3 ms·

Millennial dads have pathetic DIY skills compared to baby boomers

4 points by eplanit 7y ago

ziddoap 7y ago
For such a scathing article title (expected if "millennial" is there, I guess) it's interesting that the article itself says things such as: >For example, while boomer dads have the edge when it comes to traditional DIY, 62 percent of boomer dads concede that millennial dads are better at tech-related tasks. >Millennial dads are also more likely than their own fathers to prioritize family time over DIY. >“Today’s time-pressed dads are quick to master new tools like apps and mobile technology for their families’ benefit. They’re also more likely to outsource time-consuming home maintenance to professionals who have the tools and training to get the job done right — a handy trade-off that enables today’s dads to spend more time with the people they love.” Which sort of goes against the tone of the title...
- salawat 7y ago
  >“Today’s time-pressed dads are quick to master new tools like apps and mobile technology for their families’ benefit. They’re also more likely to outsource time-consuming home maintenance to professionals who have the tools and training to get the job done right — a handy trade-off that enables today’s dads to spend more time with the people they love.” False comparison though if you read between the lines. Time spent doing DIY stuff is by definition spending time with your family if you encourage the kiddos to join in and learn something. Also, I despise the attitude of "let the professional do it right". That attitude right there teaches helplessness. I can't do it. I don't know how. I need to call the magic man who knows how. No, if a man has done it, a man can learn to do it. Sometimes it takes a bit of mucking around at first, but the key thing is persevere. Teach a kid to call a professional, you secure the professional's well-being for life. Teach the kid the foundations of all professional work; experimentation, research, perseverence, and basic safety/survival skills while learning and figuring out a new thing they've never done, and you secure your child's position as a burgeoning professional for life. Never mind that it makes modern life a lot less scary to.
  - ziddoap 7y ago
    >Time spent doing DIY stuff is by definition spending time with your family if you encourage the kiddos to join in and learn something. DIY is not "by definition" spending time with your family... It "by definition" is "Do it yourself". Not "Do it yourself, with your family". That's a big "if" you have there. >No, if a man has done it, a man can learn to do it. Sometimes it takes a bit of mucking around at first, but the key thing is persevere. I don't think anyone is claiming they can't learn. They would just rather not learn that specific skill, and instead use their time for something else - which very well might be a different skill. What is wrong with that? And you can't really be asserting that claim when it comes to everything in life. No matter how much I persevere, there are things you can't just learn through "mucking around a bit" or solely through self "experimentation, research, perseverence and basic safety". I'm not trusting any doctor that wants to operate on me, who learned it from Mom or Dad by being taught the foundations of "all professional work" or because they were "mucking around" for awhile.
pwg 7y ago
The results are hardly surprising. A lot of "DIY"ness was learned by junior watching Dad do a DIY fix and learning from the experience. But, a lot of DIY by Dad was done for a "can't afford to pay the professional" reason for a large portion of history. Esp. for the minor stuff (unclog toilet -> $10 reusable plunger vs. $100+ fee just to get plumber to drive out and also utilize the same $10 reusable plunger on the clogged toilet one time). But the millennial generation was the first where the prior generation was starting to become wealthy enough to let someone else handle these jobs vs. DIY and save money. And without the example of watching Dad DIY, junior never learned to do any of it himself or herself. And when one never learned how to do even the most minor DIY tasks, of course one ends up paying the professionals to do the same tasks instead.

4 points by eplanit 7y ago

For such a scathing article title (expected if "millennial" is there, I guess) it's interesting that the article itself says things such as: >For example, while boomer dads have the edge when it comes to traditional DIY, 62 percent of boomer dads concede that millennial dads are better at tech-related tasks. >Millennial dads are also more likely than their own fathers to prioritize family time over DIY. >“Today’s time-pressed dads are quick to master new tools like apps and mobile technology for their families’ benefit. They’re also more likely to outsource time-consuming home maintenance to professionals who have the tools and training to get the job done right — a handy trade-off that enables today’s dads to spend more time with the people they love.” Which sort of goes against the tone of the title...

salawat 7y ago
>“Today’s time-pressed dads are quick to master new tools like apps and mobile technology for their families’ benefit. They’re also more likely to outsource time-consuming home maintenance to professionals who have the tools and training to get the job done right — a handy trade-off that enables today’s dads to spend more time with the people they love.” False comparison though if you read between the lines. Time spent doing DIY stuff is by definition spending time with your family if you encourage the kiddos to join in and learn something. Also, I despise the attitude of "let the professional do it right". That attitude right there teaches helplessness. I can't do it. I don't know how. I need to call the magic man who knows how. No, if a man has done it, a man can learn to do it. Sometimes it takes a bit of mucking around at first, but the key thing is persevere. Teach a kid to call a professional, you secure the professional's well-being for life. Teach the kid the foundations of all professional work; experimentation, research, perseverence, and basic safety/survival skills while learning and figuring out a new thing they've never done, and you secure your child's position as a burgeoning professional for life. Never mind that it makes modern life a lot less scary to.
- ziddoap 7y ago
  >Time spent doing DIY stuff is by definition spending time with your family if you encourage the kiddos to join in and learn something. DIY is not "by definition" spending time with your family... It "by definition" is "Do it yourself". Not "Do it yourself, with your family". That's a big "if" you have there. >No, if a man has done it, a man can learn to do it. Sometimes it takes a bit of mucking around at first, but the key thing is persevere. I don't think anyone is claiming they can't learn. They would just rather not learn that specific skill, and instead use their time for something else - which very well might be a different skill. What is wrong with that? And you can't really be asserting that claim when it comes to everything in life. No matter how much I persevere, there are things you can't just learn through "mucking around a bit" or solely through self "experimentation, research, perseverence and basic safety". I'm not trusting any doctor that wants to operate on me, who learned it from Mom or Dad by being taught the foundations of "all professional work" or because they were "mucking around" for awhile.

pwg 7y ago

The results are hardly surprising. A lot of "DIY"ness was learned by junior watching Dad do a DIY fix and learning from the experience. But, a lot of DIY by Dad was done for a "can't afford to pay the professional" reason for a large portion of history. Esp. for the minor stuff (unclog toilet -> $10 reusable plunger vs. $100+ fee just to get plumber to drive out and also utilize the same $10 reusable plunger on the clogged toilet one time). But the millennial generation was the first where the prior generation was starting to become wealthy enough to let someone else handle these jobs vs. DIY and save money. And without the example of watching Dad DIY, junior never learned to do any of it himself or herself. And when one never learned how to do even the most minor DIY tasks, of course one ends up paying the professionals to do the same tasks instead.