Handy Man vs The Doorknob

Michael Cain says:

I’m a reasonably competent handyman. However, my wife and children always commented positively on the fact that I didn’t just fix whatever they had found broken, I made them help and learn to fix it too. They thought this was generous; I thought — but didn’t say out loud — that I was lazy and if I taught them they wouldn’t ask me to do that job again.

Relatedly, I never understood people who did their best to keep parts of their job secret, in hopes that they would become indispensable. I much preferred being able to jump at something new that looked interesting, and being able to tell some concerned manager, “It’s okay, Bob and Sue know how to do that old thing you’re worried about.”Report