Sorry boys

[btroj]

Got a call from my daughter yesterday. She is a sophomore ME major at Iowa. She is working with some other students on a project, making a small hovercraft. She is on the team working on the skirt.
It seems that time came for some holes to be drilled. The guys weren't entirely sure how to change bits and some were afraid of the drill slipping and making holes in hands. My daughter stepped in, changed the bit, and drilled the holes.
She hopes they are equally afraid of learning to weld!

She called to thank me for making her help around the house with various projects. Seems some of the info sunk in.

Makes a guy kinda proud to know his daughter can use tools better than a Bunch of guys. They might need to take a lesson and grow a pair.

[starmac]

When my youngest daughter was a freshman in hs, she was expelled for whuppin the daylights out of a 6' tall senior boy. lol I had to go to the meeting between her, him, hid dad, the super and I. Zero tolerance BS. It turned out his dad was a city cop in the next town. I might have mentioned to him he should be some kind of proud of his son. lol The boy never came back to school.

[Love Life]

Wow. Weak sauce abounds through out the country. Good on you and your daughter, Btroj. Were they wearing their sister's pants (skinny jeans) and buy their t-shirts at baby GAP?

[MT Gianni]

That is a good job by your Daughter but a terrible one by the ME students. It might be typical of most of the engineering grads we need to train when they get out in the field.

[RayinNH]

Girly men. Sad

[Blammer]

Got a call from my daughter yesterday. She is a sophomore ME major at Iowa. She is working with some other students on a project, making a small hovercraft. She is on the team working on the skirt.
It seems that time came for some holes to be drilled. The guys weren't entirely sure how to change bits and some were afraid of the drill slipping and making holes in hands. My daughter stepped in, changed the bit, and drilled the holes.
She hopes they are equally afraid of learning to weld!

She called to thank me for making her help around the house with various projects. Seems some of the info sunk in.

Makes a guy kinda proud to know his daughter can use tools better than a Bunch of guys. They might need to take a lesson and grow a pair.

Way to go! I'm sure when my daughter is old enough to leave the house on her own she'll know more about cars and car repair and how to turn a wrench than most guys. :)

[btroj]

That is a good job by your Daughter but a terrible one by the ME students. It might be typical of most of the engineering grads we need to train when they get out in the field.


That is exactly what I was thinking. She wants a job in manufacturing engineering, she would be very comfortable in steel toed boots and a hard hat. Not a girly girl here.

I think some more power tool learning will occur over Thanksgiving break. Seems the Sawzall blade change was an issue too.

Not many fame kids on this project, that is for sure. Farm kids would be all over this stuff.

[mikeym1a]

I tried to do the same with my daughter. Every so often I'll get a call from her to vent about some guy in an auto parts store who want to argue with her about the parts she tells them she needs. She then checks with me to make sure she was right, and she always is. Makes me smile.

[starmac]

My oldest daughter was working for the contractor I was running my trucks for at Wells Nv. One slow day the super sent her to several places in elco for various parts.
I ran a shop most of the years my daughters were growing up, and she had run parts for me quite a bit in high school, all parts were from 25 to 350 miles from my shop.
The super committed she came back with every part right, something that never happened, so she told him most people had not run parts for her dad. lol

The super on that job is a super good guy, but could be hot headed. The very first day my daughter worked for him he come to me and said he thought he was going to have a problem. He had said something to her and she had shot him the bird, I told him no problem, he would eventually learn to talk to people. lol

[starbits]

My daughter asked out a 6'4" pretty boy she called Hollywood. She took him out in the desert for a bonfire. He had no clue how to start a fire. She started the fire and then had to reassure him when the coyotes started to howl that the coyotes wouldn't attack them. Where do these "men" come from. Needless to say my daughter had no interest in him after that.

Starbits

[Love Life]

Real men break stuff for no reason, get angry their stuff is broken, order new stuff, and then treat the new stuff better.

Real men don't microwave leftovers.

Real men only shower when they feel like it.

Real men enjoy fisticuffs, even though they know they shouldn't have smarted off to the guy who is 8 inches taller and 60 lbs heavier.

Real men hurl insults at each other, and get in fisticuffs over women.

Real men work and provide.

All that being said, in about 10 years I'll be on top of the heap and make out like a fat rat, as will your daughter. The weak gravitate to the strong. It is human nature.

