Millennial dads have pathetic DIY skills
compared to baby boomers
NY Post,
by
Tyler Schmalls
Original Article
Posted By: tisHimself,
6/7/2019 10:31:58 AM
Are dads’ essential DIY skills in decline? According to new research, millennial dads are less capable than their own dads when it comes to everyday DIY fixes, preferring to rely on professional help instead.
A new poll of 1,000 millennial dads and 1,000 baby boomer dads found that when a DIY task needs to be done at home, more than half of millennials prefer to call a professional.
And when it comes to emergency “handiness” scenarios, millennial dads fall short in almost every category.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
coobr03 6/7/2019 10:40:38 AM (No. 92681)
Good news for the Millennials who choose to go into the trades.
15 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Jeremiah29_11 6/7/2019 10:44:07 AM (No. 92684)
OH, no!! The toilet is overflowing and there’s icky brown stuff on the floor!!!! I need a safe zone!!! I need my comfy blanket!
10 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
JunkYardDog 6/7/2019 10:49:07 AM (No. 92689)
I'm a boomber, born in '59. I grew up watching my dad doing woodworking projects in our garage. Last year, I tried my hand at building an electric guitar speaker cabinet. Bought the plywood and hardware, built the thing as a 2x12 closed back cab. Covered it in chocolate brown alligator skin tolex and it looks and sounds amazing. My wife commented after I finished it that no one would believe I built it, that I must have had it made for me. That alone was worth the effort. My youngest son saw me working on it and now I find him tinkering all the time with my tools. Time to take him to Home Depot!
26 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
PlayItAgain 6/7/2019 10:51:43 AM (No. 92691)
#1 is correct!
I raised a millennial who is doing extremely well as a tradesman because he has no competition from people his own age. He's feeling frustrated because he can't keep up with all of the opportunities coming his way!
That said, we should take some responsibility for raising this generation the way we did. I don't want to way ''It's not their fault!" But, our generation did create the culture that they grew up with.
7 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
LadyHen 6/7/2019 10:56:36 AM (No. 92694)
The article does point out that technology has made DIY harder. It has. I know this from fixing and maintaining my own cars. My old roomy early 90's Chevy was much easier to work on than my now newer Nissan. And younger dads are more personal tech savvy which helps. And younger dads would rather pay a professional to do a job than spend valuable family time doing DIY. So it isn't just that they are "pathetic."
What got was the following from the article:
Many millennial dads reported not owning a cordless drill (46 percent), a stepladder (49 percent), a set of screwdrivers (38 percent) or even a hammer (32 percent) — an item owned by 93 percent of boomer dads.
WHO doesn't own a hammer?!!
11 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Lucky5 6/7/2019 10:58:27 AM (No. 92697)
As a Mom with two Millennial boys, I can confirm this is so true. My family calls me Rosie the Riveter, because I have a knack for fixing things. Just like my Dad and brothers. My sons however, would rather hire someone.
2 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Clinger 6/7/2019 11:13:32 AM (No. 92708)
FIne start making your observations then off into dummy land conclusions.
FTA: "Millennial dads are less likely than their boomer counterparts to be able to change a car tire on the side of the road, unblock a toilet or sink, reset a tripped circuit breaker or even open a stuck pickle jar with their hands."
Yup, then how is it that : “The technology in the average home has evolved,” has anything to do with tires, toilets, circuit breakers and pickle jars?
And :" “Today’s time-pressed dads are quick to master new tools like apps and mobile technology for their families’ benefit......"
Seriously time pressed today? You just assume that we weren't? I don't see any millennials in the workplace who put in the kind of hours I did at their age and even do now. I went home after a 12 hour day and then did my DIY tasks. I also took on side jobs, went to grad school. My "me" play time consisted of about 3 to 5 weekends out of the year. Come to think of it that's pretty much where I am now. We haven't had a full week of vacation since 2005. Millennials are busy?
Face it, if anything defineds the millennials it's their addiction to flippin video games and other self indulgent art forms. That's why they don't stay at work and take care of their own stuff, they're too busy playing with their thumbs.
Of course there are plenty of millennials who don't fit the mold I paint any better than I fit the mold of the Administration building burning weed smoking authority hating "me" generation boomer.
8 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
bad-hair 6/7/2019 11:26:12 AM (No. 92721)
In the You've Gotta Be Kidding category.
FTA … Sixty-one percent would rather hang out with their children than spend that time on DIY, while 49% of millennial dads say they’ve done better than their own dad at spending quality time with their kids.
You want quality time with your kids, teach them something!!!! Like how to build stuff and fix stuff. Let them teach you something , like tech stuff. I didn't just fix a leaky faucet, I designed and rebuilt my entire kitchen from the studs to the tile on the walls and floors. Cabinets built from scratch. Amazing. How??? Because my Dad and I spent a lot of time building stuff. I am not a tradesman, I am a retired engineer who has a LOT of respect for tradesmen. Thanx Dad.
