Here’s the situation: your toilet is wobbling and you need to fix it. What do you do? Well, you could try and fix it yourself, or call a plumber and have them fix it for you. Option C is to call a friend who knows how to fix the toilet, and you could save hundreds of dollars on a procedure that could take you minutes to complete. Whichever route you decide to go, something will be spent, whether it’s your time or your money.
However, one thing’s for certain, and it’s that the handy man gap has gradually increased over time, and it almost seems inexistent amongst Generation Y babies.
Back in the day, if something needed to be fixed, it got fixed by someone in the household. During the 1950s and 1960s, the age of Generation Y’s parents, people did not have social media and the Internet to occupy their time. Instead, they focused their attention on making themselves indispensable by learning how to fix problems that many Generation Y people can’t comprehend. The toilet story for example, a Baby Boomer would look at the problem and say, “piece of cake,” while a Generation Y baby would utter “OMG, the world is ending.” Well, maybe not that dramatic, but it’s apparent that the Baby Boomer will know how to fix it and Generation Y may or may not know where to start.
From my personal experience, when I can’t solve a problem, it gets frustrating, a trait I definitely inherited from my dad. But that’s just the deal: I don’t know how to fix certain problems because I have never been exposed to a problem of that magnitude. The trade-off, however, is that I can help my dad out with his computer if something goes wrong, but there are some times when I wish we could both handle our business without any assistance. It would make things easier on the both of us if we knew how to deal with problems of the opposite generation.
This issue is especially prominent with young couples. Because they have no experience in plumbing, minor construction and even electrical wiring, most couples resort to calling someone else to fix their issues, which involves cutting a check to someone who may not even fix the problem the first time. On the other hand, Baby Boomers find no problem with running to the nearest Home Depot or Lowes to grab supplies to fix whatever needs attention.
With a little hard work, the job gets done and only time is lost (unless you count the money spent on supplies, but that’s nothing compared to a bill for parts and labor). If you think about everything you know how to do, will any of it be helpful if a sink leaks or paint begins to chip on the walls? What about if you need to build or refurbish furniture for your house? What about changing a tire? Etc.
It’s crazy to think that “little things” to Baby Boomers are “big problems” to Generation Y babies.
Despite the differences, there is a solution: learn. The next time your dad, uncle, grandpa or whoever goes to fix a toilet or build something, go with them, Generation Y! Go learn how to do hands on work, take notes for later, ask questions if necessary.
The same goes for Baby Boomers, if your computer is on the fritz, learn how to fix it by watching how your child or relative deals with the issue. Yes, YouTube allows us to search videos on how to fix things, but they don’t give us the hands-on experience that we can get from watching someone we know fix the problem. The hand y man is a must-have in every household! So whether you have some handy man skills or none, it’s time to get to work and learn how to be an effective handy man. If we take care of stuff instead of tossing it out and replacing it, the product will last longer and we as humans will feel more accomplished when we give ourselves the security of being able to fix anything.
