Millennial dads have pathetic DIY skills compared to baby boomers

[Brian4Liberty]

What happened to Gen X?

[specsaregood]

What happened to Gen X?

Turns out, genx is the awesomest. Capable of handling both analog and digital tech equally; so they had to be excluded from the results.

[Brian4Liberty]

Turns out, genx is the awesomest. Capable of handling both analog and digital tech equally; so they had to be excluded from the results.

Yep. Probably an in-between thing. Can’t say it applies to all, but some are equally capable of replacing a bearing, or a circuit board (or even re-soldering a connection). Probably just a percentage game. Older gen more able with the bearing or belt, younger gen more able with electronics.

[heavenlyboy34]

Turns out, genx is the awesomest. Capable of handling both analog and digital tech equally; so they had to be excluded from the results.

[Anti Federalist]

I do a lot of handy work and chores...but as I get older, I could just work at my regular job longer hours and pay someone to do the chump work. Much more cost effective.

I wish I could.

My backhoe is down, with a relatively simple repair needed, and I'm down with a joint ailment that prevents me climbing around under the thing right now.

I've tried throwing $#@!ing money at a bunch of local " mobile mechanics" to come out and take care of this thing so I can finish up spreading crushed stone.

Every one, "oh I'm booked up weeks and months out" or "yeah I'll get back to you" and never hear from them again.

I can't even get the local JD dealer to run the parts for me.

Worthless.

[Origanalist]

I hire chump work like that out.

Pussy then. Got it.

[Superfluous Man]

Born in '87. I just built my own house. And I don't mean hired people. I mean did everything but the HVAC. Had my son with me just about every time I was working.

How's that for the best of both worlds

That's awesome. My Grandpa did that, and I have to admit it sounds daunting. How was your son when you did that?

[Superfluous Man]

Turns out, genx is the awesomest. Capable of handling both analog and digital tech equally; so they had to be excluded from the results.

Yeah I noticed that. The article starts out comparing millennial dads with "their own dads," it says. But baby boomers are their grandfathers, not their dads.

[asurfaholic]

No complaints here. I make $250 per service call from these morons who can’t find a tripped breaker, or a tripped gfci. Or they try to change a switch and botch the wiring. 10 minutes, $250. These calls come in daily, very profitable and easy work. I stack these on top of each other and can sometimes get 3 or 4 of them in an hour. These are on top of regular bigger jobs that I have the help working on that while I run around hitting the easy service calls

[tod evans]

Today’s time-pressed dads are quick to master new tools like apps and mobile technology

I'm impressed.........

[nobody's_hero]

Alright I'm guilty of the pickle jar one.

Put the stopper in the sink drain, run the water screaming hot, turn the jar upside down, and the lid sits under the hot water for half a minute.

THEN I can open it with my bare hands.

I think I am the last millennial on earth to buy a smart phone. I got one last month after going into Best Buy and realizing they don't have music CDs anymore. Man was I heartbroken. Tried Target across the street as well. No music CDs.

I basically got a smart phone just so I could listen to music I want to hear in my car.

[tfurrh]

That's awesome. My Grandpa did that, and I have to admit it sounds daunting. How was your son when you did that?

He's six and we were living in town, so building this out in the county (and now living there) was awesome for him. I had a ton of help from my brother in law and he has children six and seven years old. They all had a good time helping out where they could.

[Fox McCloud]

Unpopular opinion:

If the time that would have been spent on the house is instead spent on earning money and they come out ahead, then this shouldn't be condemned; its' just specialization in action.

I'd be much more interested in what millenials are spending their time on instead of tinkering/repairs/etc. If they're spending more time with their kids and family than Gen X or the Booomers did and trying to establish more stronger familial bonds....then I wouldn't just start calling them out; having a strong family unit is probably a more noble and positive thing for society than a bunch of people who can repair their own house.

Again though, I'm not saying what they are spending their time on; if they're just spending their time on getting drunk or ranting about politics on Twitter...you may have a point--but this isolated statistic, by itself, doesn't mean much.

Every generation complains about the newest up and coming one. I guarantee you if you dug out newspapers that were around as the boomers were starting to enter the 22-38 age bracket, you would have seem similar sneers at them.

