12/13/2025
This is a great idea…from our friends at Grow HOSS
Hey Neighbor,
I’ve made a decision to treat my grandchildren a little differently.
With the holiday season upon us, we’ve been talking about what we’re going to gift the grandkids. It’s natural to want to buy things for our children and grandchildren—maybe even spoil them a bit.
But it hit me recently.
The best gift I can give them isn’t something I can wrap.
It’s something I can teach.
Too often these days, I see grown men who don’t know how to drive a tractor… how to use a screw gun… what a 9/16 wrench is—or how to use it. The list goes on and on.
We’re failing our children and grandchildren when we shower them with stuff but don’t pass down the basics of life. I’m as guilty as anyone. I didn’t teach my own kids many of these skills, and that’s on me.
But I’m hoping to right that wrong.
We don’t get to spend as much time with our grandkids as we’d like, so I plan to make the most of the time we do get.
Every time I get one of them one-on-one, we’re going to have a little teaching session.
Just this past Saturday morning, I taught my oldest grandson how to use a cordless screw gun and a side grinder—and how to use them safely. He was ecstatic. And honestly? So was I.
Here’s my starting list:
Hand tools – wrenches, screwdrivers, the real basics
How to drive a farm tractor
What PVC pipe is and how to use it
Nuts and bolts – threads, sizes, different types
How to read a tape measure
How to make homemade biscuits
How to preserve food – including canning
This is just the beginning. I’ve got big plans to give them something more valuable than anything I could buy:
My time and whatever wisdom I’ve managed to gather over the years.
If you’ve already been doing this, my hat’s off to you. And if you’re like me—wanting to right a wrong—now is a good time to start. Let’s give that child, grandchild, niece, or nephew a priceless gift this coming year.
Get Dirty,
Greg
Jeanelle Finch Sherwin Finch
