getting the grandchildren started

I taught my son and daughter to use tools from a very early age. I remember my daughter drilling holes and putting her own curtain rail up at around 10 years old. She was far more interested than her brother and decorated her own room at 11. She is now married and does all the DIY in her house. As her mum I thought it important to be able to fend for yourself and be safe when taking on a task around the house. She will do plumbing, carpet laying and all manner of DIY and that makes me proud that I showed her that, just like my dad did for me.
Your DGC are very lucky to be shown safe and proper ways of using tools, a skill that is lacking in many young people now.

Great to hear about your skillful GC craftyone. Far too many children are brought up in a so-called "risk-free" way that they never learn to be responsible for their own fingers and toes etc.

My children didn't have access to a well stocked workshop like yours, but certainly helped themselves to saws, hammers and screwdrivers etc and once managed to build a very respectable bookcase for themselves when they were all under 12.

Two of them are now very practical, the other one not so much but I think he always acted as foreman and directed operations.

DH is a crafty one, in the best sense of the word, more DIY than woodcraft and has undertaken everything from (twice) rewiring our houses, once to UK rules and once two French, which both passed checking, fitting kitchens, building extensions himself and doing plumbing.

Both children watched but rarely helped. However DD shares DH's knacky genes. She started with sewing, acquired an old sewing machine at 9, got it working and now lives in a house where curtains, upholstery and even rugs are all homemade. She has also dug and laid drives, fitted kitchens, designed extensions and project managed their construction, built cupboards and does all her own plumbing.

DS and I are both mildly dyspraxic, so cack-handed and while I will have a go, DS prefers to wait until he can pay to get someone in to do jobs. But when he bought his first house and DH was working abroad when he moved in. He and I successfully put up curtain rails, shelves and installed appliances. It took us longer and we had to remedy more mistakes. But we got there and all were still in place when he moved out 9 years later. All this both of us learned from living around DH and DD

How lovely to hear this Craftyone !

We gave our 9 year old grandson a swiss army knife for Christmas. He is a keen outdoorsman and inventor lol and his Dad is a very good craftsman so he has been handling proper tools since he was about 5.

His Dad shows him how to use things properly ( he was welding last time we popped round !!) and there are strict rules for safety etc which he follows to the letter.

Its lovely to see him chatting with his Grampy about the work he helped his Dad with on the house. His future wife will be gaining a very handy lad !!

Well done MOnica! As a fellow dyspraxic I know how much work it takes to do things like that. I was widowed in my 50s and my daughter, also affected, were very proud of what we managed to do.

Why not teach them about using tools?
Howabout teaching them how to use a screwdriver around the house, simple car maintenance such as checking the oil, topping up winscreen wash, even changing a tyre!
No reason why they can't learn practical things!
After growing up with a dad that could do most things (being one of 10, it was a necessity), married to someone that was happy turning his hand to even building furniture from scratch, it was a shock to find out that my son has to be one of the most impractical people I have come across! It is me that has to change plugs, check the fuse box if it trips out, change lightbulbs etc.
He'd be happy to pay for people even to come and do it all !!
PS I don't do the car stuff because I don't drive !

My grandson is painting my hall, bit by slow bit (I think the novelty has worn off!)

Same here MOnica There's nothing OH can't make/fix.
My grandson has used all the tools but he was absolutely fascinated by welding. He just didn't want to stop ?

I own a very, very old "masterpiece" in the strict sense of that word.

It is a stool made by an carpenter's apprentice in order to gain his masters ticket. If he could make a master piece to his tutor's compete satisfaction, then he was qualified. A master craftsman.

Your dgs are well on their way to being able to produce their own master pieces. Well done all of you.

My grandson was helping with some ironing while we were there with him. It’s not the same. He likes to help.

It’s good to hear that not all of you over-protected your children, as many parents now do. Most of them can be very capable, given the chance.
My son lived in India for quite a while. He says that it was quite common to see small children, maybe as young as five, wielding big knives while helping with household tasks, or stirring pots over a fire.

I remember reading on mumsnet a mum complaining that her parents allowed her children to make their own sandwiches I think they were about 9 and 10. Sad.

This is just brilliant. My DH and GS do electronics together. GS is 12 and has been tinkering under supervision for ages. The upside is that he now knows a lot and behaves sensibly. The downside is that if we venture too far we can set off an alarm or two or the garden suddenly becomes floodlit

It is lovely to have a craft that you can pass on to your children or grandchildren but there are not many of us who have such skills these days. My eldest DGS has never shown any interest in my DH's DIY projects but he loves using my sewing machine. On the other hand my toddler DGS was given a set of pretend tools last Christmas and knew exactly what each one was for- trying to unscrew screws with the screw driver, trying to use the spanner on nuts and the drill in holes etc- all from watching his Dad. I suppose it is not just something to be taught but something genetic too.

Craftyone, that is a lovely thing that you are doing.

I learned a lot by watching my dad, and was the DIY er, in our house.
DH is not at all handy, except he used to service a car, when it was possible to do so. Not these days though!

Our youngest DS is very practical, much to my surprise, as he didn't show any inclination when he lived at home.

I was taught to use tools from my earliest memory 5/6 or so.... both us girls were. My two brothers ... the sandwich filling between us two girls ....were also taught , as well as all 4 being taught to wash/iron/ cook/clean. We all married but can all look after ourselves as well. Independence in everything is the only way to bring up kids. My grandchildren are being taught the same way. I think my parents were quite modern thinking .... both were ex army... and learnt independence and resilience in the face of problems. I have difficulty with my husband over this philosophy, he can’t even use a hammer.... can’t cook.... doesn’t do any housework ... won’t try ironing, As you can imagine , my dad had no time for him!

I like to see children being taught skills at an early age and should be encouraged and away from the idea 'why do I need to when I can buy it ready made'.

My son would do his own ironing from the age of 10 and he would pull up a stool and help me to cook when very small. He can now turn his hand to anything. My DD treated the same, however, had no interest except in making puddings and even now only does what she has to around the house. Fortunately she has a very handy DH.

DGC are the offspring of dyspraxic son so see very little DIY done by their Dad,but DGD, aged 12, likes sewing and now has her own sewing machine and has her altered clothes and converted a skirt into trousers. However cooking is her thing at the moment and she is good enough for her parents to let her have the run of the kitchen anytime she wants to cook. I am commissioning her to make the Christmas biscuits for me this year.

DGS, is clearly very knacky like his sister, so although he hasn't felt the need to do anything yet I am sure when the time comes he will soon get his hand in.

I love it that some children are lucky enough to be able to learn skills directly from parents and grandparents. Nowadays at these modern schools, everything is high tech. We use a school and no-one could find fretsaw, there wasn`t one, not a hand one only a scrollsaw

Best to catch them young, before their peer group becomes the role model. Remember when we children made carts from orange boxes, rope and pram wheels and we went down some very steep hills without brakes. So next time we learnt to make some crude brakes

I am pleased to be able to teach the dgc, being a female doing this is extra special

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