I met an old acquaintance of mine a couple years back. After his divorce he was living on Pepsi and whoopee pies. He lacked basic cooking skills. Also had no idea how to do his own laundry. This was a guy who was smart in many other ways. However, he didn't know how to do any of that "girl stuff."
I'm always amazed at people who lack basic life skills. Guys who can't cook is a big one. I'm not talking about anything fancy here. Some guys can't cook a hamburger or bake a potato. It's not unmanly to know how to cook. I wooed my wife with home cooked steaks cut to order from the butcher. It worked like a charm.
Women who lack so called "guy skills" bother me just as much. All my girls grew up with the basics of tools -everything from saws to guns. When they wanted to learn how drive, changing a flat tire and checking under the hood were all part of the lessons.
When my kids were little I spent a lot of time taking care of them. Some of the guys at work would try and tease me because I changed diapers. What's the matter, I'd say, not tough enough to change a diaper? I'm glad my daughter's husbands aren't afraid to handle the basics. If you are going to have kids, you'd better know how to take care of them.
It makes sense that some jobs will be done more often by one sex or the other. It doesn't have to be the "traditional" roles. At my house I happen to do most of the cooking. I enjoy it more. For a few years my wife was the main breadwinner. Stuff happens. I was out on injury leave. However, I could take care of some of the household stuff. Guys who are out of work and still expect their working wives to do all the housework bother me.
Now I don't expect my wife to crawl under the truck to fix things. However, it is nice that she knows what to hand me when I ask for a specific tool.
-Sixbears
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Amen SixBears, as a young trooper our family had all of us children (11 in all)crossed trained on household skills as well as basic home & auto repairs. My sisters could do a fine hot water heater install as well as us boys could iron, sew and do a 7 course meal including the dinner rolls from scratch.
ReplyDeleteThere was no way our parents were going to to have children whom needed anyone to depend on for the day to day duties.
Of course when I wed my beautiful bride I could see why my parents were so hard on us to never be weak, my bride couldn't boil water without it burning.
She cheerrfully admits to all that ask after 36 yrs of wedded bliss it was I who taught her all those duties & skills
that her own mother never taught her or her sisters.
Well needless to say we raised our 5 children to do all we could teach them, being active duty it was hard being on deployment or TDY across globe but we did. Now we have 5 children whom have been trained to survive and considering their spouses, thank God we trained them.
And you're right if you are going to have children you best know how to maintain them, diapers and all that it encompasses is a fact of life.
Great blog on 12/24 where did you get your outback? device, I have the stuff that was with panels array we bought from Harbor Freight.
Thanks for compliments. Don't remember the place where I got the Outback. It was an on-line order from someplace in Arizona. I'm away from the house now so I can't look it up.
ReplyDeleteTools of the trade: A big fork to turn the steaks and a bottle of beer in the left hand that majickaly never empties.
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