Thread: Do You Teach? and How?

My only child is my 14 tear old son. About 6 months ago I asked him to open a can of veggies for dinner; he brought the can to me explaining that the can was "bad". I looked at it and asked him to explain what he was talking about. He said that they made it wrong. He said that the can had no tab, to open the lid. He had no idea how to open the can of food. Every can he has come into contact with so far, has had the easy "pull tab". After showing him how to use a can opener, I began to think of all the other small tasks that I had taken for granted and not explained to him.

I have been teaching him, since around age 9, about environmental awareness; since age 7, self defense and shooting. These classes are organized and regularly scheduled. A lot of life's everyday tasks have been overlooked. I started earlier this year on how to maintain the house; cooking, cleaning. They don't teach have Home Economics classes down here; no wood working or mechanics in the schools; like when I was young.

He will be 18 in four years and I don't want him to leave home without basic everyday skills that we all take for granted.

Today,I started a class on basic knives. Types of knives, knife nomenclature, why they are designed a certain way, types of bevels, stamped vs forged;the next class will start on sharpening/honing.

After he can sharpen, I want him to learn some basic carving; this is where I could use some advise. I don't know how or where to start.

I am open to any and all suggestions on improving my son's skills with knife handling.
I would also like to hear someone else's experiences like the ones above.

Creating interest first is very important, if you can. If your son/my son is interested in something, he will pull you/me along as he learns. If teaching comes without interest being established first, then it feels more like pushing. And pushing just results in pushing back.

You are right about pushing. I run into this with teaching household chores.
He likes everything about cars; something else I know nothing about. I would like to get him into a basic auto mechanic's class.
I am not even sure if they let kids under 18 into these types of classes or even where to look for them.

I use an Australian Army can opener (known as a 'FRED' (F'n Ridiculous Eating Device) as it doubles as a spoon). I think it's the best can opener ever made. The one I have is the last one from my days in the army, which makes it 19 years old. It takes a certain knack to be able to use it, so I don't get too annoyed when my 14 year old son asks me to open the dog food cans.

Good on you for taking the time to teach your son. I feel teaching should be a very 'holistic' thing within the family environment; it should just be part of everyday life. I taught my kids a lot of stuff sitting around a campfire, from how to site an M60 machine gun, to how to use Pythagoras' Theorem, to how to cook an omelet. The Art of Manliness web site has some good articles on 'manly skills', though it sounds to me you don't need any help!

+1 to the creating interest comment. If he can't see a reason to learn it, then he won't. In the Army, that was the primary motive. If you can't "sell" the importance of a skill, you'll very likely end up wasting your time. Overall, I wouldn't worry too much though. Most of my learning came after I was out of the protective envelope of the 'rents supervision. It took me six years to figure out how to pay my bills on time. Granted, it'd have been nice to learn all the things my Dad knows in the first 18 years...But I think it'll take me a lifetime.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

You are right about pushing. I run into this with teaching household chores.
He likes everything about cars; something else I know nothing about. I would like to get him into a basic auto mechanic's class.
I am not even sure if they let kids under 18 into these types of classes or even where to look for them.

General automotive classes may be an elective class at his high school. At least auto shop was offered when I was in high school, but then again that was over twenty years ago and apparently school has changed a lot since then.

Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

General automotive classes may be an elective class at his high school. At least auto shop was offered when I was in high school, but then again that was over twenty years ago and apparently school has changed a lot since then.

They don't have auto mechanics in his high school , along with most of the schools down here. I guess I can start by calling adult tech schools down here and ask them.

All I can say is you're one good father.

Originally Posted by markdfhr

All I can say is you're one good father.

Sometimes.

Few years back, around 1983, I was stationed in Augsburg, FRG. Friend of mine went to all the right schools in Connecticut (snobby prep schools and such) and wound
up in the Army as a way of pissing off Mum and Dad, rather than finish up at Yale. So some girls he knew from home came to visit unannounced. He and his wife had to go to work, told the two girls help yourself to anything to eat. They came home that night to two starving kids - well, around 23 - who couldn't even figure out how to open a can of soup. They said they never had to cook for themselves growing up. Pah-thetic. I'm sure they're busy attending an "Occupy" protest somewhere these days. I have never, since that day, heard of this.

I'm far from wealthy in a material sense, doubt I'll ever win the lottery, do my own cooking, most of the cooking for the family. My son, 18, can pretty much figure out his way around the kitchen, says he wants to learn to cook. I show him what I can when he's around which isn't often as he started college in Sept. But he can open a can, fry eggs without burning them, make toast, hit what he's aiming at, make decent hand loads, stuff a muzzle loader, but the finer things, sharpen a knife, read a mil scale scope, shave with a DE or SR blade, cook a meal, it'll take time.

I expect to be around for some time yet. There's time.

Enjoy him while he's around.