[JakeBlanton]

Part of the problem (or maybe it is just a symptom) is that high schools just do not offer the shop classes that they did back in our day.

[starmac]

The bigger problem is parent involvement through the generations. We did have shop classes when I went to school, and I did learn things in it, but I learned to weld, use a torch, and pretty much all power tools way before high school. The way people think these days, I'm sure my dad would be brought up on child endangerment charges for the things I did and learned before I ever got to high school, me too for that matter. I can't explain it, but I have known good mechanics whose 20 year old son couldn't tell you the difference in a 1/2 in wrench and a transmission, I have known a large farmer, whose 21 year old son, couldn't put a spare tire on or change the cartridge in a grease gun.
Schools are for learning, but it needs to start at home, and the kid has to have the ambition to learn, which he gets at home.

[crabo]

It is really easy to criticize young kids growing up and not knowing how to use tools. Many of my students live in apartments or grow up with their single parent moms. There is no exposure to tools unless someone teaches them. Obviously your kids are very lucky. I was lucky that I got to grow up with tools and projects.

The girls do really well in my auto body classes. They will often pay attention better than a lot of the boys. The one thing I find is that a lot of kids really want to learn when given the chance. They just need the opportunity and someone to teach them.

Texas just passed House Bill 5 which changes a lot of things.

"Board members emphasized preparing students on equal footings, whether they choose to pursue higher education or enter the workforce after high school.

Students will still need four English credits in order to graduate. But the requirement for science, math and social studies has dropped to three credits, giving students more flexibility in elective coursework. The updated plan includes endorsements students can earn in specific subjects including business and industry, humanities, science and technology.

The law also reduces the number of standardized exams, STAAR tests, that high school students must pass in order to graduate from 15 to five."

This is going to help our students get the opportunity to learn to work with tools and prepare for entering the workforce.

[JakeBlanton]

The problem that I see when students are given standardized tests and when the teachers' performance is based on how the students perform on those tests is that the teachers just "teach the test". I suspect that they are missing out on a lot of the things that we learned "way back then".

[starmac]

People have changed Crabo, it used to be that kids that were raised in apartments/single parents hung out with other kids and did things with their family. There is probably not one dad in ten anymore that changes his own oil, much less the wiper blades. This change started sometime back it was not an overnight thing. Peple are afraid to let their kids do anything or go anywhere with out them these days, and sometimes good reasons depending on where they live. I gave up some good pay, but when the kids got old enough to start school, decided where they were raised was way more important than the almighty dollar.

[btroj]

I don't do any maintenance on my own vehicles. I have changed my oil, I prefer not to.

My daughter knows little about cars but she has been shown how to change a tire, check the fluids on the car, check and put air in tires. These are things anyone who drives a vehicle must know.

What I am seeing is a trend towards people who view engineering as purely a scientific endeavor. I taught my daughter that to really understand how something works you need to know how it was made, what it does, and how to take it apart. This involves hands on learning and getting you hands dirty.

I have done huge amounts of home renovation and she has helped along the way. Where I helped her was when I explained how and why things are done a certain way. Why mortar or grout is mixed, left for a bit, then remixed. How to mitre a corner for door or window casing. Why we paint a ceiling before walls. Simple things but understanding that a reason why things are done a certain way makes a difference.

Crabo, I think that what you are describing will help. We have gone too far with the "college prep" educational thing. I would love to see high schools set up to prepare students for jobs, especially those with no desire to go to college. We need schools that develop tech skills. Get high schools partnered with local community colleges to help. We have a local high school who developed a home ec program that works with caterers to prepare students for a career in that field. They take classes at the community college, learn the job, and how to run a business. All very practical skills. We need that for auto repair, cabinet makers, skilled trades, and who knows what else. Give kids a set of skills and some knowledge so when they graduate they have a hope of finding a job.

I raised my kid to be independent and hard working. I am seeing that show in how she behaves and it makes me proud. I finally get to see whether or not what I was hoping she was learning is what she was learning. She paid some attention over the years and now appreciates it even though she may not have at the time.

[Pb2au]

In the course of my job, I often find myself in the position of teaching people how to operate and handle the equipment the company I work for sells. This equipment is large, CNC driven sheet metal fabrication equipment. Some are punch shears, some are laser cutters, and some are forming machines. Connecting all of it is various chunks of automation to move the material. Historically, most of the best operators and maintenance techs I have trained are women. I believe the a couple of the reasons are this.
1) Women typically will listen more critically while I am explaining something. They almost always bear down on the details. Which as we know, the devil is in the details.
2) They leave the egos at the door and just want to learn how to do it.

