Many parents say they’re stepping in to teach kids how to fix things at home. A new survey shows sons get these lessons more than daughters — and many parents fear their kids won’t be as handy as past generations.
🔎 What’s Happening: A national survey of parents points to a growing at‑home push to teach practical skills.
- 72% say they teach DIY basics like plumbing, painting, and appliance repair at home, starting around age 7.
- 60% worry their kids won’t be as self‑sufficient as earlier generations.
- 35% say their child’s school offers no practical skills classes.
- 17% admit they teach more DIY to sons than daughters.
- About 1 in 3 say they didn’t learn enough DIY skills themselves.
🧰 What It Means For You: If your child’s school has cut shop or home ec, the job may fall on you. Think about which skills your kids need — and make sure you teach them to all your kids, not just the boys.
🧭 The Big Picture: Practical classes have faded in many schools over the last two decades, squeezed by testing demands and budgets. That can widen gaps at home: parents with time, tools, and know‑how can pass skills on; others cannot. And when more lessons go to sons than daughters, it keeps old roles in place. The result could be a new generation less ready to handle basic fixes — and more dependent on paid help — unless families and schools rebuild space for real‑world skills.
🗂️ The Sources: Frontdoor-commissioned national survey of U.S. parents.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.