It seems, in my family, sewing skips a generation. My grandmother worked in a sewing factory and she did a lot of sewing at home. My mother never really learned how, because she always had someone to do any repairs, etc. It's always something I've been interested in. I'm not as good as I want to be (but who is?!) and I have one child, a 15-year old son. He hasn't shown any interest, but I've forced him to learn how to do the basics on a sewing machine. But the best part is that I've done a lot of alterations and repairs to his clothes. He bought some shorts that were too big, and I took up the waist so he could wear them. He had a pair of black jeans that he loved but ripped them from the crotch to the knee! So I made a very long patch out of plaid flannel and left the edges raw and sewed it up. Then I added another fake-patch to the other leg and one on the back. I let him use some safety pins and he had a broken bracelet that we pinned. He loved those jeans and when someone asked about it, he said he did it himself (I "helped", of course!). He has several pair of jeans that have ripped and I patch them up and they look just like Mall Jeans and he couldn't be any happier.
I guess my point is, even though he doesn't have the interest, he knows the value of knowing how to do things like this. I don't know what I'd do with myself if he decided he wants to learn how to quilt or make clothes!!