I agree with Crabo as well. There are just a lot of people that are raised in a situation where the exposure is not there. And in this, there is no fault on the person. The difference between ignorance and stupidity is that ignorance can be fixed. Some people just will never get it.
If you don't want to change your oil, fine. But you better know how to check it. Just like btroj said.

[beezapilot]

I taught "adult education" for years specializing in motorcycle mechanics. My favorite student was a cute as a button, 20 year old farm girl with plenty of dirt under her fingernails named Tiffy. As it always is with a new group of students there is that "test the teacher phase" to see what can be gotten away with. A 20 something male student started to whine about how hard the work was and Tiffy marches up to him and announces in a loud voice "I was at the dollar store this morning and they were having a sale on balls, would you like me to get you some?"... Turned into the most industrious class I've ever had.

The sad side note is she mentioned to me that it was pretty hard finding a boyfriend as they are scared of a young woman who can out hunt, out fish, out shoot, clean game, run a combine, fix a tractor, bow hunts, and can still put on a dress and steal your heart... man... if I was 30 years
younger..... Just like the title of the thread... sorry boys.

[beezapilot]

On another note, a friend of mine back in the early '70 was called into his high school class advisors office and told that he was not keeping pace academically and would have to go into one of the vocational tracks the school offered. He picked electricity and electronics. 40 years later he has sold his electrical contracting business with just over 50 employees. Said the best thing that happened to him was being called too stupid to keep up in high school.

[jcwit]

Got a call from my daughter yesterday. She is a sophomore ME major at Iowa. She is working with some other students on a project, making a small hovercraft. She is on the team working on the skirt.
It seems that time came for some holes to be drilled. The guys weren't entirely sure how to change bits and some were afraid of the drill slipping and making holes in hands. My daughter stepped in, changed the bit, and drilled the holes.
She hopes they are equally afraid of learning to weld!

She called to thank me for making her help around the house with various projects. Seems some of the info sunk in.

Makes a guy kinda proud to know his daughter can use tools better than a Bunch of guys. They might need to take a lesson and grow a pair.

Good for you, and good for your daughter. To many out there, both boys & girls, have no idea how to do manual things.

My daughter who's 40 this year wanted a cordless drill for her B-day. Yup, she got a cordless drill.

[Garyshome]

Those "guys" are lame! It's sad not to be able to use a drill! And even if they could they would most likely hurt themselves. With a Drill...HaHaHa

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Title could have been " Sorry Dads" ! Too many dads miss the boat teaching the basics.
But then as I am reminded the basics today might well be who can program a computer rather than finish cement.
No I cannot program a computer. But what will happen when the lights do go out permanently ? My kids will probably be survivors. That was the goal. Know His Truth and be ready to march.
Mike in Peru

[popper]

Where do these "men" come from Raised by 'helicopter' parents. I heard that term from my daughter. Answer - they been playing video games. Crabo - that new law is BS. Just another example of teachers knowing nothing other than 'arts' & bad politics. As an example, my youngest GK was showing me what he learned in 'Power Point'. In 2nd grade. Why? Just more button pushing! Teach thinking and discipline ( not disciplining them, teaching self discipline). I can teach all you need to know to make a presentation in PP in 15 min. I can't teach you what to put in the presentation. And you don't really need to know PP until you need to make real presentations - like when you get a management job. More educational BS.

[MT Gianni]

Part of the problem (or maybe it is just a symptom) is that high schools just do not offer the shop classes that they did back in our day.

Many have cut back but most rural schools still have very good Ag Education programs. Our local HS of less than 250 students has a better wood sop and a better metal shop than the one I graduated from in 1972 in a class of 720.

[Recluse]

I taught "adult education" for years specializing in motorcycle mechanics. My favorite student was a cute as a button, 20 year old farm girl with plenty of dirt under her fingernails named Tiffy. As it always is with a new group of students there is that "test the teacher phase" to see what can be gotten away with. A 20 something male student started to whine about how hard the work was and Tiffy marches up to him and announces in a loud voice "I was at the dollar store this morning and they were having a sale on balls, would you like me to get you some?"... Turned into the most industrious class I've ever had.

