NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Millennials lacking life skills — like cooking, budgeting, or time management — are now signing up for classes designed to teach them those basics.
The trend gives young people a crash courses on adulting, CBS News’ Laura Podesta reported Wednesday.
At a cooking class in Queens, 29-year-old Elena Toumaras said she’s finally learningskills she wishes she’d been taught years ago.
“I don’t know, I was so used to when living at home, my mom always cooking,” she said. “Doing simple things now that I’m on my own, I’m struggling with it.”
She’s not alone. The number of classes geared toward teaching adults how to “adult” is growing.
Rachel Flehinger is the co-founded the aptly named “Adulting School” in Portland, Maine.
This month she’s launching online classes geared toward millennials anywhere who want to know how to sew a button, understand modern art or tell someone they love them.
“How to have a relationship, how to talk to someone, conflict resolution — how not to fight,” Flehinger said.
Experts say millennials are behind because many haven’t left childhood homes. The U.S. Census Bureau said in 2015, 34 percent of Americans between 18 and 34 still lived with a parent. That’s compared to just 26 percent in 2005.
“It’s more common than living with roommates and more common than living with a spouse,” demographer Jonathan Vespa said.
That translates into young adults marrying later, having children later and ultimately figuring out those crucial life skills later, too.
“I’m always surprised about people not knowing what I think are the simple things as far as knife skills, or flavors that go together,” said Kim Calichio of TheConnectedChef.com.
Calichio said she’s happy to keep teaching classes to help millennials catch up in the kitchen — better late than never.