Things we've learned over time

buzz saw · Mar 19, 2015

I was thinking about my grandsons earlier and was thinking about different skills that we have that are not our profession. What are some things that I feel every young man should be able to do? This forum has pretty much all walks of life, both blue and white collar so every ones going to have a different answer. Not really talking about life skills that we all need to survive and get along in this world, but things that we have learned over time that have come in handy or gotten us out of a jam.

For example my grandfather may have said every young man should know how to hand roll a cigarette. I think every young man should be able to drive a tractor trailer, I don't mean necessarily be able to handle an oversize load in rush hour downtown, but be able to get in and move one across the yard if needed and maybe shift a couple gears.

What are some things that you have learned that you would like to pass on to the kids or grandkids?

rrlund · Mar 19, 2015

How to drive a 3 speed on the column. How to change oil. How to change a headlight. (you wouldn't believe how many can't do that) How to negotiate your way out of a serious beating. (that's come in handy a time or two) lol

super77d · Mar 19, 2015

How to check the oil,change a tire and shoot a gun.

Jason1Pa · Mar 19, 2015

Id have to say basic things around the home like
plumming,electrical work, etc. Is almost a must. You'll go
broke if you pay a professional and who knows how good
of a job they are doing. Same goes for basic automotive
repair.

Jason1Pa · Mar 19, 2015

Have you seen how some of these new cars and how a head light needs changed?LOL. Not everyone can figure out how to take the whole front end off and put it back together

CGID · Mar 19, 2015

I would want them to know what can be done with a poor-man's milling machine - a hack-saw and file. Know proper teeth/inch for the hack-saw and know uses for the various shapes and cuts of files.

Dick2 · Mar 19, 2015

My grand-nephew turned 15 last week. I had Amazon send him 3 books for his birthday. One on electrical wiring, one on plumbing and one on carpentry. He's studying the one on electrical wiring first. He'll be ahead of the other kids in school if he learns things from these books, all of which can help him in later life.

rrlund · Mar 19, 2015

You're probably right about that. I needed to just adjust the headlight on my 07 F250 and had to go to town and get a special socket.

Mark - IN. · Mar 19, 2015

I'm not nearly as good looking and appealing to women as I tell myself? I don't believe it for a minute, but I've read as much on the walls on the walls in the women's bathrooms.

Mark

Stan - Florida · Mar 19, 2015

Many years ago, in some sort of class at work, we were asked, "Who is the most important person in your life?"

My answer was, "My dad". When asked why, I said, "Because he taught me to work - not just how to do specific things, but he just taught me that work, either physical or mental, is the surest way to some measure of success".

Stan

denverslim · Mar 19, 2015

I'm thinkin' along the lines of

How to treat your woman.

How to make friends--I mean friends for life.

Realize that the world will survive when your are gone.

How to treat the poor and unfortunate.

How to treat a dog...and/a horse...slim

Pair-a-dice farm · Mar 19, 2015

The kids that I've seen the last few years are ignorant on some of the most basic tasks. How to change a tire on their car. How to change a doorknob. How to balance their checkbook. These kids had better have good jobs because they will be paying out a ton in repairs.

Cory Schmidt · Mar 19, 2015

Manual shifting, long math(pencil and paper or better yet in head), Rigging(towing, hoisting, ect.), how to measure (what to use and how to read the tools), improvising quick fixes with what's on hand.

Just some things that people seem to be lacking.

Bob · Mar 19, 2015

I agree with another poster or two about knowing how to change a tire.

That's a pretty basic skill that seems to be pretty elusive to a lot of the kids that get drivers licenses nowadays!

notjustair · Mar 19, 2015

I think every man needs to change the oil on every vehicle he
owns at least one time. I also think that every man should see
the inside of an engine and all of its parts to understand how
they work and what they are doing to them with the way they
drive them.

I think every man should have to be able to back-dock a trailer.
Just a bumper pull would be fine. I also think that every man
should have to try to back a hay wagon into a shed just to
humble him and help him respect those of us that have to do it
often.

I also think every man should have an expensive unexpected
repair come up without having cash saved to pay for it. The
thought process of how to accomplish a goal without a car or a
hot water heater and no way to fix it in the near future. No one
knows how to "tough it out" anymore.

bison · Mar 19, 2015

I have learned not to make the same mistake twice.

old · Mar 19, 2015

I think to pass a driver test you should have to know how to check oil coolant brake fluid and transmission fluid and change a tire and also how to air a tire up before you can even drive a car for the test.