The sad side note is she mentioned to me that it was pretty hard finding a boyfriend as they are scared of a young woman who can out hunt, out fish, out shoot, clean game, run a combine, fix a tractor, bow hunts, and can still put on a dress and steal your heart... man... if I was 30 years
younger..... Just like the title of the thread... sorry boys.

Oh but how I can most definitely relate to this!

Six years ago, we took in our second teenaged young lady--this one who'd never known a father or reliable man in her life. We had our moments, and still occasionally do. I guess that is just part of the parent-child relationship. But I love her more than life itself, as I do the older young lady who gave us an awesome son-in-law and two incredible young boys who call me Granpa.

But this 22-year-old. . . She can change a battery, jump start a battery (the correct way--grounding to the engine frame on the vehicle with the dead/weak battery), change the oil, change an alternator, air filter, radiator and most other light preventive maintenance or routine maintenance tasks on my pickup (1/2 ton) or her pickup (1 ton Ford diesel).

She can do anything with a horse from picking hooves to shoeing it to administering vaccinations and she can ride anything with a mane and four legs, train it, rehabilitate it, jump it and anything else that can be done in the saddle or on a saddle blanket.

She can run a fenceline, string barbwire, repair a fence, set a post, install a gate, repair a gate, run a hotline.

She can set the frequencies and GPS identifiers in our airplane, read and follow a sectional, and hold a course and altitude heading from the right seat.

She can shoot one ragged hole with our Smith & Wesson .357 and then clean the gun to factory new condition.

She can also turn every boy's head and every man's head in any room she walks in or any street she walks down. Overtly insulting or sexual remarks are met with scathing admonishments to go find another planet to live on. I no longer have to run off boyfriends who can't cut the mustard--she does it herself.

My little gangly, awkward no-self-esteem sixteen-year-old has blossomed into an absolutely stunning and awesome young lady--and best of all, she's just getting started.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=83173&d=1380593268

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=83172&d=1380593267

We're getting her her CHL for Christmas, and this spring, I start teaching her how to take the boat out and take care of it.

She laments over the fact that guys that are interested in her are mainly a bunch of mama's boy metrasexuals who spend more time playing video games and taking selfie pictures of themselves than doing anything manly. One of her best friends told me that she confided in her that "Dad set the bar way high for me when it comes to men."

That made my entire year.

You dads that are raising your kids right. . . keep on doing it.

:coffee:

[Love Life]

Few things in life set me to giggling like a pale, long haired, sister's pants wearing, nail painting, girly man.

[btroj]

No girly men for my daughter. Her current BF is a heck of a good student, was an exceptional wrestler in HS, and is a dang nice guy.
He does hunt or shoot but I can't ask for everything. I did make my daughter ask him if he knew how to field dress a deer.

Recluse, sounds to me like you have an awesome young lady there. Cherish that.

[popper]

Just keep her out of all that F.B. & Twitter sewage and she'll do fine and find some really good guy later.

[Love Life]

You looking to adopt an able bodied male, Recluse? I clean up after myself, but I eat a lot. I just want to fly a plane....

[Recluse]

Recluse, sounds to me like you have an awesome young lady there. Cherish that.

Believe me, Brad, I treasure every minute I have with her. My most cherished times now that she's 22 and all grown up are our "Daddy - Daughter" dates at our favorite restaurants. I always joke with her that I "get to show her off to everyone" and she smiles and then tells me, "No, I get to show YOU off on our dates."

To quote John Candy in Planes, Trains & Automobiles, "love isn't a strong enough word to describe how I feel about" this young lady.


You looking to adopt an able bodied male, Recluse? I clean up after myself, but I eat a lot.

We're out of the adopting life. Two girls, grown, is enough. Here is the oldest, at age eighteen with hubby-to-be.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=86470&d=1383609369

And here she is today with the two boys.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=86468&d=1383609367

Dunno, Dick, where we'd put a recently promoted Marine in our house. :) Besides, you've already done good and you've already gone out and made your own way. You don't need us--there are kids and young people out there that need YOU in their lives.


I just want to fly a plane....

You and me both. I'm grounded. Rather than risk losing my medical over all this liver failure and cancer stuff, I let it expire last month. The FAA is quirky beyond comprehension over flight medicals. If you fail your medical or have it denied, it is the king of all PITAs to get it back--and it's expensive. Very, very expensive. But if you simply let it expire, then get waivers from the appropriate doctors, the AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) barely even gives them a look and signs you off for another two years of flying for your Airman's Third Class Medical.

So rather than risking having my medical denied because of all the medications I'm on and treatments I'm undergoing, it made sense to let it expire, get this medical stuff under control, get my waivers then go and see the AME and get another two years of legal flying in.

The helluva it, I am still legal to fly the Taylorcraft because it classifies as an LSA (Light Sport Aircraft) and you only need a driver license for a medical to fly light sport aircraft.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77271&d=1374899776

You still have to have an FAA issued airman's certificate (which I have, obviously) but a drivers license is all you need for the medical side of it.

Just one more example of how goofy and overbearing and nonsensical the federal government is.

:coffee:

[grumman581]

You and me both. I'm grounded. Rather than risk losing my medical over all this liver failure and cancer stuff, I let it expire last month. The FAA is quirky beyond comprehension over flight medicals. If you fail your medical or have it denied, it is the king of all PITAs to get it back--and it's expensive. Very, very expensive. But if you simply let it expire, then get waivers from the appropriate doctors, the AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) barely even gives them a look and signs you off for another two years of flying for your Airman's Third Class Medical.

So rather than risking having my medical denied because of all the medications I'm on and treatments I'm undergoing, it made sense to let it expire, get this medical stuff under control, get my waivers then go and see the AME and get another two years of legal flying in.

Besides, you can always just get another pilot to act as PIC while you do all the flying. :)

Sorry, but I'm a bit too far south of you to offer to help you out with that, but I suspect you can find some other pilots who are willing to help you out. You're in the Fort Worth area, aren't you?

[Recluse]

Besides, you can always just get another pilot to act as PIC while you do all the flying. :)

Sorry, but I'm a bit too far south of you to offer to help you out with that, but I suspect you can find some other pilots who are willing to help you out. You're in the Fort Worth area, aren't you?

Most of the time, I enjoy the solitude of being the sole occupant while flying. In fact, once I get clear of any Bravo or nearby controlled airspace, I'll turn the radios either off or turn the volume all the way down. That's what is nice about the T-craft--no radios. Have a handheld radio that I'll toss in the little baggage area if I ever need it.

But yeah, plenty of guys out at our airport that would ride along on a BBQ run and act as PIC, but the problem is that I'm feeling so danged run-down, fatigued and nauseous from all the medications and treatments that I don't even have the energy to drive out to to the hangar, let alone pull myself into the plane.

And worse yet, a couple of these meds are making me downright confused at times, forgetful and foggy in the head. I'm just going to accept the fact that my flying days are probably over for the rest of the year, and quite possibly into next year until the docs get this tumor on my adrenal gland figured out and decide what to do with it and how to do it.

:coffee:

[dragon813gt]

Imagine that, an engineer(actual or potential) that doesn't know how to use tools. As a non engineer field worker I can say they drive me nuts w/ their laboratory condition designs that aren't made to be field serviceable. I could keep going but I won't.

My 12yo step daughter gets mad at me when I make her help me work around the house with me. I can only hope to receive such a great call in the future. Is it bad that I'm the one teaching how to cook and clean as well?

[TXGunNut]

Glad to hear about all these good kids, you guys are rightly proud of your kids. My question is how many graduates will know how to use basic hand and power tools?

[btroj]

Imagine that, an engineer(actual or potential) that doesn't know how to use tools. As a non engineer field worker I can say they drive me nuts w/ their laboratory condition designs that aren't made to be field serviceable. I could keep going but I won't.

My 12yo step daughter gets mad at me when I make her help me work around the house with me. I can only hope to receive such a great call in the future. Is it bad that I'm the one teaching how to cook and clean as well?


I can only imagine how many engineers have no real world knowledge.

My kid has been raised to be very self sufficient and independent. Kills me when I am at work and mention that her boyfriend plans to get a PhD in Chemisty and teach at a university- the women I work with tell me she needs to hold on to him so he can take care of her. What? Why can't she take care of herself?

[starmac]

Yep. Raise them to take care of them self and everything else will fall in place.

[CLAYPOOL]

My son is in Neb. working. His boss says Michael you know how to do that? Sure my "Old man" taught that at the farm. You're expected to know how to do some things if you want to drive the tractor. Dad didn't want to climb off and on so he was the ground man. My daughters friends knew all those guns were real and may be loaded. Not one problem after they were given the speech when they first came to the house.

