down.

Hitchhiking

Okay, it might be for the best that kids today don’t know how to hitchhike. However, boomers often used it as an easy method of transportation.

Kids today are taught the dangers of hitchhiking and don’t see many people doing it. It likely won’t even cross their mind as an option for getting to where they need to go.

Sewing

Sewing was an essential skill taught at school in a home economics class. Knowing how to sew was a resourceful way to save money, and it was a quicker option than buying new.

It’s so easy to get new, cheap clothing today that many kids have never even seen their parents sew. Plus, fashion changes so quickly, and many people want to buy new pieces anyway.

Writing and Addressing a Letter

Boomers sometimes had no other way to communicate with someone unless they wrote a letter. They couldn’t text or email someone daily, and not everyone had phones, so they wrote personal letters.

After writing the letter, a boomer had to address the envelope, find a mailbox to drop it into, and wait for their friend to respond. On the other hand, kids today haven’t written letters and wouldn’t know how to even address the envelope.

Driving a Manual Transmission

It was common for a boomer to drive a manual transmission or stick shift car, but many people today don’t know how. Since it’s not commonplace in vehicles now, kids don’t learn how to drive one.

Missing out on this skill may not seem like an issue in America, but manual transmissions are still common in other countries.

Using a Telephone Book

Landlines and business phone numbers were typically printed in phone books, and boomers knew how to look up what they needed. If they looked up the same number often enough, they’d memorize it, too.

Today, kids can save phone numbers on their phones or use a search engine to find the phone number of a business. They can also use messaging apps to message people if they don’t know their phone number. Some kids today may not even know what a phone book is.