Unconventional gifts

[QuickNDirty]

A few weeks ago my 3 year old helped me install my 2kw inverter in the jeep. During that time he wanted to know what it's for, and I said "mostly so I can keep a chainsaw around all the time without having the inside of the jeep smelling like gasoline. Electric chainsaws suck when you need a real chainsaw, but for most cases they're adequate. I'll cut something for you next time I get a chance"

So, had a big oak tree blocking a path and I cut it up with the chainsaw. I took back a ~30lb section to get him into hammering, drilling, driving, and eventually cutting.

Today he was working on it for about an hour with a 5/8" bit chucked up in the dewalt coordless drill. Cheap edutainment =)

Best part is watching his 50lb self muscle a 30lb wooden cylinder in an out of the house! I don't think I was as strong as he was at his age.

 

[Alphatreedog]

Man good for you in so many ways . He's gonna learn self sufficiency, hard work and you're gonna have (I hope) someone that contributes to the needs of the family . I was ten or so cuttin and sweatin copper pipe keepin step with Dad . I got to help installing new furnace and baseboard heat . Dad got free labor . Keep up the good work Dad .

 

[QuickNDirty]

Man good for you in so many ways . He's gonna learn self sufficiency, hard work and you're gonna have (I hope) someone that contributes to the needs of the family . I was ten or so cuttin and sweatin copper pipe keepin step with Dad . I got to help installing new furnace and baseboard heat . Dad got free labor . Keep up the good work Dad .

That's the goal.

Kid wants to be involved in everything. Right now it adds a good 60% or so in time to whatever I was gonna do that he hasn't seen before because I go over everything I'm gonna do, how I'm going to do it, and why I'm going to do it. I explain the tools and risks involved, and let him do or try to do some of the work.

I pretty much let him do anything he's able to do, and give him plenty of opportunities to learn his limitations and how to improvise when his best isn't good enough. Doesn't matter what it is we're working on or how nasty, critical, or dangerous it is, he's right there in the shit.

I wasn't really sure how to raise a kid to enjoy work, or how to be good at it, so I just started showing him shit, explaining shit, and letting him mess around with anything he seemed interested in.

TBH I stole the idea for the log from Unintended Consequences. Seemed like a great idea to help him hone his hand-eye coordination, planning, and proficiency with basic hand tools. Should be a good platform for an electronics test-bed, too.

Hopefully in another 20 years or so my kid will be way more badass than I ever was. My dad was a hard working SOB his whole life, but the finer bits of mechanical, electrical, and software engineering are things I've had to work through alone for the most part. I'm really curious to see how pushing all of those things on a kid from a young age will work out.


If any of y'all have advice/recommendations, let 'em fly =)

 

[pmclaine]

When there is a nice blow down I cut them into one inch thick slabs and throw them in the boiler room to dry.

They check and stuff but I give them to the kids to run a hand sander on and polish them up and treats them with tung or linseed oil. Mom uses them for plant holders.

Last set I cut we all traced our hands on one and I jig sawed each individual handprint out. Still have to sand those up and everyone will decorate their own hand.

 

[Threadcutter308]

If any of y'all have advice/recommendations, let 'em fly =)

Yeah.......keep his hair away from the drill bit

 

[QuickNDirty]

Yeah.......keep his hair away from the drill bit

Hair ain't long enough to get stuck in a drill. I did say he's a boy, right?

 

[Midwestside]

 

[Maser]

Just you wait until he graduates from wood to metal and discovers welding.

 

[QuickNDirty]

Just you wait until he graduates from wood to metal and discovers welding.

Yup, definitely gonna have to pick up a lathe and a mill before then.

 

[Threadcutter308]

View attachment 6957637

Uhhh.....yeah. Something like that.....

 

[12Bravo]

Man good for you in so many ways . He's gonna learn self sufficiency, hard work and you're gonna have (I hope) someone that contributes to the needs of the family . I was ten or so cuttin and sweatin copper pipe keepin step with Dad . I got to help installing new furnace and baseboard heat . Dad got free labor . Keep up the good work Dad .

Sounds like my upbringing. Learned to sweat Cu pipe at an early age. Also learned basic wiring from my dad before I was 10. These skills still serve me well.

 

[Dewey7271]

I have a couple daughters.
We live on a farm.
Caught hell from my wife about turning them into tomboys but they went and did all the stuff you do. Woodcutting, plumbing, welding, driving tractors, hauling cows shit, the whole deal. Cool part was when I’d throw a couple of the rifles in there when we were going out they’d get fired up. Both are pretty fair shots. One pisses her husband off because she always outshoots him. I just stand there and smile.
They can run a decent size saw, run a pretty fair bead, do basic car maintenance and shoot pretty fair.
Only advice I can give is choke down the anger when they really fuck something up and turn it into a lesson. It’s amazing also what they remember.1 Laughing helps. You do something with them and think “hell, they’ll forget that in ten minutes” and twenty years later I hear, “hey dad, remember when you ....” So be aware they’re paying a lot more attention than you think.
Last, have some fun. These years don’t give you a do over.
Seems like not long ago I taught them. They’re now 35 and 32. They still come put on coveralls and help.

 

[QuickNDirty]

I have a couple daughters.
We live on a farm.
Caught hell from my wife about turning them into tomboys but they went and did all the stuff you do. Woodcutting, plumbing, welding, driving tractors, hauling cows shit, the whole deal. Cool part was when I’d throw a couple of the rifles in there when we were going out they’d get fired up. Both are pretty fair shots. One pisses her husband off because she always outshoots him. I just stand there and smile.
They can run a decent size saw, run a pretty fair bead, do basic car maintenance and shoot pretty fair.
Only advice I can give is choke down the anger when they really fuck something up and turn it into a lesson. It’s amazing also what they remember.1 Laughing helps. You do something with them and think “hell, they’ll forget that in ten minutes” and twenty years later I hear, “hey dad, remember when you ....” So be aware they’re paying a lot more attention than you think.
Last, have some fun. These years don’t give you a do over.
Seems like not long ago I taught them. They’re now 35 and 32. They still come put on coveralls and help.

That's awesome, man. As far as I can tell, I'll probably raise any daughter I had the same way I'd raise any other kid.

I think I'm good on the anger and fuckups thing. I've fucked up all kinds of stuff, and would expect no different from my progeny. A bonus here is that, in general, I don't own things I'm worried about fucking up.

 

[thejeep]

http://www.baryonyxknife.com/kimagr.html

Light weight the kids love them. With blow downs, cut a kid sized chopping block from the trunk that comes up waiste high on them and give them the limbs to process. If they can walk they can chop. Adult supervision required.

 

[CMH]

I'm just checkin' - you gave your 3 year old a drill and drill bit, he weighs 50 lbs, and is already lifting/moving 30 lbs?

 

[QuickNDirty]

I'm just checkin' - you gave your 3 year old a drill and drill bit, he weighs 50 lbs, and is already lifting/moving 30 lbs?

Almost. I gave him a log that weighs about 30lbs. I let him play with the drill til the battery died. Drill is mine til it dies or I do.

I wouldn't really call what he's doing "lifting". He can't pick the log up outright, but he can leverage it up so he can roll it around. It's shaped weird and doesn't roll well, which adds to the challenge =)

 

[uffduh]

Dude, I think this awesome! Teach him to put the tools away when done, lift with his legs, share a soda when it’s all finished and you’re golden.

 

[12Bravo]

Found this photo a couple of days ago. My dad also taught me some basic machining and welding skills. The photo below is me, in 1974, turning something on our lathe. The lathe is still in working order today, although I haven't had time or a reason to use it in quite a while.

 

[Maser]

Nice Chucks!