Kids these days, huh? They don’t know they’re born! Before I left home and thanks to my Dad and Uncles, I knew how to rewire a plug, put up a shelf and keep my old Ford running (when it probably should have been retired to the scrap heap). I felt I could confidently take on any DIY task (‘confidently’ being the key word here, not necessarily ‘competently’) but admittedly, not all my attempts at doing it myself flourished, and I’m pretty sure I made a few tasks harder because of it, but nonetheless I had enough of an understanding to grasp the bull by the horns and at least give it a go before then calling my Dad round if I got it wrong!

But I’ve got a sinking feeling that these abilities are slowly being lost over the years, with our kids leaving home without the skills needed to help them in the long run. It’s not a case of them being able to do everything to an extremely high level, but it’s important they have the basics in hand to at least allow them to approach these jobs in the first place.

After all, there is something deeply satisfying about reclining on the sofa with a chilled celebratory glass of vino after applying mind and muscle to a DIY task that seemed beyond hope a few hours before. But what I wonder is will my kids ever know this feeling?

Without wanting to sound old before my time, the ethic of mend and make-do is quickly becoming extinct, thrown on the pile of ‘stuff our parents used to do’, like CRB radios and mullets. DIY is seen as something that isn’t essential, especially when you can simply pay someone else to do it for you.

However, it is important for our kids to leave home with at least a handful of practical skills to get them through life. I’d go as far as saying it’s as kind a thing for parents to do as helping them out financially. Entering the big wide world with these simple skills will help you relax (a little at least) when they move out, it will save them money and, who knows, it might help the environment a smidge with all that extra recycling.

I remember my father trying to impress on me and my siblings the importance of being able to do it yourself from a young age, he is a carpenter by trade and at 66, I’m yet to see him turn away or give up on any DIY task that he tackles. Being a “Daddy’s girl” I was always fascinated by his tasks and followed him around trying to help (but mainly hindering) him with his jobs on many occasions as a child and teenager. Alas, my brother never got why it was so important to develop this set of skills, much to my Dads dismay, highlighted when he received a frantic call from my brother asking for help to change a tyre after he had recently passed his test. He had all the parts, he just had no clue or care to figure out how any of it worked, which my Dad found baffling.

I realise that these are not skills you are just born with and I’ve now vowed to ensure that my sons are equipped with some of the knowledge and key skills that I’ve learned that will hopefully help them later in life.

Basic Car Maintenance

Having a good understanding of your car is probably something that comes with age for those of us not in the engineering industry, but it really can be a big help. Nobody likes the thought of their son or daughter stuck on the side of the road in the rain one-night waiting for someone to help them change their car tyre, or some other preventable issue.

Aside from the basics – checking fluid levels, learning to perform a basic service can be a real money saver. Many serviceable parts can be done yourself, such as changing filters, spark plugs, oil and topping up fluids. Ok you wont get a stamp in the log book and you probably can’t avoid a garage if you are leasing the car, but it’s always worth doing a few of these things yourself before you head out on a long trip, just for peace of mind. The parts are cheap and because you’re doing it yourself you don’t have to pay a labour charge.

A little knowledge in this area also helps with diagnosing problems and speaking with a mechanic: it’s always nice to not sound like a total novice in those kinds of situations.

The broader skill learned? Planning ahead.

Rewiring a Plug

Rewiring a plug is really straight forward but it is a key skill to have, and feeds into a wider mindset that is good for your child to have. Firstly, rewiring a plug stops the need to throwaway and replace items that are easily repairable which saves money.

Secondly it instils a little confidence in your child when they know they can complete this task. It shows them that they can repair something and that it works, as well as teaching them respect for electricity.

Sure, there’s plenty of tutorials online showing people how to do it but something in me feels better knowing they have been supervised practicing it and a history of getting it right before going it alone out in the real world.

The broader skill learned? Confidence in the task in hand and recycling electrical items.

Understanding Basic Tools

Even at just 5, I’ve always tried to encourage my son to get involved in any basic DIY task I’m embarking on around the house. This is partly to show them him how to complete the task and also to teach him how to safely use basic tools, under supervision, and respect them so that he doesn’t do anything silly with it or see it as a play thing.

A simple job like fitting a roller blind is a good place to start. Even though it’s made as easy as possible for anyone to install, with the likes of DotcomBlinds supplying all the fitting and instructions, some level of skill is still required. Letting your kids watch you drilling holes to the correct size, making a game out of selecting the correct fittings and getting their help to make sure the blind is straight – all go towards helping your child learn skills they can transfer to DIY tasks they embark on in the future.

The broader skill learned? Choosing the right tool for the job and learning to have patience in getting it right.

Mow the Lawn

Hear me out on this one. In case you haven’t spotted the theme running through these tasks, it’s not necessarily the DIY tasks itself as they are relatively mundane, but it is the wider skills that come with it that are important. So, yes, mowing the lawn may be boring for your child (although my 5 year old absolutely loves helping his Dad mow the grass) and a great source of cheap child labour, but it does serve a purpose. My first point is this: anyone can mow a lawn but few can do a real pro job. You know, like mowing stripes into the lawn and trimming the borders.

Done properly, a mowed lawn is an area of pride for the mower. It teaches the importance of taking your time, putting in effort and dealing with what nature throws at you (especially if you’ve got a large tree in the middle of your garden).

The other reason I feel this is an important skill is because it proves that you have to stay on top of things to keep things tidy, otherwise they’ll be surprised when they move out at how quickly their garden will become an unruly tangle of grass, weeds and branches if it’s neglected for a few months.

The broader skill learned? Take pride in the task and don’t rest on your laurels.

Finally, whilst many of these tasks are really basic and simple, I think it’s very important to hand down the knowledge and skills to help our children complete them successfully. We accumulate a lot of abilities as we progress through life and I think it is a great idea to pass this on to my sons from a young age – after all, it could save them from making the same DIY mistakes I made!