What I especially love about this book is the list of age-sorted charts, detailing at exactly what age your child is capable of doing x job. As a first-time mom, this was a very useful thing. And, as the other reviewer says, I actually did use this book before I had children. I found it as a child, in the library, and used it off and on to decide which skills I ought to learn. Ok, there are quite a few, particularly in the automotive/home repair areas, that I'm not sure I've picked up yet. But the point is, it's a useful guide. It's always easier to learn a skill - including home economics related skills - when you know just what it is you ought to be learning. ( )

I bought this book before I had a child - before I was even married. As a newly employed teacher, I could see there were holes in what I knew about being an adult - and I could see that the curriculum did not have standards that included information that my students (and I) should know. So I bought the book in 1982 - and picked out items to incorporate in my sixth grade and then second grade classroom. My students enjoyed the discussions and exercises - the parents gave me nice feedback too. I worked to fill in the blanks for myself and vowed that my child(ren) would start their adult life with this knowledge so embedded in their lives that they would not ever have to struggle with the day to day things as I did in the beginning. It didn't work out that way - but I still have the book and look at it every once in a while - perhaps with grandchildren. Still this is a great book - and useful to parents and teachers. ( )