14 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
cor-vet 6/7/2019 11:39:53 AM (No. 92734)
I pretty much built my last 2 homes, including. the present one. It really hurts me to have to call someone to fix something I 'think' I can fix myself. Of course, I'm now 76 and the missus thinks I need help for every little thing. I just helped a friend, same age, build a house, and we did all but the plumbing and the slab. A 2nd friend, same age and an ex electrician, was a big help, liked what he saw, and now we're building his new home. I learned by helping my dad, and he fixed everything around the home place.
7 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
ladydawgfan 6/7/2019 11:54:49 AM (No. 92741)
I'm a boomer woman who learned how to change a tire in my teens, when I first started to learn how to drive. I have used this knowledge several times and know by sight when my tires needs air, even before the pressure warning gauge on my dashboard lights up. I also own a full set of hand tools which are kept in a nifty carrying bag and kept in pristine condition and a cordless drill with various drill bits (I'm always adding to the collection). I even have to check myself when I see a new tool that I don't have advertised on TV.
My dad didn't learn many handyman skills from his father so he didn't have much to teach his own sons (and daughters). I learned most of my skills from architecture school. However, I will NOT criticize my dad about this. He was there for his family when it counted, provided for us through some very trying times financially and worked his butt off to make sure that we had what we needed.
2 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
earlybird 6/7/2019 12:13:59 PM (No. 92753)
Our boys and their kids know how to not only fix things, but to build things. My grandson has been replacing windows in his house, installing a new wood floor, and recent photo show his young daughter sanding and painting kitchen cabinets.
My late Mother loved to fix things. She was fearless. She taught me to take things apart and line the pieces up so that they’d go back together in order. I have picked up her interest and her skills. Very rewarding. And keeps maintenance costs way down.
Like #12 I have always had a set of my own tools, sockets, the works. Know how to use a power drill/screwdriver. Never got to use my power saws before they were stolen in a burglary. I used to be seen from time to time under the hood of our old Cadillac, fixing an idiosyncratic bug that only seemed to show up on the highway.
All boys and girls should be taught to repair things and how to use tools. I never had the internet. They now have videos to show how so many things can be done.
1 person likes this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
mc squared 6/7/2019 12:14:23 PM (No. 92754)
Commercials on TV ( probably aimed at Millennials) show men as total idiots. One of them shows a father driving to a tire store to have his pressure checked before a vacation. Another shows a young man with a flat tire calling for roadside assistance. I suppose changing their water heater is out of the question.
4 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Daisymay 6/7/2019 12:18:22 PM (No. 92756)
I agree that the majority of Millennials do things very differently than the generations before them. The guys are now dads who cook, clean and take the Baby with them to the grocery store. The moms hate to clean, hate to cook, never iron and do not do the grocery shopping, (but they do have a full time job outside the Home).Both hubby and wife do Laundry. Neither cleans the Bath tub or shower! Nobody cleans the garage (hence no cars in the garage) ever! Grass gets mowed when neighbors complain. Snow gets shoveled only where it's necessary to let the dogs out! Must I go on? My generation just shake their heads at what has become of "this is man's work" or "that is woman's work"! It's a thing of the past, and IMHO it isn't a good thing! But then, I'm 78 years old, what do I know!
7 people like this.
In all fairness, I don't think we boomers are as handy as our fathers AND mothers. And I'm not as adept at home maintenance as my younger brother. But my generation is still better than our children's if only because we are willing to do what we can. Laziness is a big part of this equation, and we boomers have to acknowledge our failure to teach our children the same values of hard work and responsibility we learned from our parents (the greatest generation).
4 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
lana720 6/7/2019 12:50:03 PM (No. 92769)
Perhaps on the east and left coasts, not much of an issue in Flyover Country. Wussies, who needs ‘em?!?
Thank Madison Avenue for its ads denigrating men and society/movies for encouraging aberrant lifestyles.
3 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Chuzzles 6/7/2019 1:12:49 PM (No. 92785)
Some people just are not meant to be a handyman. They are all thumbs and they are ahead of the game if they realize that from the start. I have no problem with this generation calling a professional in first. As kids, they probably watched their own fathers make a small fixable problem even worse and more expensive to fix and they learned a valuable lesson. I don't call this wussy at all. I call this being observant as a kid, and putting the lessons into action when they are in a position to do so.
Those kids that do go into trades, will be able to support themselves in just about any economic situation the nation will have in future. Seriously, I don't call these kids wuss, I call them smart for learning valuable lessons. Something that the older Left obviously never did.
0 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
DVC 6/7/2019 4:45:39 PM (No. 92918)
How sad. I have built several homes, can do all the building trades tolerability well, but will hire whole house sheet rock jobs, I'm too slow.
Sad, the next gen are incompetent in everything.
2 people like this.
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Mommas don’t let your babies grow up to be wussies. When you degrade males for being self sufficient, this is what you get.