I get asked this question every day by men, specifically dads.
The answer? It’s simple.
You.
Get off your ass, interact with your kids, and TEACH THEM.
“But I don’t know how to work on things?”
Well then take a d**n class and learn so you do.
We’re a culture that’s gotten lazy.
We want an answer without BECOMING the solution.
You want to to make trades “cool” again?
Then remove the ideology that they became “uncool.”
They’ve never been out of fashion, we’ve just become a culture afraid to get our hands dirty or our necks red.
Go to tech. Take a course. Watch youtube.
Buy a set of wrenches.
Start with a lawnmower engine.
Start with simple electrical.
Start with pvc pipe, primer, and cement.
Nails and a hammer.
Screws and a screwdriver.
Paint and a brush.
Wood and metal.
Put that iPad your kid is glued to on the shelf where it belongs, take them outside to the garage, put a tool in their hand, and SHOW THEM what it means to be self-sustaining, creative, and manly.
You are the solution, dad. You always have been.
Own it.
Previously published on Facebook.
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Photo provided by author.
As a former “shop” teacher, and someone that has made his living for decades from selling tools of the trades . . . this is important. Not everyone should go to college, although those that want to should be able to. There should be no stigma to being a tradesperson either.