My father always worked on our vehicles when I was a child.
I would usually stand there and watch, but that was it. Just watch. I know he wanted me to learn how to work on vehicles but standing there watching and not participating was really boring.
I do believe the last day I ever "helped" work on a vehicle with him is the day I said, "I don't need to learn how to work on vehicles because when I get older I will pay someone to do it". I'm sure this statement more than likely hurt his feelings.
As many of us know, time has a wierd way of making you wish you had paid more attention to your parents.
When I became an adult I learned to work on cars by necessity. Paying someone to work on my vehicles has never really been an option.
16 years later, I've removed and replaced transmissions, engines, countless alternators, A-arms, struts, fuel pumps, clutches; you name it on a vehicle and I've probably fixed it. Oh, but there are many days I have learned the hard way on how to properly work on vehicles and wish I would have paid more attention to my Dad when I was younger.
My wifes car has been idling at an unsteady pace recently.
Today was the day to finally diagnose the issue. I like to start off by checking what the small issues are before moving on to big issues. This has been learned through many trials and cost me quite a bit of money before I followed this general rule. Today, we are going to clean the Idle Air Control Valve to see if it improves the idle issue.
Now I have my own children
My son helps me quite frequently when I work on vehicles As, you can probably guess I let him have a hand in turning wrenches and he loves it! It's a great way for him to learn dexterity with his fingers, metric and standard sizes, names of tools, and the science behind vehicles.
Ultimately, I want him to have the skills to DYI; like my father wanted me to have. Hopefully, by allowing him to be hands on he will continue to have an interest in learning how to work on vehicles as he gets older.
Beginning The Job
Explaining to WolfDawg that we will start by cleaning the Idle Air Control Valve and how it works.
WolfDawg figuring out the proper socket size.
Helping hold the socket in place so WolfDawg can turn the wrench.
WolfDawg asked the question: "Why is there oil in cars?". It gave me the opportunity to teach the concept of friction. This is accomplished by having him rub his hands together really fast.
We finally removed the Idle Air Control Valve.
How It Ended
We ultimately got the part cleaned. However, the gasket was too damaged to reuse. The rest of the family was in the other car and we didn't have a way to go to the parts store. This project will need to be finished tomorrow.
Bonus
WolfDawg noticed Deer in the back field.
OFFICIAL HOME OF THE FIRST EVER LOONEY COIN
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Nice post. I had similar experiences with my father when I was growing up. He was always teaching me to do things for myself. Thanks for reminding me of some fond memories. :-)
I feel truly blessed to have accomplished that. One never knows what they will accomplish with these stories. Thanks for your reply.
this is how parenting done right
you did a good job rising him..
i love your kid :)
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Thanks for the fantastic reply. I really appreciate your words. I try. We make mistakes all the time as parents, but we try to learn from them.
Awesome content! I restored my first vehicle from the ground up with my father's tutelage when I was 14.
You've been followed, upvoted and resteemed, keep up the good work!
Restoring a vehicle would be great. It's on my bucket list. Thanks for the triple 3!
A future mechanical engineer
Growing up I wanted to be a mechanical engineer and somehow got into Accounting, lol. He is very handy with his hands. It would not surprise me if he did become a mechanical engineer. Right now his dream job is to be a semi truck driver like his Grandpa. Thanks for leaving a reply.
lexikon082 junior :)
I will have to show you a picture one day of what I looked like as a kid. We are spitting images.
You mean sir
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i dont understand brother
Great story... following you from San Diego to get some more !👍🔥🎉
Wow, thanks for the follow. It's greatly appreciated. It makes me happy that you enjoyed it.
Cool, I used to help my dad work on the old family car.
I bet those are great memories. I want my son to have those too one day.
Father and son time, love it 🙌🏼
It's one of the best times in the world. Thanks for your reply.
Totally agree!
Double the prize, Learn a valuable skill and time with Dad!!
Blessings to you!!
Yes, you are right in the double prize. Thank you for the blessings.
I love how you share your time with your dad, how you wished later that you had learned more from him and now teaching your son. I love it! The fun of daily life.
Life can be interesting. I am blessed to have the opportunity to teach my son the things my Dad tried to teach me. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Wow, so many lessons all wrapped up in getting the job done. Good work!
Oh, and don't forget to include Lily when she gets older. Dad taught my sister and I the basics, plus we helped him restore a '57 T-bird for hands-on stuff. So, even if I am able to pay someone to do the work, they won't be able to double-talk me into unneeded work because I was taught correctly.
Dads rock!
Thanks @aunt-deb. It's so cool to hear stories about people and their parents. I am glad you brought up about including Lily. I have tried over the last year, but somehow she always wonders off to pick flowers or play with butterflies. I am hoping since she will be 6 this year her attention span will be a little better so she will have the knowledge you speak of so she is not getting jipped by mechanics. I know it happens and it will only help her in the future. Your suggestions really mean a lot. Ty.
You're welcome! You're doing a great job with the kids. And with Lily, I'll bet she'll eventually pick up on some of it. I think I was maybe 12 & sis 10 when we restored the T-bird... so it may take a while. No rush and have fun!
This reminded me of memories with my dad. I swear sometimes I think I should have been born a boy. LOL I was under the car learning how to change the oil. I was the only girl in school who knew how to swap a tire for a spare, check the oil and replace my wiper blades. LOL Thanks Dad!
Your dad sounds so cool. It's great your Dad taught you these things. Must have been a cool feeling knowing you were the only girl to be able to do that. One day when Lily has the attention span she will be out there with us more. I want her to have some of these skills too. Frankie just has always had a curiosity with mechanical things.
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Great post my dear [email protected] are the great father...your kid are so luck having such nice father..:))
Thanks @bibek. I am sure there are days they would trade me in, lol.
You welcome...hehe:))