There are several things I believe every grown woman should be capable of doing, but there are 5 things in particular I feel are non-negotiable in order for us to meet the standards of a true grown woman. Hint: They don’t have anything to do with where you live, how you live, or what kind of car you drive. Here are 5 things every grown woman should know how to do!

1. How to prepare a well-balanced meal.

I’m not asking you to channel Bobby Flay or be the next Food Network Star or anything, but there is never a time that a grown woman should not be able to prepare a well-balanced meal, if need be. Yes, that means one of nutritional value along with good taste. Initially, I wanted to say that it should almost be mandatory that you make a well-balanced meal daily, but I realized that I was asking for a lot. At least have the knowledge and capability of being able to do so. I get that not all women happen to love to cook (like I do), but that is no excuse to not know how. If anything, you should have enough skill to look at a recipe, follow it, and produce a sufficient meal. Period.

2. How to be a genuine caregiver.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a helpless animal or your parents at an old age, every grown woman should be a genuine caregiver to those in need. A grown woman should always consider herself a resource to help those in need without thinking about what she will get out of it or what she would have to do in order to be a help. It’s these types of skills that help the world go ’round. Being able to give of yourself for the good of someone else is an extremely important trait to embody. There are so many things that go with being a caregiver (knowing how to host, knowing how to make a bed properly, knowing how to clean properly, knowing how to be selfless, knowing how to cook… I mean the list could truly go on for a while), but they do come naturally when your heart is caring.

3. How to encourage someone.

A grown woman should know how to give fruitful advice, offer prayer, and/or be a voice of encouragement, if need be. Many women overlook the power that we have on the inside of us. We create life for goodness sake. There will absolutely come a time where you will have to encourage your child or someone else’s at some point in time. Every grown woman should know how to plant seeds and be a vessel in the life of others.

4. How to create and hold a fruitful conversations.

Have you ever spoken to a woman who can’t hold a conversation? Oh my gosh. One of the saddest sights in the world, trust me. If there is one thing us women love to do, it is talk. If the only thing you can hold a conversation longer than 5 minutes about is Real Housewives or the latest Facebook drama–I literally have no words for the kind of help you need. If you find that you need help in this area, you should start with turning the television and social media off and picking up a book. No shade… but seriously. Educate yourself to the point where you are capable of holding fruitful conversation. Find something valuable to be interested in and find people who want to talk about that. I mean, you are a grown woman after all, right?

5. How to dress ‘the part’.

Every grown woman should know how to dress appropriately for anywhere she may have to go. That means knowing the ins and outs of the appropriate dress styles for the appropriate places. Sure, it’s okay to need to know whether or not a color is appropriate or if a top is just a little too tight, but ultimately you should know what goes and what doesn’t. That also means knowing the rules of dress like being able to walk in heels if that is what the dress code calls for or when to wear stockings (which, I think, is one of the most forgotten rules in the book).

Again, I am not coming for your neck ladies, just encouraging all of us to make sure that we focus on the real things that every grown woman should know how to do. Years to come, it won’t matter if your eyebrows were on “fleek” or whether or not your hair was “slayed.” We are responsible for raising the next generations of humans. Let’s make sure we are ready for such an amazing task!