Early Retirement Extreme Forums

I thought many of you might like this podcast, especially of the author's description of living in really cheap housing and a tent in the snow while this couple pursued their goal to buy their own land and build their own place: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2016/03/0 ... homestead/

While not nearly as dramatic, DW and I experienced the same kind of positive galvanizing effect on our relationship when we were paying down our debts and saving for the house we live in now.

That was one of my favorites. He's like the homesteading version of Ego. I liked his advice not to plan out everything because it never goes the way you plan anyway.

Really enjoyed this. I loved the part where he talked about giving his kids their own knives at age 4. (He also taught them how to mend their own cuts.) I grew up thinking knives were extremely dangerous and that they were only to be used for kitchen related activities.

You led a sheltered life. My dad bought me a power handheld jigsaw when I was 6. Somewhere out there is a documentary made at the end of the '60s where some hippies let 6 year olds run wild with power tools... even circular saws! I don't remember anything else about the documentary, though I think it was about inspiring creativity.

I think that most kids currently lead horribly sheltered lives. I feel so sorry for them. I grew up riding my bike all day and barely getting home for dinner, camping, canoeing, using axes/knives/combustible fluids, cooking over a fire and getting hopelessly lost in the woods. Okay; the last one was not so much fun, especially since it occured well more than once with my father, who felt that well-marked trails were just a starting point.

Probably my favorite holiday as a child was Halloween. We had a trunk filled with weird clothes and wigs in the attic, and developing costumes was a competitive sport in my family. Critical factors: novelty, warmth and stealth. Slinking around in the crisp, dark night without adults, collecting a bag full of *candy!*, the heady aroma of burning leaves, possibly a full moon, the excitement of approaching creepy houses...this can never be repeated. Kids in our nearby small town now participate in a sanitized trick-or-treat event that takes place in the light of day. Their costumes consist of a plastic mask and a cape advertising some superhero. Their parents lead them around local businesses and congratulate themselves on giving their kids a great experience. It breaks my heart.

George the original one wrote:You led a sheltered life.

No argument there. I just read IlliniDave's journal entry where he talks about how grateful he was to be able to grow up in an era where he was allowed to have a ton of freedom as a child. I am jealous.

George the original one wrote:My dad bought me a power handheld jigsaw when I was 6.

Your dad sounds like the man. I just looked up what a power handheld jigsaw looks like and I would not have been able to touch one of those unless I was taking a woodshop class (which I'm not sure was even offered at my high school.)

Smashter wrote:Your dad sounds like the man. I just looked up what a power handheld jigsaw looks like and I would not have been able to touch one of those unless I was taking a woodshop class (which I'm not sure was even offered at my high school.)

Well he was all thumbs (lefthander forced by the 1920s school system to be righthanded) and a dreamer rather than doer. Mom had the skills and initiative. Since the gift was post-divorce, I'm not sure how much it was intended to be jab at mom. I still have that jigsaw!

On the other hand, I recently had to help teach some 13 year old boys learn how to use scissors, because they did not have any at their school in Yemen. In my neighborhood, it is not uncommon to see babies in diapers wandering around by themselves, kids riding 3 on one bike, and large groups gathered in vacant lots playing futball or cricket with a salvaged board for a bat.

Meanwhile, my affluent BF can barely see his 12 year old son because his ex-wife has him so tightly, thickly wound in cotton, his own father is seen as a threat because he is a bit rough. So, instead of a father, the child has a male nanny who cares for him after school. I am only 51 years old, but I am astounded by the way childhood has become increasingly run-by-bureau even in the short interval since my own kids were kids. Pretty soon everybody will just have 2 hours of visitation with their children on weekends.

George the original one wrote:Somewhere out there is a documentary made at the end of the '60s where some hippies let 6 year olds run wild with power tools... even circular saws!

Here's a DIY book from the pre-1960s: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Tools-Make ... 933502207/

One of the projects is a cordsaw for cutting firewood which worked and functioned much like this. In the illustration, dad is cutting the wood, and the 6yo boy is picking it up from under the running saw.

Another interesting thing about that book was that many steps where taken for granted ("... the tenons are glued and keyed with screws ... steel gussets are then mortised into the top rails across the corners...." ) whereas in a modern book, it would take two pages of high gloss pics to explain what that means and how to do it.

jacob wrote: it would take two pages of high gloss pics to explain what that means and how to do it.

This is what turns me off from learning how to build anything. So much initial effort for someone who shudders at the thought of hanging a shelf.

I'm being a baby, I know. I'm sure it's rewarding to have basic handyman skills. I'm just intimidated, and I feel like it might take longer than average for me to learn these skills.

I used to do a lot of personal, one-on-one, basketball training for side money. (I played in college and professionally overseas)

There were many training sessions where I knew within 5 minutes that the parents were wasting their money paying for my services. Either the kid was hopelessly uncoordinated, hopelessly unmotivated, or both. It felt like I could train these kids for hundreds of hours and we'd barely move the needle in terms of their skill set. I know the Malcolm Gladwell's of the world would disagree, but my opinion is that some of these kids were completely wasting their time.

Could I be like one of those hopeless kids, even if I found a handyman guru to practice with? I would hope not, but it's something I think about it.