Old people always think they're superior to the "stupid" generation that's 1-2 gens below them.

[tod evans]

Unpopular opinion:

If the time that would have been spent on the house is instead spent on earning money and they come out ahead, then this shouldn't be condemned; its' just specialization in action.

I'd be much more interested in what millenials are spending their time on instead of tinkering/repairs/etc. If they're spending more time with their kids and family than Gen X or the Booomers did and trying to establish more stronger familial bonds....then I wouldn't just start calling them out; having a strong family unit is probably a more noble and positive thing for society than a bunch of people who can repair their own house.

Again though, I'm not saying what they are spending their time on; if they're just spending their time on getting drunk or ranting about politics on Twitter...you may have a point--but this isolated statistic, by itself, doesn't mean much.

Every generation complains about the newest up and coming one. I guarantee you if you dug out newspapers that were around as the boomers were starting to enter the 22-38 age bracket, you would have seem similar sneers at them.

Old people always think they're superior to the "stupid" generation that's 1-2 gens below them.

The two are absolutely not mutually exclusive.

A man should know how to maintain his belongings and he should teach his children those skills as part of healthy family dynamics.

These weenies being raised by single mothers and those who are coddled are not men.

If you're unable to change a diaper, fix supper, rebuild an engine and wire your addition you'd best get off your ass and start learning to man up.

[oyarde]

RPF is about the only thing I do socially online. Took me three hours to figure out how to get a URL for picture of the house

I like it .

[oyarde]

I wish I could.

My backhoe is down, with a relatively simple repair needed, and I'm down with a joint ailment that prevents me climbing around under the thing right now.

I've tried throwing $#@!ing money at a bunch of local " mobile mechanics" to come out and take care of this thing so I can finish up spreading crushed stone.

Every one, "oh I'm booked up weeks and months out" or "yeah I'll get back to you" and never hear from them again.

I can't even get the local JD dealer to run the parts for me.

Worthless.

Sounds about right .

[donnay]

In a situation I am currently dealing with it is not that this millennial cannot do anything, he just doesn't want to do anything. He is LAZY as the day is long.

One of my biggest pet-peeves is Laziness, I have no sympathy or patience for people who are able to do things and simply don't, because they are too lazy.

[Anti Globalist]

RPF is about the only thing I do socially online. Took me three hours to figure out how to get a URL for picture of the house

That is one huge porch.

[tfurrh]

Nice. Now that’s a porch.

That is one huge porch.

Yeah, the inside is only 1,000 sq ft, and we're about to be a family of 6. So I figured a wrap around porch would be a cheaper way to give us some extra living space.

[phill4paul]

Also, $#@! a bunch of cordless drills. Goddamn things with batteries that wear out in next to no time, have to be left plugged in perpetually otherwise they are dead when you need to use it. Screw that, I have a nice corded drill and 200+ft of various extension cords that never needs a battery changed and always works. I don't have any cordless power tools, just corded and they always work. Hell, did they even have much in the way of quality cordless drills when boomers were dads and not granddads?

My cordless DeWalt set (drill, saws-all, 6 1/2" circular saw, light, impact driver) is going on 12 yrs. or more of active professional work. In that time I have replaced the batteries only once. I wouldn't mind updating to lithium ion for the lighter weight, but I'm gonna wait until these batteries crap out. Which might be another 5 yrs. or so.

[phill4paul]

In a situation I am currently dealing with it is not that this millennial cannot do anything, he just doesn't want to do anything. He is LAZY as the day is long.

One of my biggest pet-peeves is Laziness, I have no sympathy or patience for people who are able to do things and simply don't, because they are too lazy.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to donnay again.

[phill4paul]

The two are absolutely not mutually exclusive.

A man should know how to maintain his belongings and he should teach his children those skills as part of healthy family dynamics.

These weenies being raised by single mothers and those who are coddled are not men.

If you're unable to change a diaper, fix supper, rebuild an engine and wire your addition you'd best get off your ass and start learning to man up.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to tod evans again.

[sparebulb]

There are exeptions, of course....

It is quite apparent, when observing millennial "males", that the hardest thing they've ever had in their hands is their dick.

