the lost arts of the previous generation

Just one generation ago, us women were taught how to bake everything from scratch, darn socks, sew a whole wardrobe, clean with household goods, and cook anything you could imagine. I remember my grandmother sewing my whole bedroom set for me when I was little. She made everything from the curtains to the bed sheets. She even made her own clothes. I’d make pizza with her from scratch with jarred tomato sauce, she also made herself. My mother crocheted like no tomorrow. She also was an awesome cook. Yet sewing, jarring and cooking really aren’t things I was taught. None of the women actually took time to teach me any of these things. And it’s a trend I keep finding amongst females of my generation.
Last year around Christmas I realized I really wanted to learn how to sew. I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas and all the necessary things to start teaching myself how to sew. I thought how just one generation ago it was a necessary skill for women who had families. I had Aiden, and I didn’t know how to sew. So I got a sewing machine. It came with a DVD to help teach me. I set up the machine in front of the TV and was on my way. I followed how to tread the bobbin. Then I threaded the needle. I was well on my way to sewing. Then I had my epic fail when fabric would just keep getting stuck in the machine. I then gave up and packed the sewing machine away. It still hasn’t even made it to the new house from the old house yet.
Then there is jarring. I have been into the organic and green life style for as long as I can remember. When I was in kindergarten, I came home from school, and I preached to my parents about how we NEEDED to recycle. When I was in middle school I had a project on geothermal heat loops I did sent to Princeton University. Naturally I also care about knowing where my food comes from. My thing is I can grow my own things and then jar them. So this past summer I went out and spent a large amount of money on plants. I spent all summer trying to grow tomatos. I got one. I got one $83 tomato.
I got lucking when it came to cooking. But I never picked up on it from my mother or grandmother. I picked up on it from the food network. To be honest with you I never even cooked raw meat until I was about 18. I think the first steak I cooked was when I was 22. Even when it comes to baking, I didn’t bake a single batch of cupcakes until I was 18.
The point is people in my generation aren’t taught skills our mothers and grandmothers had. We’re taught convenience. We’re taught how to go to the store and spend money on things that if we just knew how to pick up a needle and thread we could do ourselves. In the end it’ll be our undoing. God forbid anything happens to our way of life, we’ll be lost.