I crate things up for a living and I’m now middle aged, we got a new guy in the shop I’m showing the ropes to he’s mid twenties. I hand a hammer to the guy so we can open a crate, he looks at me in confusion and says:
“I have never used one of these before.”
“Are you serious” I asked. He nods.
I spent a few minutes teaching him how to pull nails out of wood with a claw hammer. To his credit, he was eager to learn. Also I had to teach him how to hold a cordless drill.


I BLAME THE PARENTS!

Needed a cold one at the end of my shift.

When my kids were young I basically told them if they want to eat they better find the kitchen/microwave/fridge, or starve.

Wow!

Though I got to say the kid is lucky he didn't have to borrow your rifle!

Hence why I call a manual transmission, "The millennial automobile disabling device." Most guys at my work can not operate a stick shift vehicle. Man card revoked.

Just wait until his Prius gets a flat tire.

Wait, no 'app' for that? Dangit!

I don't know who this 'we' is as my kids know the difference between shot peen, ball peen, claw, carpenter and roofing hammers. Amongst other things.

And the neat part about all those hammers is that they don't require compressed air, electricity, or batteries.

People who know how to use hand tools will reign supreme in an apocalyptic world.

My kids (20 and 23) work on their own cars but neither has a home yet. One is a college dependent and the other an HVAC tech.
Both were forced into child labor building fences a d decks, what not. :)

They built their own tree for when 9 or 10 years old, hammers, nails, scrap wood....

I agree with the OP piece, not enough parents are teaching their kids basic skills.

Many guys can marginally, or just can't use - a hammer.........so what do you think gets passed to kids?

I had my son and his friend help me clean the garage on day. Told them the last thing to do was sweep. My boy grabbed the push broom and started sweeping. His buddy (12 at the time) grabbed a standard sweep broom and tried pushing it like a push broom. I about died laughing and crying at the same time. I took a few minutes to show him how to sweep properly. happily, he was willing to learn and try.

When I mentioned it to his mom she blushed and said it was her fault for babying him as all he has ever used was a Dyson in the house. I have made it a point to show the boy how to use some power tools and LET him work with my boy on projects with any power tool I own, to include all pneumatic tools, chop saw, table saw, etc. he has come along very well. His mom was very nervous about it all, but grudgingly allowed it.

Before working with us he didn't know how to start a lawn mower, rake, etc. His mom is is loosening up and letting him learn.

I can't blame her though. Dad is on frequent deployments and does most of this type of stuff himself when he is home, or the wife hires out the yard work stuff.

Now the boy is 15 and can almost keep up with my son. He braised steel for me the other day without issue. It was ugly, but the metal is bonded well.

In a sort of reverse way, the first time I tried to drive a company Prius, it probably took me a solid five minutes to figure out how to start it. I felt pretty stupid when I figured out the big red button was the start button. Then to make matters worse, there was no noise associated with the starting, so I thought it hadn't started. I finally figured it out, but it was a bit of culture shock (?) for me.

I kind of regret selling my last truck which was a 5 speed Toyota 4x4, if we hadn't bought a boat that was bigger than it could tow, I'd probably still be driving it.

I've met people who've never opened the hood on their vehicle, no idea how to jump start their car, not even where to find their battery (admittedly if you don't know where it is in my VW, it's not very obvious other than the right sized box in the engine compartment). When I asked about checking their oil levels they had no idea what I meant. I had a friend bring me a nearly new looking lawn mower she'd bought from a MSFT guy who told her it just stopped working. I tried to start it and the pull start just sort of spun around, but you could tell it wasn't spinning the piston. I took out the spark plug and put a screw driver down the hole and gently pulled on the starter, no movement. Then I checked the oil sump, bone dry. He'd never read the instructions, just went out and cut the grass with no oil in the engine, until it seized and apparently broke the connecting rod (just a guess).

I've also met (and helped) people who had no idea how to change a tire, or put on tire chains.

My 2 year old girl was pounding wooden dowels in an IKEA shelf the other day for me. Then held the tape measure against the wall. Not all of them are being failed.

Old folks can't work a TV that you literally speak to with voice commands, yet I'm not here bitching about them being unsophisticated oafs.

Thats because we'll hit you with our canes and colostomy bags.

Now get off my lawn!