Great thread, I got on my 2 year old daughter the other day because she was precariously near my truck jacked up while I was still putting the jack stands under the A-arms. She didn't see it as me looking out for her, she said "Mommy, daddy mad at me." I learned to check my tone that day. Also, when I was a kid, I wiped out on my bicycle next to the 38 Chevy. Dad flipped his wig because he thought I hit the car. Needless to say I didn't spend much time out there after that. I don't want my kids to feel that way.
I grew up in a junkyard ("Recycle establishment") in the 50s and fiddled with cars and trucks as well as 'helped' on several dirt track stockcars. My dad remarried and had a little girl when he was 54 and she spent some time in the garage as can be noted when as a 4-5 year old her teacher asked the class if they knew what cars were made of and she confidently replied "Fiberglass and Bondo!" I'm hoping my grandkids can spend some time with me in the garage when they're old enough.
And remember the immortal words of Walt Kelly in Pogo, maybe 50 or 60 years ago: "Hot the rod and spoil the child!"
Thanks for writing this. I have a story from when I was a child that I don't repeat often (and wouldn't do so here) that is testiment to how true your words are. That stuff can stick with you a long time. Hell, it still turns my stomach now. On a lighter note, when my younger (by 19 years) brother was somewhere around three, he loved to drop nuts and bolts into the frame of an OT boxed frame vehicle I was restoring. He felt like it was meaningful work he was doing. I got really good at fishing lost nuts and bolt out of that frame.
Im 32 and have a 6 month old... I am so excited for him to be in the garage... and the growing pains that come with him...
When I was a little kid, my Dad and granddad had neat rides...of course, then they were just three or four year old used cars, but I loved to just go riding anywhere and anytime the opportunity arose. Throughout the Sixties, my Dad always had full-sized V8 Chevys, as did my grandpa. My aunt had a '60 Impala that was bronze and off-white with a bronze interior that I was in love with! Those '60 fins and the color combination had me mesmerized. My grandpa's '64 Impala SS (327 auto, white and blue) had a cool rumble to it, and ran like mad! Dad had several four door Chevys and a couple of wagons during this time (six kids, whaddya gonna do, right?), but to me, all that was cool, too! And both encouraged my fascination with cars. And when it came time to turn a wrench, I couldn't wait to get into the toolbox and jump in. I still have many of my grandpa's hand tools, plus a BIG 1955 Black and Decker drill that easily weighs 25 pounds, as well as a few of my Dad's tools. Keeps me close to both. I miss them a lot.
My son 3 yr old son wanted to help me wash my recently painted truck. Of course I didnt want him to help, even though my wife said to let him help. Well He helped anyway, on the other side, where I didn't see , until it was too late, Instead of a sponge that the wife was going to give him, He decided to use a handful of gravel, dipped in the soap bucket. Lesson learned.......Buffing. Looking back, it was all good!
Great post Jay! It really puts all this car stuff in perspective. Like the late Lil' John Buttera said "Don't take all this car sh!t so seriously, it's only an alternative to walking!"
It couldn't have been stated any better. Stuff is just stuff. Now don't get me wrong I get obsessed with stuff way too much. With my children I only get one go-around at it. I want them to have some good memories of their dad. In the past I have let them write on the sedan with sidewalk chalk. It's like a big chalkboard with the flatblack paint. It washes off very easy and the kids think it's awesome to draw on the hotrod.
Wagoon has some good tips there too. My twins are a couple months younger than yours but same actions. I went to start my pressure washer the other day- on pull and snap crackle chunk. After I got the flywheel off I found the tool one of my little guys was looking for. It dropped down in between the cooling fins and jammed it tight. He was happy to find the tool. Have fun with the kids and don't scare em off, keep it safe though. It's a fine line between letting them do stuff and keeping them as safe as they need to be kept. Looking back I can hardly believe some of the things I was allowed to do as a kid. I learned about flashbacks, kickbacks, and even sent thing flying with the lathe. Like I said- fine line. Great thread, thanks to the OP and all contributors.
When I was young(not sure the exact age) my dad walked in the garage as I was grinding down one of his hammers on the bench grinder. He asked me what I was doing and then proceeded to get me gloves and goggles and put a mark on a piece of scrap metal and helped me grind it down and clean it up. When we were done he explained to me the importance of safety and using tools for what they are for. It was a good lesson and still havent forgotten that day.
I grew up in my Dad's garage, my son grew up in my garage and now I have a 1 yr old grandson who will grow up in both his dad's and my garage. You couldn't say it better, some of those rare and treasured items are much less important than the time we spend together.
When I was a kid and I accidently broke something in the garage it was, "Clean it up and its ok." Nowadays me and dad break each others stuff more then our own. We always just look at one another and say, "I'll buy you a new one..."
Every one of my cars and trucks have been scratched and dinged by one or both of my sons. I'm over it at this point. All those vehicles have been sold or traded, I still have my boys
I have a very willing 5y.o. granddaughter to help me in the garage. But I promised her mom that I would wait till she turned 6 before I let her learn how to weld!
like i said in the thread about how to get the sharpie of the paint.leave it! my youngest decided to work on his (shhhhhh import). all he did was mess up the plug wires,couln't get it running.i came home tired from work and really went off on him for screwing up.THEN i realized he did the same thing i had done when i was that age ,only on a 56 chevy. with tears in my eyes,i told him i was wrong for acting like that lets see if we can straighten it out. we did. but i still feel like shit when i think about that day. we gotta pull this thread back up come fathers day
Massage the dent out of that mirror head, have some new glass cut at the local glass shop and move on enjoying your time with your little "crew chief". Your priorities are right where they should be Boss-man.
Man, with two young boys that LOVE being out in the shop with me working, I have been there many times. This past weekend, my youngest was playing with a little tack hammer and accidentally bumped it into the top bar on my 54's grill and scratched it. The look on his face was way worse than the scratch. I just told him that I would take a thousand of those scratches over not having him in the shop with me. We just pulled it off and buffed it out. This stuff means nothing without being able to share it with them.
having brought up seven[five boys two girls]i dont have to explain tense in the garage.but most are forgotten.funny how my garage was usually a shithole but can tell if something is missing ,moved or busted right away. I no longer have a garage but plenty of grandkids so in a way thats good,but i sure miss it. Also ,a good thread to know fellow members on a more personal basis.
Having kids makes the old saying "Shit Happens" come to life more than i care to remember ,But hey --we all can't be a raging prick like my ole man!
And what better way to teach a kid than to have him participate in fixing what he broke?? My learning curve went past bushels of shattered iron and aluminum, clouds of smoke, long stints standing by the road wondering WTH to try next, and plenty of bare blackened wire...
Man... I have had several similar things happen when my twin boys are hanging out in the shop with me... and the EXACT same thing about the rocks! We live on a farm and John spent an enjoyable half hour one day, dropping small pieces of gravel down the exhaust of my old tractor... He always tells me about the things he does, which helps.... right? Gotta love 'em!
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