IaLeo · Mar 19, 2015

and I would teach my daughter also, how to repair a toilet, unclog dryer vents, how to maintain a lawnmower, never drive any motorized unit without checking the oil first if they have never driven it before.
Never look down on anyone doing honest work.
Stay out of debt except for a home.
Never lend money if you can't afford to lose it or the friend ship. Give time or good listenership.

RN · Mar 19, 2015

How to read a instruction manual. RN

RandyB(MI) · Mar 19, 2015

Have learned and trying to pass down : You can fix anything by learning (books/internet etc) the theory of operation and then adding your God given common sense and a few applicable tools. By saving $50-$60 an hr. it's the same as working for an idiot (employer) and making $ 80 per hr. Even allowing for the extra time you may need over the "expert" , you still won't make enough, punching a clock, to pay an expert to fix/update everything that comes along in your life. Lot of careers have been born from the fun , satisfaction and $$$ that evolve when one does this. My whole career as auto body/paint/restoration tech (and now an occasional tractor)arose because I refused to accept that I had to pay a body shop $ 100 to paint my first car ('65 Mustang)( this was 1969). The painter at that shop dropped out of school in tenth grade and here I am working at a hardware and paying $ 100 for him to paint MY car. Never again.

Bruce from Can. · Mar 19, 2015

How to problem solve , and also how to plan ahead.

brian(MN) · Mar 19, 2015

Learn how to cook.

Ted in NE-OH · Mar 19, 2015

How to tie a tie. Someone is gonna die and you will
need a suit and tie.

CenTex Farmall · Mar 19, 2015

How to drive a three on the tree.
Also how to raise and slaughter animals for food. Everyone should understand how the food chain works and have respect for the animals that feed you.

Corona Boy · Mar 19, 2015

I am the maintenance man and a bus driver at
the local school. In the most general terms.
Learn how to problem solve and think on the
fly. Be self reliant. See how it was put
together and why it is now not working.
(whatever IT is) Learn how to be calm and fix
the problem.

88-1175 · Mar 19, 2015

being in the floor covering profession for over 25 yrs now,i get in lots of new and remodel homes.i was told as a novice if a young man can learn how to carry a 20 inch toolbox,use a tape measure and a square properly,and keep a neat appearance he can have a job for life.this is so lacking of young men today...

Loosehandle · Mar 19, 2015

If it doesn't have a touch screen most of them are
not interested.

NEKS · Mar 19, 2015

Kids need to throw away them electric devices and get some basics in life. Have a county job open to run a road grader and all they get for apps. is, they knows how to run the cash register down at the Quick Sack. Are running out of young farm boys fast.

Tom OConnor · Mar 20, 2015

Being self employed my entire life I have tried to drive home
what a small amount saved each pay will with the help of
compounded interest will take care of your retirement. Don't
even count on Social Security, just count on it as a bonus.

Brown Swiss · Mar 20, 2015

How to pull your own weight, respect everyone around you no matter who they are and lend a helping hand, compassion, treat people how you want to be treated.

Dick2 · Mar 20, 2015

I taught our daughter how to do electric wiring when she was 9 years old. When she got a car, I had her service and repair the car herself.

After she got out of college, she made so much money that she hires someone to do that work - even though she knows how.

Bret4207 · Mar 20, 2015

While these might not be what we think of as "skills", they are what I think every young man ought to know/do-

Serve in the military. That's so basic, so educational and so important.

Know what our gov't is, how it's formed, why it was formed that way. I believe that knowing those things is a life long process. Not knowing is why we have what we have today in the line of gov't.

Respect. I mean simple, common respect for others and their beliefs/gender/humanity. I don't mean putting entertainers on a pedestal, I mean recognizing most people are worthy of common consideration.

Manners. How to say, "Please", "excuse me", "thank you", basic table manners, to hold a door for others, especially ladies and the elderly.

Faith. I don't mean religion, I mean faith. Faith in something beyond this moment, this world, this life, that all this means something and that we are all part of something larger. With that goes respect for the faith of others.

Self control. If you can't control you base emotions, you will never be a man.

Self respect. That's a hard one to teach. It's no the same as pride or arrogance or self esteem. I wish I could bottle it and provide it to everyone.