[btroj]

Ok JD, you made me do it.

Just to show that not all science minded girls are homely and awkward......


http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p733/Btroj/image_zps13083913.jpg (http://s1348.photobucket.com/user/Btroj/media/image_zps13083913.jpg.html)

[CLAYPOOL]

She waited till she was all most 30 and now is getting ready for Concealed carry in Illinois. When those 3 women were standing and talking about getting a gun and carrying, I knew we have a problem out there. My range roof is shot to ribbons but if it helps all those people down the road it will be worth it.. 5 classes threw, some big , some small. The Florida carry by the way.

[Hardcast416taylor]

For all the times that I had my daughter help me repair a piece of machinery or do a plumbing job with me or just swinging a 24 oz. roofing hammer helping on a shed. It all came to a very proud moment several years back when she was up from Va with her family. She came out to where I was tinkering in my barn on a mower. She chatted for awhile about next to nothing topics and then just came out with it asking if she could have some of my old tools. I said I`d buy her new tools if that is what she`d prefer. "No", was her reply, "I`d like some of the tools you taught me to repair things with"! I had to dig out my red bandana sn*t rag and pretend I had a piece of dirt blown in my eyes. Proud just isn`t enough of a word to describe her.Robert

[BNE]

Good job Gents. I have been encouraged by the many stories of good parents training the next generation. I have been blessed with two daughters and I am trying to teach them some basic tool useage, some plumbing and electrical. (Maybe a little shooting also.)

I was raised by a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Dad could and still can do anything. Maybe a little slower now at 79. I joke with Dad that he ruined me on Phds. I thought all of them could fix anthing. Unfortuneately, I have only met a few PhDs who knew how to swing a wrench, much less who were willing to do so. They could write a book about how to swing a wrench, and offer to consult......

I have found a strong correlation to kids who were brought up in the country and their work ethic. They are used to not having everything they want and are willing to figure out how to make what they need.

[Bullshop Junior]

Here is the problem i have with all this. Im 20. I grew up working on farms, home schooled, and learned how to fix things and run equipment at a young age. Now, im trying to run my own buisness and this is the problem...finding employees. Old guys wont work for me because who wants to work for someone half their age. And i have probably let go about 20 kids my age because they wanna stand around playing games on their phone on my dime, or thet just are not strong enough to do the work. Its not that hard. Ive been doing this since i was a kid. Its just so hard to find anyone anymore worth hiring, so i work by myself. And yes, i have hired girls that could outwork every boy on the crew. The lack of knowlage in young men drives my bonkers too. I mean seriously. A stick shift isnt that hard!! Among other things. Rant over. I could rant for days on this...

[btroj]

It isn't just knowledge, it is work ethic. Kids are used to being given everything, they don't have the gumption to earn anything. They feel entitled.

Jr, I have a guy doing some work on the house right now. He fired his own son because he spent too much time texting his girlfriend instead of working.

If I felt my daughter was being lazy and feeling entitled I would kick her in the.......

She used to comment on the fact we have a nice house. I always told herd that no, her mother and I have a nice home, she doesn't own squat. She grew up knowing she needed to make her own way in the world.

Yeah, kids today drive me nuts.

[Love Life]

Is this where I sign up for free stuff? I prefer things that can be used while doing lrp shooting.

Good job on all of you for raising solid children. I am working to mold mine the same way.

[codgerville@zianet.com]

Good job Gents. I have been encouraged by the many stories of good parents training the next generation. I have been blessed with two daughters and I am trying to teach them some basic tool useage, some plumbing and electrical. (Maybe a little shooting also.)

I was raised by a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Dad could and still can do anything. Maybe a little slower now at 79. I joke with Dad that he ruined me on Phds. I thought all of them could fix anthing. Unfortuneately, I have only met a few PhDs who knew how to swing a wrench, much less who were willing to do so. They could write a book about how to swing a wrench, and offer to consult......

I have found a strong correlation to kids who were brought up in the country and their work ethic. They are used to not having everything they want and are willing to figure out how to make what they need.
I agree with you on every point.

[dakotashooter2]

Girly men. Sad


Girly men is politically incorrect... they are Metrosexuals men............

[starbits]

A couple others showed pictures of their lovely daughters, here's my oldest a couple years ago.

