The Importance Of Having A Handy Partner

jestcafe.com-handyman4

Growing up, my parents and siblings didn’t know how to do ONE practical thing.

At home, if a bulb burned out, the car battery died, or the oven was unplugged, we needed to call a handy man to fix it. No way around it. In one of our many family car trips, we got a flat tire… my dad and older brother took 2 hours to change that tire! 2 whole hours. 120 minutes. TRUE STORY! Taking that long to change a tire doesn’t only mean that you are unpractical, but that if the end of the world should come, you are guaranteed to die within seconds.

In a way, being surrounded by a bunch of useless people in your childhood is a blessing in disguise because once you have lived life with a handy partner there is no going back – it becomes a Tinder requirement.

Hence, George enters the scene.

jestcafe.com-handyman1When I met George 15 years ago (holy smokes. That is a 1 and a 5 next to each other), I was impressed. Aside from changing bulbs, charging batteries and plugging appliances, the guy fixed his own cars, repaired all his gadgets and changed tires in less than 3 minutes. Can you believe that? This is huge for those of us unschooled in functional activities.

Now that 15 years have passed, I am seriously spoiled and dependant on this man that repairs and builds whatever he feels like.

Now, don’t get me wrong. George has many faults but those have been overlooked thanks to this one advantage. Every time I have a foot out the door, I am reminded about the end of world being near and my only chance of survival being that man that I am trying to leave behind… which makes me wonder: how do people survive with partners that are not handy? When stuff breaks in the house, who fixes it? When you buy a vintage lamp that doesn’t turn on, who mends it? When you have to install wallpaper in your kids’ room, who does it?

It is a luxury to walk around a flea market, see whatever old piece you wish, and know you have this guy at home that can repair it. My kids, for example, blindly believe that George would fix their toys no matter the damage they inflict on them, and he does, except for that plastic train toy they tore into pieces and then flushed down the toilet. One thing is to be a handy man; another one is to be God.

jestcafe.com-handyman5This is the Halloween robot costume that George did for the kids. Lights, switches, and a robot voice transformer included. Very sweet, don’t you think?

jestcafe.com-handyman2 Here is a photo of George with Victor doing their famous standup trick. Victor was only 7 months. This is not handy, but pretty adorable.

How about you? Do you have somebody handy in your life? If not, how do you solve daily problems like a broken washing machine or a dead battery? Would love to hear.

 

Also, a post about being called after your husband’s name, how many kids is enough, and, camping in Idyllwild.

Let Us Connect:
9 replies
  1. Jeanne says:

    This post made me chuckle…I have the complete flip experience. My dad was the fixer. I never knew that people called a handyman. I had never even heard of a handyman. Until I married my husband. Don’t get me wrong…he is my ground. my balance. my voice of reason. He tries really hard to fix house things…but often we need to call the handyman neighbor…but he does keep on trying and I love him for that. The good old voice of reason to all my craziness….love it all! Such a fun post.

    Reply
    • Mila says:

      Not being handy is certainly not a deal breaker, but more of a luxury. Having a husband that understands you is the most important thing, but, if the end of the world was to come, you should take your family to your neighbor’s… heeeee.

      Reply
  2. Liz (Montgomery, I see there is another Liz here) says:

    I completely relate to this… I find (men’s) inability to fix things, or to at least try to do so, unsexy, a turn-off. I realize this is sexist, but I can’t help it… I think it’s biological – the male of the species traditionally created shelter, hunted, etc – knew how to do shit with his hands!! And/Or it could be that I’m bloody useless in this department so I need the mate to compensate.

    Reply
    • Mila says:

      haha! You are one of the most feminist women I know and the least sexist, so having this concern is certainly a need to compensate. I have the same feeling and wonder how did my parents were able to get anything done being so impractical both of them. Well, for now I am taking care of.

      Reply
  3. Carina says:

    Ha! Great post – made me laugh. LOVE the balancing trick!!! Lol. Anyhow, I am married to an extremely handy guy. He cooks, he fixes anything, he builds stuff. Has some nice muscles, like your George 😉 Really, it is nice. Though I too have become a bit spoiled!

    Reply
  4. Kathy says:

    Mila –
    love your article. In our household when the kids were young – if the toy was broken they came to me,mom. if they got a cut or health issue, we went to Dad.(exception on this if they need mom’s comfort). I have always been the more mechanically minded, done the painting, wallpaper & simple fix it stuff. Now if it is more than I can tackle, I check with my son, then I find the local handyman who can fix the problem. Hopefully George will pass this knowledge on to the boys. Yes it is a wonderful thing to have a handyman around.

    Reply

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