It might have been the red wine with the calzone that created the realization in my head that I am not a typical man.
Before we go into all of the man skills I lack there are a few (very few) skills my “toolbox” has in it. For example, when it comes to cars I can:
- Changing tires
- Knowing where the dipstick is (why are you looking at me?)
- Changing a turn signal light bulb (my wife does the other bulbs)
- Put fuel in the car
- Add oil
- Change the air filter
- Add wiper fluid (currently there is a major hole in the container so no fluid is being put into that vessel)
That pretty much covers my manliness in the area of cars. In our household me main job is IT support.
I feel like a failure to my family that the man skills (yes can be learned) that other dads/men have are skills that I should have.
My ego has told me that one of the many reasons why my first wife divorced me was because her second husband has mad man skills. He is building a new home in Montana. Then there is the painful thought of is this guy a better dad then I am? Back to therapy for me!
The phrase “compare and despair” is so true when as men we compare ourselves to other men. Don’t you think that Bill Gates compared himself to Steve Jobs? Oh HELL YES! Millionaires compare themselves to Billionaires.
I can not operate a fire extinguisher but there are unique skills that are in my wheelhouse. The first that comes to mind is well I am a writer. Might not be a good one but I do have two published books to my credit.
There is my podcast that not only do I host but produce it too. That means booking the guest and then editing the weekly show.
OK, not bad for someone who can not put a fire out.
Do I have to turn in my “man card?”
As I stated, there are many things that you are very good at and I am not. The only skill that truly matters to me is just being a good dad to our kids. Being present and supportive is very important to all kids. The quality VS quantity theory.
The only time that knowing how to use a fire extinguisher is well obviously when there is a fire. If I need to be that guy who has to put the fire out not knowing how to; well I do know how to use my cell phone to dial 911.
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