My 7 year old son “helped” me change the brake pads on my car yesterday. This isn’t the first time he’s “helped” me with some kind of project, but it is the first time he helped on the car - and actually used a rachet to “tighten” some bolts. Not really anything amazing or earth shattering, eh?
Later, I was thinking about it and within 2 seconds came to the realization that I could have done the job much faster without his “help” (inspite of what he told his mother after the fact 
), but it was important that he take part - both to learn skills and to have “Daddy time”. Again, with the stating the obvious….
As is normal for me, I let my mind wander, and I thought back to helping my Dad out with maintenance/repairs on vehicles, tractors, and what ever else we had, I suddenly realized something pretty amazing….. Dad didn’t need my help.
What’s amazing about that? Think about it. When we think back on all the things that our parents asked us to do, or help with, how often do we approach the topic as if they were using us to make their job easier, or that we were nothing but cheap labor for them.
When I think about all the different projects that my brother and I “helped” him with, Dad must have lost several years of his life compared to if he would have just done it himself. But instead, he put up with endless questions, misplaced/lost tools, having to redo what we “fixed”, and the general annoyance that young, short-attention-span boys can be…… just so I can learn how to solve problems, fix things, and make do with what I have - thus giving me the opportunity to hear, “Take it to Dad, he can fix anything”….. and know enough so that I can spend the time being “helped” by my son.
Dad. Thanks for not needing my help, and asking for it anyway.
Note: this in no way applies to all the dusting, vacuuming, dish washing, etc. that I had to do. That was just cheap labor for my older sisters……. OK. Maybe, maybe not.
