Parents with children..

[RICHARD]

For years my dad was the handy man at our house.

For most of those years I was the pain in the arse-hanging over his shoulder-
getting screwdrivers, pliers and wrenches. I learned about sockets, metric and standard measurements.

I learned how to change drum brakes, disc brakes, oil, do simple wiring.

I learned the basic skills of "how to do it" from him.

Those skills got me home with a broken throttle cable on a motorcycle, bad alternators in my truck and flat tires on my cars.

I learned now to tune up my bikes, change broken parts and other fixes that got me on the road again.

In the last month and a half I have fixed a broken pipe, a clothes dryer, installed the plumbing on a sink, repaired a vacumn cleaner, pulled some bad electric lines to a garage.

I still can't do roofing though.....

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I just want to tell all you parents out there that organized sports are fine and dandy. Music and art are O.K. too.....

But in the end, challenge your kids to be handy with a screwdriver and a wrench-hammer and nails.

Don't get flustered when they ask you questions about "how does that work?" or "what are you doing?" Let them in on the secrets!

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One of the most satisfying things in life is to fix a pipe, your car or something around the house!

I thank my dad everytime I am able to fix a problem around the house. When he passed away I lost my knowledge and my support. I lost the encyclopedia of advice, wisdom and calm.

I did gain the confidence to go on and try to fix things.

There were times I have struggled, times I have admitted jobs were way over my head, time where I have failed,

And even in failure I know that my dad is looking down saying to himself, "Oh well, at least he tried.." Or "Dang we never got to THAT lesson!".


This isn't a thread to toot my own horn...It's just a little reminder to get your kids involved with what you are doing around to house.

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One of my old aquaintances owns a house- his tool is the cell phone-call up the Fix-it- Guy, then complain about the cost...

I laugh and shake my head....

This guy is a computer programmer and knows about programs -but, he would kill himself with a screwdriver.

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There are things that are far beyond me and most homeowner/renters/squatters. But you can save yourself tons of money and walk a little taller when you fix something around the house.

So, the next time you start a home project and the kids come around and ask
"what are you doing?" Think ahead....In a few years they will be telling you, "Look at what I am doing!"

[critter crazy]

Amen Richard!!!! I completely agree!!! My kids are pretty handy now, at the age of 7 and 11, and they keep getting better!!

[Kalei]

Great thread! I wish that my father would've let me in on how to fix up some vehicle problems, but he never wanted to let me because I am a girl. Now the only thing I know how to do is check the oil.

It must be so great to be able to fix those things yourself Saves lots of money that's for sure!

[Freedom]

I agree too.

I bought my house almost 5 years ago, after my Dad moved in with me.

I can't tell you how many times he has rescue us! Fixed, repaired, replaced. I'd be broke by now!

Wish I could do a quarter of what he does. I swear he has every power tool Home Depot has ever carried; and most of them predate Home Depot. Most of them, I haven't a clue what they are for. I find it very sad. What am I going to do with all of them once he is gone???

Now that he is 80, he often makes a point of saying, "I can do it; not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I can do it. Is it a rush? Should we call someone?" Sometimes I call just to learn the price.
Then I make do until he gets it finished.

[mike001]

So true and well posted Richard. I agree, fine Arts are great, but kids need to learn to handle every day life also.

[Jessika]

I was always that kid trailing my dad asking "what are you doing? What is that? How does it work?" When he worked on my car, I was always out there with him watching. And my father-in-law is the same way with my husband. I COULD change my own oil... I COULD change my own brakes... I do have the knowledge to do all that handy stuff... but why let yourself get down and dirty when your hubby can do it for you

[Karen]

I knew how to hand my Dad the 3/4 wrench before I knew what 3/4 meant ... my family nickname was "Pest" and so when one parent got tired of answering questions I'd get told to "go help Pa/Ma"

And in our family, regardless of gender, before you were allowed to go take the Registry of Motor Vehicles' Driver's Test, one had to pass the "Dad" test:

1. Check the oil, transmission fluid, wiper fluid and any other fluid he'd name.
2. Change a tire
3. Identify any major engine component when he said "where's the ..." and be prepared to say "there's no such thing!" if he named a nonsensical part.

He never wanted any child of his to be either stranded on the side of the road, helpless, or fleeced by a mechanic who'd take ya for a dummy and charge extra for the "framitz volt" that didn't exist.

And then, each of us had a "first car" that was an older - at least ten-year-old car, so we learned bits and pieces when things when wrong with them, too!

One of the most frustrating incidents was years ago, when I came out of our apartment one day to find the tire flat, and when I went to put the spare on, it didn't FIT! Last trip out to my parents' house, someone put a not-quite-matching spare in the trunk for me. That was annoying enough, but then the old man next door assumed I was just having trouble because I was a girl, so he came huffing over to "rescue" me from my girliness. I tried to explain it just didn't fit before he even left his yard, but he had to try it himself for several minutes before he believed me. (I did get an apology, and a replacement tire from the guilty party that had supplied the dud!)

[RICHARD]

charge extra for the "framitz volt" that didn't exist

Isn't that the extra cigarette lighter hole that I have in my truck?

[Karen]

Isn't that the extra cigarette lighter hole that I have in my truck?

Yes, and that'll be another $600 for parts and labor to fix it. Don't worry, we;ll just add that to you bill.

[Lady's Human]

Nah, durnit, the extry hole in da dash is the hertz grease refill point.....

Ya put da grease in, and make sure ya squish it in real good with yer finner......Hertz, dont'it?

[Lady's Human]

BTW, our Dad never taught me a thing. He tried like heck, and I'd have lots fewer scars on my hands if I'd LISTENED to him.

Main thing I learned from Dad was how to use tools. After you figure that out, you can tackle damned near anything, and you can figure out when you REALLY need a contractor.

[RICHARD]

Nah, durnit, the extry hole in da dash is the hertz grease refill point.....

Ya put da grease in, and make sure ya squish it in real good with yer finner......Hertz, dont'it?

Aha! That's the tech name for it, I know is as-The "Waker-Upper"!

On long trips when you feel sleepy you just lick your finger and insert it!

[wombat2u2004]

I still can't do roofing though.....

Thank your lucky stars for that......I've fallen off six roofs already, once on a 3 storey house.
Forget the roofing, it'll save you a great deal of pain.....LOL.
Wom

[Cataholic]

All I remember, with vivid pain, is the 2-3 hours worth of holding something up that I always seemed stuck with. My arms would nearly fall off, but, I was stuck holding up the shelving, the overhead something or other....

[sparks19]

I just want to tell all you parents out there that organized sports are fine and dandy. Music and art are O.K. too.....

But in the end, challenge your kids to be handy with a screwdriver and a wrench-hammer and nails.

Don't get flustered when they ask you questions about "how does that work?" or "what are you doing?" Let them in on the secrets!

When my nephew was younger he had (well he still has it) ADHD. He was VERY VERY VERY hyperactive and found it hard to sit down and concentrate on one thing. BUT...... there was always one thing you could get him to sit for hours with..... and that was any kind of appliance or electronic device that was broken. He didn't usually end up fixing it (although it did happen a time or two) but if our toaster broke we would give it to him and just let him take it apart and see all the insides and then he would put it back together. he just LOVED to see how things work. None of us knew how to fix a toaster persay..... and it wasn't really that he wanted to know how to fix it. He just wanted to see all the parts and learn (on his own) how each part worked and how it worked as a whole..... and through learning what each part was he figured out on his own how to fix it and make parts work again. It was a really great mind exercise for him and he was so interested in it.