Mr. Fix It

As anyone who reads us regularly knows, I am in the middle of a remodel. Having real people who earn a living with tools has been a luxury for me. Having real people who start and finish a certain task, all in a reasonable amount of time, has been a gift. I am getting spoiled. It's like rubbing a lamp and a genie comes out, "You're wish is my command." Of course, these genies charge by the hour. I love getting everything done but it makes me appreciate having a handy husband and handy children.

Warren truly can fix almost anything. He has shared that with our boys. Catherine is also very handy. (Annie and I are more "crafty" but that can come in handy too. We are dynamite with a glue gun). I cannot imagine the money we have saved over the years- plumbing, car repairs, electrical, carpentry. Ward was popular at the lake because he could fix anything with a motor. Tom knows how to change anything fluidy in his car and can identify rattles and ka-thumps. Cath built my closet shelves and put together an armoire, with directions and a screwdriver. Wag never met a disposal he couldn't un-stop. The Wagner's definitely learned at their Father's knee. (Son-in-law Greg is very handy too-he designed, built and planted all the landscaping in their front yard).

It is a life skill to be self-sufficient. It is empowering to know how to take care of things. There is a financial benefit of course, but there is also a confidence that comes with being in control of a situation. You are not at anyone else's mercy.

Can your teens change a tire? Bake a cake? Mow the lawn and keep the mower running? Have they cleared brush, disposed of a mouse trap, flipped a circuit breaker or painted a room? Have they fixed a leaky faucet or built a shed? If not, maybe it's time to learn. Perhaps the task will convince them they want to make enough money to pay people to do it when they are grown. Perhaps the project will ignite a passion for architecture, or engineering or landscape design. Perhaps it will be time and talent shared with your child that would not have happened without the shared solution. Perhaps your child will gain knowledge and confidence in him or herself and that is the best outcome of all!