[oyarde]

I don't know where they're getting these statistics at, most of the millennials I know are pretty handy.

i do not even know a guy old enough to shave that does not have a screwdriver set . Truth is when I was young you could about get by with a 5 - 7 pc set , now you need at least 5 just in Torx . I have hundreds probably . One dollar yard sale ones to use on paint buckets and leave on the tractor , gunsmith set in the house ,then the expensive , lifetime warranty ones in my toolboxes .

[oyarde]

Depends on what you value. If you value having time to do other things, you're not saving a lot. #Austriantheoryofvalue #divisionoflabor

I value my time . That is really why I do not want to work for anyone else ever gain . When I do something around here I am just doing it for myself . I have been to Austria , they are not really that smart , LOL

[Anti Federalist]

There are exeptions, of course....

It is quite apparent, when observing millennial "males", that the hardest thing they've ever had in their hands is their dick.

And based on the weak sperm counts, testosterone levels and falling birth rates, even that is pretty $#@!ing soft.

[oyarde]

My cordless DeWalt set (drill, saws-all, 6 1/2" circular saw, light, impact driver) is going on 12 yrs. or more of active professional work. In that time I have replaced the batteries only once. I wouldn't mind updating to lithium ion for the lighter weight, but I'm gonna wait until these batteries crap out. Which might be another 5 yrs. or so.

I think I have bought 13 Ryobi batteries in the past 11 years I have replaced four I bought three used and two of the four I replaced were from those used ones so I have replaced two that I have bought new and they may have been under warranty I did not check . Overall I have been happy . I have two flashligts and a big work light that fit them and I have to say those are very handy .

[Schifference]

My youngest son now 22 has every kind of skill imaginable and is also extremely intelligent and charismatic! He can do it all. I have advised him for several years that he needs to be extremely cautious who he allows to know he has these abilities. If he makes big bucks working as an analyst in an office and is married to a professional woman, why should he automatically do any and every grunt job that needs doing. If all his friends knows he can fix this or that, he might find everyone wanting his service. People don't like to hear no. It is easier if people do not know what you have or what you can do so you don't have to be stretched thinner than you want to be.

[Anti Federalist]

Unpopular opinion:

If the time that would have been spent on the house is instead spent on earning money and they come out ahead, then this shouldn't be condemned; its' just specialization in action.

I'd be much more interested in what millenials are spending their time on instead of tinkering/repairs/etc. If they're spending more time with their kids and family than Gen X or the Booomers did and trying to establish more stronger familial bonds....then I wouldn't just start calling them out; having a strong family unit is probably a more noble and positive thing for society than a bunch of people who can repair their own house.

Again though, I'm not saying what they are spending their time on; if they're just spending their time on getting drunk or ranting about politics on Twitter...you may have a point--but this isolated statistic, by itself, doesn't mean much.

Every generation complains about the newest up and coming one. I guarantee you if you dug out newspapers that were around as the boomers were starting to enter the 22-38 age bracket, you would have seem similar sneers at them.

Old people always think they're superior to the "stupid" generation that's 1-2 gens below them.

The two are absolutely not mutually exclusive.

A man should know how to maintain his belongings and he should teach his children those skills as part of healthy family dynamics.

These weenies being raised by single mothers and those who are coddled are not men.

If you're unable to change a diaper, fix supper, rebuild an engine and wire your addition you'd best get off your ass and start learning to man up.

I am generally not in favor of specialization...it makes for a narrow minded world view, fosters "superiority" attitudes, taken to an extreme, it can make you shallow and pedantic even while being brilliant in your narrow specialized field...think Sheldon Cooper.

Libertarian writer Robert Heinlein said it best, through his character Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

[phill4paul]

I think I have bought 13 Ryobi batteries in the past 11 years I have replaced four I bought three used and two of the four I replaced were from those used ones so I have replaced two that I have bought new and they may have been under warranty I did not check . Overall I have been happy . I have two flashligts and a big work light that fit them and I have to say those are very handy .

A friend uses Ryobi. I think he said if you register new ones these days then they will replace batteries for free. I like my DeWalt set, but it is heavy compared to his Ryobi tools w/ the litium ion batteries.