My father was one of those old-school dads from the greatest generation. He knew how to do stuff. Lots of stuff. He repaired his own vehicles and built his own house. He was a bit of an autodidact. With only an eighth-grade formal education, but he was the smartest man I have known.
He was a machinist by trade, so even with his limited education, he became proficient at calculus and trigonometry. During World War II he made tanks and munitions. Later he worked on top-secret parts for the space shuttle with incredibly close tolerances. In his 50s he got his GED just because he wanted to. His last job was working in a machine shop at the Research Institute at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
When he worked on projects like adding an addition to our family home, I was too self-absorbed with my teenage life to assist much and learn. That’s one of my regrets now, one of many. All that skill and knowledge was lost when he died. A lot of it would have been really handy now, as I am the old dog trying to learn new tricks.
He was an organic gardener before it was trendy, and he knew how to grow things. I live in a home surrounded by basically a botanical garden of tropical plants and I have no clue how to properly care for them. I can change a tire, but if my car needs repair I have to call an expert. Building or repairing things? I have to hire someone.
What’s my point? If you have a father or grandfather in your life who knows how to do things, help them with projects, ask questions, learn skills while you can. Those old dogs can teach you lots of tricks.