86775

[TXGunNut]

Good job Gents. I have been encouraged by the many stories of good parents training the next generation. I have been blessed with two daughters and I am trying to teach them some basic tool useage, some plumbing and electrical. (Maybe a little shooting also.)

I was raised by a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Dad could and still can do anything. Maybe a little slower now at 79. I joke with Dad that he ruined me on Phds. I thought all of them could fix anthing. Unfortuneately, I have only met a few PhDs who knew how to swing a wrench, much less who were willing to do so. They could write a book about how to swing a wrench, and offer to consult......

I have found a strong correlation to kids who were brought up in the country and their work ethic. They are used to not having everything they want and are willing to figure out how to make what they need.

My dad was a PhD, well respected research biologist. He could also swing a paint brush and on occasion a hammer with either hand. He was a southpaw raised on a farm, so glad I had the opportunity to learn from him. Never could teach him to shoot...oh well, nobody's perfect.

[Thumbcocker]

Cheris every moment with your children. The very worst day you ever have with them is better than one second of knowing you will never have your child with you again.

[PatMarlin]

That is a good job by your Daughter but a terrible one by the ME students. It might be typical of most of the engineering grads we need to train when they get out in the field.

Wait- drilling. Isn't the computer program supposed to do that for you now..? ...:mrgreen:

Shows right there on the screen.

[PatMarlin]

Here is the problem i have with all this. Im 20. I grew up working on farms, home schooled, and learned how to fix things and run equipment at a young age. Now, im trying to run my own buisness and this is the problem...finding employees. Old guys wont work for me because who wants to work for someone half their age. And i have probably let go about 20 kids my age because they wanna stand around playing games on their phone on my dime, or thet just are not strong enough to do the work. Its not that hard. Ive been doing this since i was a kid. Its just so hard to find anyone anymore worth hiring, so i work by myself. And yes, i have hired girls that could outwork every boy on the crew. The lack of knowlage in young men drives my bonkers too. I mean seriously. A stick shift isnt that hard!! Among other things. Rant over. I could rant for days on this...


Welcome to modern advanced America JR. See what a progressive future brings? ... :mrgreen:

You don't ever want to make to much money and be to productive anyway. You'll have to pay to much for health insurance.

[timbuck]

What I have run into is that the guidance counselor thinks engineering is a good field to go into. They recommend it to too many kids that want a high paying job. They think they can teach anything into a college kid. If you don't have the interest and aptitude to do it, chances are that they will never get it. We have a forty something technician now that you can't explain what is wrong with a part let alone what to do to get it fixed.

[PatMarlin]

I remember back in the late 70's when the governor of California said our schools were going to become the best of the 3 R's, and they commenced to shut down all shop and music classes- the only thing that got me through school.

Even as a kid I remember thinking, lordy- they are going to screw this state up. What will 90% of my neighborhood do now? Oh- there's drugs, prostitution, gangs, etc. They'll still get work... :roll:

[Hardcast416taylor]

Bullshop Jr made me remember how I grew up. I lost my Dad to a heart attack when I was 13. We had 2 farms and about 300 head of animals including milk cows, beef, swine. My elder brother was attending MSU at the time. My Mother had a weak heart, my sister was 3 years younger than me. We had 2 full time hired hands, both adult middle aged men. They both quit in the Spring for not wanting a 14 yr. old kid being their boss. I ran both farms with just my sister and what my Mother could do for another 5 years. I still attended HS and graduated in the middle of my 125 Seniors class. I fired men that thought I was easy to put a fast one by me or handled equipment like it was a tinker toy to be destroyed or just plain lied to me about something. I am telling all this to show why I put the training into my own kids. They left my house to begin their own life with a decent understanding on how to maintain equipment and a fair idea of how to deal with people. My fondest wish is that my late son of 2 1/2 half years past could be here now.Robert

[badgeredd]

I totally appreciate the views of many previous posters. My 2 girls were raised in a home of a hands on dad and mom. Because I often had them help me with various projects, they picked up some mechanical aptitude. Because I sat with them and explained what they needed to look for in a story problem, they became logical thinkers. Because I demanded they do their best at whatever they tried, they became goal orientated. Because I made them responsible for their actions, they became responsible. NONE of these traits were taught in school. I was fortunate in the fact they did learn from my wife and myself, but that isn't only because of us, it is also because of their own pride in their own selves, which may or may not be due to learning from our examples.

