My son is a very curious little man, coming in around 22 months old; he is fast approaching his 2nd birthday. When I am around him, I find that I am dividing myself into multiple roles. Disciplinarian, Jester, Cook, Diaper Changer, Personal Cleaner, Horrible clothes stylist (I prefer his superhero shirts and jeans, but my wife begs to differ when we are out in public) but, the role I find that I take most seriously is being his teacher. There is nothing more satisfying than having been working on something for weeks or months, and finally seeing that ‘Aha!’ moment when he figures it out. Today, he said “Bubbles” correctly, not ‘Bub-Bubs’ or “Bubbs” but “Bubbles” just getting that complex of a word, adding that second syllable my wife and I were proud.

One thing us Geek Dads (and you Moms) mostly already know, but the saying is ever so true, kids brains are like sponges. Sometimes, they pick up on this in a snap, sometimes, it is a time investment, but the pay offs of being the steady teacher are endlessly enjoyable. For the second year in a row, right when the secondary water was turned on in our area (the water for using on your lawns and such from the snow pack) one of our facets outside had a crack in it, and needed repair. As I sat on the ground, my large black tool box flayed open; the orange tray inside of it had been plucked out and rested on the ground. Tools were all over the immediate area, as I had dug through them and discarded them on the ground in my search for the pipe wrench I had bought the year before.

Grunting, and pulling, lefty loosy, not righty tighty, to take out the metal valve on the grey metal piping of the slightly rust flecked facet, I was temporarily distracted. Grunting at the other faucet was my son, who was trying to accomplish the feat with just his hands. Chuckling to myself perhaps a little too loud, he noticed seemed to have taken offense. As he then straightened up, putting his hands on his hip, not pleased at all that I was taking joy in his inability to turn the pipe with just his hands. His slightly protruding belly was peeking out from under his soft blue shirt that was starting to get too small on him, the lower half of his navel visible. At least the king of the castle wasn’t perfect this day, but I could tell I was about to be put in my place. “Do” he commanded, pointing at his faucet, the bright red turning knob on the top was missing a piece out of it, how that happened, I have no idea, another story for another day. I had to shake my head at him, this was the first time I was doing this sort of thing around him and I wanted to just get this job done. After a little bit of pouting, he resolved to try grunting, straining and turning the faucet with his bare hands as I worked on mine, I have him a sideways glance with the kind of look that said, “My way is better.”

He must have taken notice because after he saw that I was able to move it, and start twisting the valve off, he stared down at the haphazard cluster of tools. Picking up my Phillips head screwdriver (Which I can’t find now, go figure) he thought that beating the pipe and faucet with it might accomplish turning it. While the sound was intriguing to him, he threw it down, and picked up some pliers, the smile on his face got big as he opened it up and was able to get around the pipe this time, but like the screwdriver, he gave up on it. Then he did was still strikes me as amazing, he looked at the pipe wrench in my hand, and then at the tools, and dug around my box. He would occasionally pull something out, look at me, sitting there staring dumbfounded at him like some fool, if it didn’t look right, he threw it down. When he found my pipe wrench that was too small, and gasped realizing that this is what he was looking for. Though, he isn’t a freak of nature in the strength department, but had the right tool, he couldn’t twist the pipe on his own. Though, inadvertently, I had become the teacher once again.

My point is, that no matter what you are doing with your young ones, it is your duty to always act as the teacher role, it should be in any Dad’s codec. Whatever task may seem menial to you, putting toys together, fixing a faucet, trimming your trees or hedges, installing speakers, you get the point, sit your kid next to you. It may add minutes or hours to get the job done correctly, but, you never know when your kid is going to have that “Aha!” moment, plus, its nice when they know what to hand you. Every kid was to be a helper, especially when they can help dad. It’s easy to park your kid next to year and have them watch you play video games, or watch Star Wars. But, if you truly are hoping that you’ve got the next creator of manned space flight, teleporting machine, or particle accelerators, you have to get down and dirty, take the time to do the overtly complex for their age, it might surprise you what they learn.

Anybody can teach their kid to clap when Darth Vader comes onto the screen in Star Wars episode IV, or laugh when Luke is being a whiner. But, if you perk their interest enough in a more complex way, perhaps they’ll master the mechanics and engineering to build their own real TIE fighter to kick some space ass with.