Sorry you guys had an unsatisfactory experience. The older I got the wiser my father seemed to become.
I'm sure he showed me how to mend a puncture; once. And I have attempted to pass that on to my offspring, I suspect with varied success, mostly depending on individual motivation (and need). But a lot of knowledge and know how is discarded/given minimal transitory attention: the mantra seems to be 'I don't need to know. When I need to I'll jgi'. Just hope they haven't got an M+ fitted
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What I *did* learn from watching my dad was how NOT to do things. In my opinion, that's just as valuable as being taught how to do things correctly. Plus I learnt that it's perfectly fine to ask for help / call in the pros when you are out of your depth, rather than carrying on and attempting to bodge it while pretending you know what you are doing.
Fortunately, I am mechanically minded, so as long as I have some photos or exploded diagram and work methodically, I can tackle most things mechanical. Plumbing and electrical, beyond the very basics, are best left to those more skilled than I.
As for mortaring and plastering - it's just like icing a cake.
I learnt how to do the latter (a girly skill from a not terribly girly girl), and the skill is most definitely transferable to the larger scale.
