This is the last in a special series written by EdCal Editor Michelle Carl. Sure, they learned about moles in chemistry and how to find the cosine of an angle in trig. But during the COVID-19 closure of schools, our kids were also learning things that were not on the syllabus — things like how to cook, how to ride a bike, and resilience. Last year, I remember reading about a college course offered at UC Berkeley in Adulting. The class, which explored skills like money management and job searches, was one of several student-run courses at the UC.  According to the course description: “The school system does not require a class for students to learn how to live in the real world and function as an adult. We often enter college unprepared to take care of ourselves. Many life skills, including how to develop good habits, manage stress, pay taxes, budget our spending/income, and to live a healthy lifestyle, are necessary, especially when college is the bridge to adulthood. This course will explore the many dimensions of how to successfully adult.” This pandemic has been a good reminder that schools and parents need to prepare their children for life by teaching them skills that aren’t just academic.  What better classroom for these lessons than home? During distance learning, kids are baking, putting together shopping lists and learning how to sew. Some lessons have been so basic. My son has taken to making himself peanut butter sandwiches. Sometimes the bread is toasted. Sometimes he adds bananas or cinnamon. As I was watching him attempt to put away the bread one day, I realized he didn’t know how to get the tab back on the plastic bag. “OK, I’m going to teach you a quick lesson,” I said. “First, you smoosh the air out, then spin the bread until there’s a skinny twist and then … voila — the tab fits on the plastic!” Students are crossing off some major childhood bucket list items, too. “My 2nd grader learned how to ride her bike. We focused on it intently as part of ‘recess’ for a week and she nailed it after a few days of practice and a chalk drawn obstacle course to maneuver around,” one mom told me. “I had not seen that look of joy on her face for years. She said she was flying.” Getting to celebrate achievements like this are building our children’s sense of self-efficacy. My husband and I have put teaching our 7-year-old son how to ride a bike on the backburner for a couple years. Then one day out of the blue, he said he was going to ride his bike — without the training wheels. I nervously watched, knowing that he might crumble and give up, like he does for many other pursuits. To my surprise, he did not. He got it down on his second day, because he wanted to and because he was ready. Since then, we’ve held this accomplishment up as a reminder that he can achieve when he wants to. Other parents are using distance learning as an opportunity to teach social-emotional lessons.  “My No. 1 job right now is teaching these young adults about resilience. It’s the home lessons of rising up as a grown up to meet this tough time and being properly informed,” said one mom with a 17-year-old and a college student.  Her children were born around 9/11, and have faced school shooting drills and a recession in their short lifetimes. Now, this mom is watching Gov. Gavin Newsom’s noon updates with her kids, who are genuinely interested in what’s going on. “This generation is simply unique in their young life experiences,” she said. “I see their teachers, parents and counselors helping them to continue to hold up and be resistant.” While my sons are learning important life lessons, so am I. I’m learning about my parenting foibles. I’m learning about patience. I’ve learned to let go. I’ve learned about my limitations and how to tell my children when I can’t help them — there’s only one of mommy! I’ve learned to validate their feelings, while setting firm expectations. I’ve learned to believe in my children’s abilities and let them learn when they are ready.  Most of all, I’ve learned to appreciate this time as a unique opportunity to create lasting memories with my children and grow personally.