Not on my watch.

"Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!" (eurylokhos) 03/09/2019 at 22:10 • Filed to: None

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Every now and then I meet an adult  who never works on their own stuff. They’ll change a lightbulb, but that’s it. Everything else goes to a shop or they hire a contractor.

That’s not how I was raised. I was taught that if something breaks, grab some tools and take a look. At least give it a shot, you can mess up a whole bunch of times before equaling paying someone and you’ll learn something no matter what. You’ll also get the satisfaction of working with your hands.

I’ve adapted that into my saying. Here’s Nick’s (that’s me!) wisdom for life:

When I meet someone who does X, is that person smarter than me, or do they just have training or experience? If the answer is no, Google search it and give it a shot. If it’s yes, or the consequences are so severe that death is a good chance, then don’t even bother and go to the pro.

So for most things I’m willing to tinker. Medical sees a pro, dentist pro, natural gas lines pro, etc etc.

Which brings us to today. If I die tomorrow, I want my 11yo son to grow up to be someone who is willing to try working on stuff. My wife’s Odyssey is in need of front brakes, I bought rotors and pads on Black Friday, and we had a day at home with semi warm weather.

Put the van on the lift and started teaching. Showed him how to use the lift, chock the wheels, use the impact to remove the lugs. Then we talked about how brakes work including hydraulics and took it apart to see how it all goes back together. Asked him how he thought it all went back together and he could figure out which pad went where, showed him he could just check the other side for reference. Explained how torque on a bolt works and tied that to a lesson he had in school by using a 2’ breaker bar vs a 10” ratchet and finally how to use a torque wrench to get things just right.

He seemed to have a good time and learned a lot. I really hope it gave him the confidence to tackle things in the future when I’m not around. I’d rather he try and fail than not have the confidence to give things a shot. Hopefully that will be my legacy.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/09/2019 at 22:40

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Kudos friend - as a teacher, it’s nice to see parents taking on a wonderful ‘role model’ role such as this, especially when it deals with the passion we all share, i.e. cars. :)

TheRealBicycleBuck > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/09/2019 at 22:41

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Good for you! I’ve taken the same approach with my kids. So far, my daughter has changed a flat (required before I would let her get her license), replaced brake pads and rotors, bled the brakes, changed (and checked) the oil, changed the air filter, rotated tires, and most recently, helped me change the headlight on the Outback which she drives. My son has done most of those things too. He also learned how to hang drywall after a recent flood . We’ll be working on some carpentry this summer since he wants to build a small workshop in the side yard.

DipodomysDeserti > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/09/2019 at 22:56

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Yep. Had my five year-old daughter helping me rewire the motorcycle today. Time to get her her own trail bike to fix up.

50ford500 > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/09/2019 at 23:43

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Awesome work bud. I got to teach my boy how to do a job for someone else and enjoy the fruit of your labor. He likes to spend money and has been looking for a way to make some of his own so as we have a mower.... He mowed his first ever lawn for a neighbor today and made sure to thank them for the business and ask to come back next time they needed it done. It felt good to get to help him learn a job paid for is worth doing right.

Dogsatemypants > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/10/2019 at 00:13

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Th ats good parenting right there.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/10/2019 at 00:14

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I’ve tired with my kids but they’re just crap with tools. I think they might be slow.

shop-teacher > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/10/2019 at 00:19

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This is high quality parenting.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/10/2019 at 00:20

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Good stuff. We need more people in this world who look at broken stuff and at least  attempt to fix it before throwing it out and getting another. 

Tohru > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 03/10/2019 at 01:57

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Seems like you’re just having a ruff time training them.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/10/2019 at 05:39

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exactly, i’m not a plumber, yet i managed to put in new taps when the old ones in the shower were constantly leaking

Echo51 > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 03/10/2019 at 07:06

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They might be better suited to boy scout things, like gathering firewood or eating weird berries in the forest :P

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 03/10/2019 at 07:29

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Solid moral support, though. 

f86sabre > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/10/2019 at 08:20

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Solid work there.  I add for most low value items that if you are working on it it is already broke.  Worse that could happen is that it is still broke after you mess with it.  Might as well give it a shot.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/10/2019 at 08:37

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welp my daughter doesnt want to wrench... but ive at least managed to teach her how to fix a flat on her bike and get the chain back on if need be

mostly coz she agrees being able to do those things beats having to walk a bike home from where ever she is when it needs fixing

side note.... one of my new co workers spent 3 days walking to work coz he took his bike to a shop for a flat tire

(bikes being bicycles just be clear)

PartyPooper2012 > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 03/29/2019 at 08:46

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When I was a kid, my dad tried this approach. For the most part it worked. However, the amount of damage he did to my understanding of things by using wrong terms and names for tools and parts is incalculable

He has a decent understanding of how things work but has a god awful time putting it in words.

To his credit though, man is struggling with “Speaking too many languages” syndrome so he gets easily confused.

But back to my point - imagine your dad tells you how something works and you look at it and it all makes sense to you how it might be working.

You go to say Autozone and explain to them what exactly you are trying to do and why and they look at you like you have 7 heads. Point you kindly to a tool that does just what you have been McGyvering all your life smile and nod.