Why Women Should Know How to Use a Power Drill

Today I’m going to talk about why women should know how to use a power drill!

When something goes wrong or breaks around the house; it’s pretty easy to add the item to the honey-do list and then nag about getting it done for the next year or so.

I’m not saying men shouldn’t help around the house, or that they shouldn’t have a responsibility to fix things that go wrong. What I’m saying is, sometimes there are things that we can do.

Growing up, my attitude was this; if the boys can do it, so can I, which means I know a lot about fixing things. But after we got married, it became too easy to add chores to the honey-do list.  And then nag and whine until he fixed it. Problem is, there is always a lot to do around here, and only so much time between getting home from work and bed-time.

Last week, my washer quit draining; the water just sat in the tub and the motor made a funny sound.  Jason said he would look at it when he got home, but there was the patio that he needed to be working on. My mom then reminded me of how she and my sis and the two younger boys completely took apart and fixed her washer last year, saving them the cost of a new washer.

So, I went to Google and started searching. 30 minutes later I had a pretty good idea of what was wrong with the washer and also how to fix it.  I made a mess, and it took me longer than it may have taken some-one else, but I got it apart, and pulled the pump out. Sure enough, my pump was ruined. Then it was back to Google and ultimately Amazon to find the part I needed. By the end of the week, I had my $60 part put in the washer, and I was back in business!  Talked about thrilled. 🙂

So, here are 7 reasons why women should know how to use a power drill (and other tools):

1. The home may be the man’s castle; but it’s also your domain, where you run things during the day. Knowing how to take care of things on your own is just another part of caring for your home.
2. You can save money. If I would’ve called in a repairman, who knows what it would have cost me to replace that pump?
3. Who wants to constantly ask for something to be done?
4. Bragging rights. Need I say more?!
5. Growing and learning. Learning doesn’t stop when you graduate. Learning must be a part of how you live your life.  When you know how to fix things around your home, you are in control. You are not at the mercy of someone else and you don’t have to wait on their schedule.
6. You are your husband’s helper. If you have the time and can figure things out, help him by crossing an item off of his list. Chances are, he will be so impressed that he will jump on the ball and cross a few things off for himself!
7. And finally, it’s just pretty awesome, to say to your man, “Guess what I did today?” 🙂

Looking back through that list, I have to chuckle. Some of those reasons are very feminist reasons and some are the exact opposite. Regardless of where you stand in the feminist movement, they are all good reasons why women should know how to use a power drill and other tools.

One thing I should add: when it comes to most things around the house here, I am willing to try and fix them. But there is one thing I won’t mess with, and you shouldn’t either (unless you are trained), and that is wiring.  Wiring can be tricky and very dangerous. Please leave that to the professionals.