Video of Teen Struggling to Pump Gas Goes Viral, Sparks Debate

Mom recorded the girl as she tried to figure out where to put the cash and posted the video, prompting jeers that kids today lack commonsense. Do they really?

What do you know how to do when you first enter this world? The correct answer is: just about nothing.

Sure, you can eat, sleep, poop and scream. But beyond the basic instincts, you’re an eight-pound sack of blood and bones that doesn’t really know how to human – it’s up to mom, dad and other more experienced humans to teach you everything.

And that’s why I can’t wrap my head around adults that can’t figure out why kids don’t know how to do things they weren’t taught. Take the recent viral video of a teen that didn’t know how to pump her mom’s gas, for example.

Mom gave her $20 to fill up the gas tank of the family car, but didn’t give her any further instructions. The teen gets out of the car and searches the pump for a slot that’ll take her money but can’t find one.

She asks her mom what she’s supposed to do with the cash. To which mom says, “I want you to fill up my gas tank.” The teen explains to her mom that the “card thing” is not taking cash, so mom then asks her if there’s anything she can put cash into – implying that there may be something you can put cash into.

The girl returns to the pump to double-check that there’s nothing to insert cash into. And, of course, there’s not.

Mom finally takes pity on her and explains that she needs to go inside and give the money and the pump number to the cashier, and that she’ll only get as much gas as the $20 can buy. The girl still looks a wee bit confused but says she understands and heads inside. That’s where the video ends.

The Just Life News Facebook page posted the video and it went viral, with people coming out of the woodwork to make fun of this kid for not knowing how to pump gas.

But why would she unless she was taught?

Think about it. These days you can purchase groceries without speaking to a cashier, you can put money in the bank without talking to a teller and you can purchase everything you’d ever need online without any human interaction at all.

In fact, you can do just about everything without ever having to deal with an actual person, and cash is little more than a relic to most young people these days. So why would she assume she had to go in and pay?

Presuming that no one ever explained exactly how to do it, she might guess that the machine would take cash – just like the machine at the grocery store or an ATM.

I guess my point is that older people shouldn’t look down on younger people when they don’t know how to do something, even if it’s mundane or obvious to an older generation.

Yes, pumping gas is an essential skill that all kids should know by a certain age, but they aren’t going to learn it until someone explains how to do it. It doesn’t mean they lack commonsense or are stupid, as some of the commenters on the video may have you believe. It just means they’re human and need help – kind of like when older people need help figuring out the Wi-Fi.

Image from video posted to Just LIFE News’ Facebook page

Do you think the kid lacked commonsense – or was she simply not taught what to do? Let us know in the comments.

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