I have been reading great stories from y'all about how your Fathers or
Grand-dads were good mechs and passed it on to you, willingly or
not...and now rather later, you have the skills and appreciation.

Here is the rest of the story. Or at least another side of it.

My Dad was not too close to us kids nor us to him, only long after he
died and I was (am) his age when I was a boy do I now understand
better. He was not much at all of a handyman though had a few simple
tools.

Somehow I always liked airplanes and started with the plastic models
(Revell, Monogram) eventually moving on to first u-control gas
models, then R/C. This was the late '60s to early '70s so the gadgets
were not cheap like now. My brother and I did this entirely on our
own, Dad being even less in the picture. I learned a very modest
amount of craft techniques from this.

Around age 12 or 13 I saw plans in Pop Mechanics for a
land sail-cruiser, sort of like a go-cart but powered with a sail.
This caught my fancy--anything involving the air did--and I determined
to build it. But I had no skill or knowledge, hardly any tools except
what was in the household cardboard box--hammer, screwdriver, etc.
Nevertheless off I went. Purchased the materials at the local
hardware store and began to stumble through it. Absolutely ignorant
about fittings, consulted with the hardware store guys, but finally at
some point could go no further. Left it half-built. Don't know why
that sticks with me still today.

Took metal and wood shop in high school and learned something: with
some instruction, and taking time, I could make something with
quality. Might be slow about it but the result would not embarrass
me.

Continued building the R/C models, got my PP-ASEL at age 20 and
finally bought my own plane at age 46--an Aircoupe. And got the bug
for something faster so last December sent the money in for an RV-9A
Quick Build. Have a few more skills than from 40 years ago. But
still remember that if I take my time and ask for advice it will be a
good ending.

Don't know how all that fits into an Apprentice Toolbox. Too bad for
kids growing up in the suburbs today. Gotta be driven everywhere,
can't be allowed to think for themselves. Too many damn
temptations. WTH.
--
Monarchy degenerates into tyranny, aristocracy into oligarchy, and
democracy into savage violence and chaos.
~ Polybius