I do know that the education system is only a part of our current problems in education, but I have to agree that the idea that every one is college bound is pure nonsense. A technical education can be rewarding and the source of an excellent income. If we as a nation expect to survive, we need to get morality, good work ethics, and common sense BACK into our education system and home life.

I am extremely proud of my daughters' accomplishments, but I also have to be proud of what they have accomplished their selves. My oldest is a radiologist and my youngest is a sales engineer, both because of their individual hard work. I only provided the basics and they chose to apply them.

Edd

[David2011]

I deal with people who have graduated with engineering degrees every day. Many refuse to get their hands dirty, as if it's demeaning. The oilfield crews don't like that type very much. Typically, when I engage them in conversation they reveal how little mechanical skill or knowlege they have. Most got engineering degrees without doing any hands-on work in an electrical lab or machine shop. Most are not Professional Engineers yet, still working on their time under an engineer. They can't believe the IT guy can run a lathe and milling machine, build a rifle, restore an airplane, build a car, etc. when they wouldn't have any idea where to start.

One of the most offensive things ever said to me was when I told a female acquaintance that I was working on small aerobatic airplanes. She asked, "Won't you get your hands dirty?"

David

[Sensai]

I'm afraid that the worst is yet to come. Can you imagine how the new breed of public school "zero tolerance" kids are going to turn out? More and more families, or what passes for families nowadays, have no adults at home when the kids get home from the indoctrination centers. All day long the kids are afraid to do anything that might be misconstrued as being anything other than docile or vegetative. I know some excellent teachers, or at least they would be if allowed, that are tired of fighting a system that holds every student back to the lowest common denominator. The kids can't build any self esteem or confidence because they can't do anything that might seem competitive or aggressive. Oh well, can somebody help me off this soapbox??

[Frank46]

Having read many of these posts I would like to make an observance. My dad was an electrician for the long Island railroad. Seems even way back then he was always messing around with something. I'm not a mechanical genius but when younger and fitter thought nothing of changing out exhaust systems, water pumps, carbs, or doing general car repairs. At my job was more of a glorified mechanic and equipment operator (pumps,and stuff like that)Basically the same stuff I did in the navy. I have to say this though, what I did in the navy helped when I got a job after I got out. I've seen very few younger people who do work with their hands today. Went to a vocational high school. Don't see many of them down here. Thinking that is where our different school systems have gone wrong. You can teach them the 3R's but that doesn't really prepare them for a job after they graduate. Frank

[grumman581]

I have to say this though, what I did in the navy helped when I got a job after I got out.

The best way that the Navy helped me when I got out was that it had seriously impressed upon me that I wanted to work with my mind and not my body. :) When I dropped back into college after the Navy, I was a lot more dedicated to my coursework than I had been prior to going in the Navy. Having already partied with the best around the globe, those little frat boy antics just didn't impress me.

[10x]

My daughter asked out a 6'4" pretty boy she called Hollywood. She took him out in the desert for a bonfire. He had no clue how to start a fire. She started the fire and then had to reassure him when the coyotes started to howl that the coyotes wouldn't attack them. Where do these "men" come from. Needless to say my daughter had no interest in him after that.

Starbits

Face it folks, the Nintendo generation is here - you cope with it at every fast food outlet.
I bought a 1975 toyota station wagon and set it on the driveway. Then I told my sons and their friends they could take it apart. That was over twenty years ago and my kids and their friends still talk about how much they learned that summer.

[10x]

Could you please end the pretty daughter pictures. I have fallen in love a number of times in this thread. I keep forgetting I am an old man and married. - it ain't fair to my wife....

[10x]

Real men break stuff for no reason, get angry their stuff is broken, order new stuff, and then treat the new stuff better.

Real men don't microwave leftovers.

Real men only shower when they feel like it.

Real men enjoy fisticuffs, even though they know they shouldn't have smarted off to the guy who is 8 inches taller and 60 lbs heavier.

Real men hurl insults at each other, and get in fisticuffs over women.

Real men work and provide.

All that being said, in about 10 years I'll be on top of the heap and make out like a fat rat, as will your daughter. The weak gravitate to the strong. It is human nature.

Real men do what every they effing well want to, and they eat what ever they effing well want to.
And a real man will back away from giving an incompetent and obnoxious little chit the beating they truly deserve....
I have never started a fight, but i have been in several that ended when the other guy lost interest in fighting when his feet left the ground.