When the newlyweds take on the responsibilities of a home and a marriage, they may slide right into their new roles without even the smallest snag. Then again, both of them may feel overwhelmed by life when they realize that they have to have food in the house and clean clothes for work, the bills have to be paid, and for some reason, none of these things ever gets done.

Years ago, home economics was a standard rite of passage for boys and girls (and many moms that didn't work outside the home were able to pass on certain domestic skills to their children). They learned to decipher recipes and to sew buttons, if nothing else. Eventually, though, home economics faded in favor of more technical, marketable subjects, and suddenly, young men and women could graduate from high school without ever learning how to handle a mixer. What this means to you is that you may see your whiz-kid daughter and her business-savvy husband struggling with the most basic household tasks, simply because they never learned them. Can you help? As long as you know how to be handy around the home, of course you can.

Basic Life Boot Camp

You may feel foolish taking your daughter and her husband by the hand and teaching them how to balance a checkbook. You might feel condescending when you teach them how to fire up an iron to the appropriate material setting or when you break out the needle and thread for a crash course in button repair. You could feel ridiculous when you present the merits of using fresh food to cook with and comparing it with the high sodium and fat levels of prepared meals.

The good news is this: These are not complicated tasks. They should catch on to most of them quickly. You won't be teaching them how to starch collars forever, nor will you need to show them how to cut an onion every time one of them plans on making a meatloaf. If only one of them can manage to read a recipe and learn to follow it, you'll be in the clear sooner than you think.

What's the Point?

The bad news is this: It might be difficult to impress upon either the bride or the groom the importance and value of knowing how to do these things. Keeping track of how much money is available in the checking and savings accounts is obviously a smart thing to do.

It's almost always cheaper (and usually healthier) to whip up something at home than to swing by the fast-food place on the way home from work every night. Taking care of little clothing mishaps at home is a much less expensive option than having to rely on outside assistance for these (usually) quick fixes. Unfortunately, the newlyweds are living in a quick-fix generation and society, where it's usually faster and easier to pay others to take care of life's mundane tasks.

Weekend Warrior Mom

Of course, you might also be a pro at the big home projects, like plumbing repairs, wiring, and installing flooring. If your daughter is talking about remodeling, offer to teach her a thing or two about grout and tile. She'll save a bundle if she doesn't have to hire someone else.

Meanwhile, your son-in-law might want to learn how to hang wallpaper, or how to tape drywall, or countless other things that might be easy for you, but he might feel uncomfortable asking for your help. If he musters up the courage to ask for your guidance, don't assume that he'll catch on to your home-repair lingo right away. Don't revoke his tile-cutting privileges the first time he makes a mistake. Everyone has to start somewhere. You'll be helping and getting to know him really well at the same time.