Not everyone has the privilege of having a shop at home. But giving kids opportunities to work alongside us, ask questions, and see how we solve problems? That can happen anywhere.
This is my father-in-law doing maintenance on Ryan’s work truck while our kids do what toddlers do. A bike, some boxes, and a whole lot of curiosity.
Even though you can’t see him, Ryan is right there, too. Working alongside his dad and guiding our little ones through life, just like his dad did for him.
Ryan has been running a dozer since he could ride a bike. And if you know Ryan, you know how hard that man works.
That started with someone who let him be involved. Someone who took the time to teach him and gave him opportunities to become capable.
I want that for our children.
That means including them in our thinking:
“What do you think is happening?”
“That didn’t work. What else could we try?”
“Let’s figure out why.”
I want them to see us ask for help, get frustrated, try again, and finish the job.
Including toddlers makes everything take longer. Their version of helping sometimes creates another job. But if I want them to contribute when they’re older, I have to make room for them to learn now.
You don’t need a shop. Cook dinner together. Plant something. Fix a cabinet handle. Let them measure, carry, clean up, and ask their hundred questions.
Give them opportunities to discover, “I can do this,” and, “I can learn how.”
I’m raising independent, hardworking, skilled problem solvers. They’ll choose their own paths, but I want them to have the confidence to take a first step and the persistence to keep going.
For now, that starts with a few cardboard boxes in Daddy’s shop—and two generations showing them how to figure things out.
Taylor Ehlmann is an operations leader and ISO 9001:2026 Lead Auditor who writes about building processes and teams that keep getting better. More about Taylor