What basic life skill were you surprised to find your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse didn't have when you first started dating?

Well...as someone who spent way to long in the military: I had many children co-workers/subordinates who were completely life-illiterate.

When you have to write a detailed counseling statement on the concept of "what is a mop, and how do I use it?", you are to far gone to think life can become normal ever again.

Simpliest things can boggle the mind of soldiers:

1/ Laundry, even more so when it comes to dress uniforms.
2/ Basic levels of household cleaning (what do you mean...what floor cleaner did I use?)
3/ Anything to do with body cleaning, especially teeth. Between lack of care, obsessions with dip/smoking and other lifestyle habits...the military breeds a 'special' kind of jaded dentist
4/ Rock or something
5/ Finance, budgeting, and why 30% APR is not a "good deal"

I had to write a lot of confusing, weird, and just awkward counseling statements over my career. I get it, many people come into the military straight from Mom's teat and have basically zero life experience. It makes life miserable for every remotely normal human being, as the 'level of general trust in you' is always going to be zero.

/r/AskReddit Thread