Character. Again, a hard one to teach. It has to develop over time. I have found few people that have anywhere near the character they present themselves as having, myself included. When push comes to shove most people will do things they abhor, that are so far beneath what they are usually capable of that it sickens them. Maybe that's something you see too much of in police work, but people on the whole are pretty weak.

The rest of it, the tire changing and driving and whatnot, that's all well and good to know. But without basic decency/character what good is any of it?

Kickinbull · Mar 20, 2015

Awesome!

Pair-a-dice farm · Mar 20, 2015

Bret, I vote this as the best response, especially character. If you don't mind, I would like to borrow this to show to a teacher friend of mine and share with my Sunday school class.

JF in MI · Mar 20, 2015

Never, ever, under any circumstances take a sleeping
pill and a laxative at the same time.

ss55 · Mar 20, 2015

I can understand learning to drive a stick shift, but a three on the tree is pretty rare now-a-days. Have any been made since 1980? 1970's low optioned full size vans are the last that I can remember.

Bret4207 · Mar 20, 2015

(quoted from post at 08:22:14 03/20/15)
Bret, I vote this as the best response, especially character. If you don't mind, I would like to borrow this to show to a teacher friend of mine and share with my Sunday school class.

By all means, if you think it worthy, share away!

Jo-ker · Mar 20, 2015

All I know is our kids seem to have this huge
sense of entitlement,maybe its a casulty of our
own sucess(baby boomer generation)Instead of
starting in the trenches like we had to-They are
telling us the ground work is done so JUST HAND IT
TO ME!!...John

dr sportster · Mar 20, 2015

Welding , however they have no interest. I even bought a bunch of test coupons for them to practice on. So far none have come into the shop to learn it.

2underage · Mar 20, 2015

Allof the replies are great but I would like to add one more thing.
When I was working in a slaughter house as a meat cutter I was asked one day if I would load the gut truck because the regular loader was sick. I agreed although I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
The cow guts were in 50 gallon barrels without lids and HAD BEEN SITTING FOR MOST OF THE DAY AND THE RAMP THAT LED TO THE TRUCK STARTED ON A DOWN SLOPE AND THEN WENT UP ABRUPTLY. NOW INNARDS OF COWS HAVE A LOT OF GAS BUILDING UP IN THEM AND AS YOU REACHED THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRST RAMP AND STARTED UP THE NEXT THE PRESSURE CAUSED THE GAS TO ESCAPE FROM THE GUTS AND PRESENT IT'S SELF RIGHT INTO THE LOADERS FACE.
I did survive the job for the week, until the other worker returned.
Nearly every job I have since was much easier compared to loading the guts.
I believe every young person should be required to spend a period of time doing some dirty, disgusting job. It didn't hurt me and I did spend many years as a high school teacher and when things seemed to be overwhelming I just remembered my smelly job at the slaughter house.

howdy1960 · Mar 20, 2015

Notjustair, I have a young (early 20s)) supervisor at work and he wants to come and help me repair my 43 2N's engine (I still haven't pulled it apart but believe it's a dropped sleeve) as he has never seen inside an engine. States he has never even changed oil in a walk behind lawnmower

Gary Mitchell · Mar 20, 2015

Slim, amen! gm

smallercrawler · Mar 20, 2015

Brett-very well stated!

rbhuntn · Mar 20, 2015

I can agree with everything stated.

The are two things that I would add:

Learn to build a fire

Learn to sharpen things (knives, axes, mower blades, brush hog baldes, etc.)

Both of these are very helpful skills to know. Along with changing tires, oil and lube of my vehicles, differential fluids, etc.

SDE · Mar 20, 2015

#1. It's your life, live it well
#2. Each of us lives the life we have chosen for ourselves.

K Effective · Mar 20, 2015

I don't know nearly everything, and I can learn something from nearly everyone.

The list of people who think I am an a$$ is long, so might as well be myself.

Rich'sToys · Mar 22, 2015

I've been watching this thread for the last several days. A lot of good stuff here, especially the ones pertaining to character, integrity, etc. I would add the following:

1. A good work ethic-do your job the best way you know how. Go above and beyond, don't just do enough to "get by". Be willing to do those tasks that no one else wants to do. Give it your best shot every day. People do notice!

2. Be on time! Whether it's at work, church, a meeting, or just a dinner date. 6:30 means 6:30, not 6:35 or 6:40. It doesn't mean you're pulling into the parking lot or just leaving home. Be there and ready to go by the stated time. It's rude and inconsiderate toward everyone else when you fail to do so.

Things we've learned over time

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads