Been helping my 14 year old rebuild an old truck engine with me and I gotta say watching him figure stuff out has been incredible. He's more focused, more confident. Not everything should be a screen. Kids need to understand how things work and feel proud of building something. Anyone else doing projects with their boys?
This is the kind of dad move that becomes a core memory for kids. They'll remember the smell of the garage and working alongside you long after they remember what grade they were in.
Working with your hands teaches patience like nothing else. When something doesn't fit right and you have to problem solve, that's real learning. Way better than video games.
Did he get frustrated at any point or has he stayed interested the whole time? I'm always worried about losing my kids when the first problem comes up.
This is so cool. My 13yo has zero interest in anything mechanical and I keep trying to find that thing that clicks for him. The engine rebuild sounds perfect for learning how systems actually work together.
to join the conversation.
There's something special about passing that hands-on knowledge down. My old man taught me the same way and those memories stick with you way more than anything else from childhood honestly.