My dad is way better at car maintenance and handy work. Machines just talk to him.
I learned a lot about home maintenance and handiwork from my dad, but then I started looking stuff up and realized he’s been stubbornly doing a lot of projects the wrong way.
My dad failed his 11+ so was sent to a technical school so he actually learnt how to lay a row of bricks or how to beat out lead flashing. He did end up doing a PhD in Physics but I suspect his early school years explain why he’s always been much more practical than me. My wife was a stage tech during uni so I’ll happily defer to her for joinery. I can just about solder a copper pipe or big pads on a PCB.
Handwriting - my god, their handwriting.
Like, with a pen? I remember those.
Motivate themselves into action.
Know the monetary value of approximately anything at a glance.
For example, when shopping my dad always knew if a sale was real or if they raised the price first.
Unfortunately he never managed to translate that skill into making money even when he owned a small comic store.
It is hard to stay afloat as a comic book store.
My father worked as a builder and a mechanic, so there wasn’t much he couldn’t fix if he put his mind to it.
Be an insensitive asshole
They are both intellectually superior to me and my brother, their only children. I’m pretty sure he and I are a bit of a disappointment to both of them, but they would never admit that.
My grandparents raised me mostly and their house is always in order. Particularly washing. I never seem to get to the end of it and also do not enjoy it.
Handy work, talking to people, handwriting
My mom was relatively successful, without much post highschool education at a time, and sometimes in a field, that were much more difficult for women.
Going to college, getting a good job after acquiring a degree, holding that job for decades, retiring, being able to afford a middle-class lifestyle.
Earn and communicate with stranger
Reproduce. And they were infertile
My mom kept up with her friends from high school and college until she or they died, I cannot.
My dad was ridiculously smart, like could learn anything, keep a lot of knowledge in his head, could look at any idea and really consider it without believing or reacting to it, if that makes sense. I don’t have the same fearlessness.
Their profession.
I didn’t go to medical school and am in a different industry than them.
