This really resonates with me! I've noticed the same thing with younger generations. I'm doing my best to ensure my two kids don't end up like that. They're 5 and 3, and both of them love to help out. Whether we’re working in the garden or doing simple repairs, like fixing the garbage disposal, building our retaining wall, setting up the trellis for our dragonfruit, repairing the sprinkler system, or installing drip irrigation, they're actively involved and eager to help. Or even just letting them explore my tools while I am with them.
you had me at retaining wall... haha. When I was in my late teens I helped my father build a retaining wall that might be the most physically powerful structure in all of North Carolina. If it was a bunker, it would be bomb-proof. We had a lot of fun building that thing and over-reinforced it kind of as a joke. That thing, unless intentionally removed by a lot of excavator work, will be there long after we are all gone.
That is great you are doing that with your kids. You are an exception and an exceptional parent.
It shouldn’t be the exception, but unfortunately, it is. Beyond being beneficial for kids, it’s a fantastic way to be actively involved and spend quality time with them. I really don’t understand why so many people have kids and then seem to want so little to do with them if it requires any effort.