8 things every boomer kid knew how to do by age 12 that most adults today would need to Google - Silicon Canals

"Last weekend, I was visiting a friend when his teenage son asked how to address an envelope. Not how to write a formal letter, mind you, just the basic mechanics of where to put the return address. It struck me that what seemed like essential knowledge when I was growing up has become almost arcane wisdom in the digital age."

"My grandparents, who'd lived through the war, passed down practical knowledge like it was currency. They knew how to make things last, fix what was broken, and navigate the world without a smartphone in sight. The truth is, most of us who grew up in that era learned these things not because we were particularly clever, but because we had to."

Everyday practical skills that were commonplace for children in the 1980s have become unfamiliar to many adults who rely on smartphones. Tasks such as addressing envelopes, reading paper maps, orienting by landmarks and the sun, estimating distances, and basic repairs were learned through observation, necessity, and hands-on practice. Working-class families passed down practical knowledge and habits across generations. Limited access to instant online help meant people watched, learned, and did. Modern dependence on GPS and voice assistants leaves some people incapable of basic analogue tasks and prone to panic when devices fail.

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