What I learned from my 14 year old daughter about how to use the Kreg Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide. 

My wife and I spent the majority of my Sunday cutting wood for my son’s dresser. I got to break out and use my new Kreg Rip-Cut circular saw guide. The tool allows you to cut and rip wood up to 24 inches wide. After cutting wood with my wife all day Sunday, and I do mean all day! I think I’m getting pretty good at using the tool. 

On Monday, my daughter helped me out with my final cuts. I needed to cut a 28 1/4 inch cut for the back of the drawer. After I set up my work area and retrieved all of the tools I needed, I pondered for a moment how best get this cut without wasting the majority of the wood. I drew out the shape that I needed and was ready to start cutting . The short end was a piece of cake. But the long end required just a bit more thought.
My daughter, sensing my pause, suggested using a piece of scrape wood to shorten the distance.  

Now why didn’t I think of that?! My daughter is a genius! Such a simple solution. And allows me to add a straight edge anywhere I need it. 
  

I am worried that my son thinks I am invisible!

written by Corey Stokes

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Quite often my son will ask for help doing something. It doesn’t matter if it is reaching something out of the cabinet, opening a child-proof container, or help with his homework.  But I often think my son thinks that I am invisible.

Here’s what I mean.  In the most recent instance, my son (10 y/o)walks into the room holding a sealed bottle of mouthwash asking for help to get it open. Let me set the scene.  My wife and I are in the kitchen having a conversation.  I am standing in front of her, with my side facing the door of the kitchen.  My son has to walk passed me in order to get to his mother….  In he walks asking for help.  As I stand there holding out my hand out to accept the bottle, he proceeds to walk passed me in order to get the help he needs from his mother.

At this point I’m thinking to myself, wait a minute son! Am I invisible?  You walked right past me in order to go to your mom! I’m right here.  In our brief exchange, I told him that dads are great at opening hard to open things and putting things on the top shelf (quoting Alonzo Bodden with a chuckle).  He left the room, laughing me. As if I just made the funniest joke in the world.

Not even 60 seconds later he returns with the same bottle needing help getting past the child proof cap. This time, he allowed me to do my fatherly duty!  What!  Me!  This is it, it is my time to shine. He Asked me for help.  My excitement almost bubbled over as my wife and I stared at each other in amazement.

For a while, it really bothered me. My son, my little homie, my little man was he ignoring my presence? I really thought, that in his mind I was invisible. But, wouldn’t that make me the cool and unforgettable dad?  I realized that I wasn’t invisible by choice.  He simply called for his mother first out of habit.  Over the course of my career in the military, when I have deployed or have gone away,  it has been my wife that has been his go to.    He had said “Mommy” so often that it was the first thing to roll off of his tongue.  

Since the birth of my daughter, now 14, the one thing that I have wanted to be is a great dad. My interactions with my children are among my top priorities. From my Science with my kids projects, to exercising, or just hanging out, I really try to make a very conscious effort to make every moment I spend with my children count.  I try to make up for the loss time of when I am gone.

Am I invisible? Although that would be a cool super power, thankfully, my son has assured me that I am not.  But with time and effort, I can ensure that I stay relevant to him.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.  If you have experienced or are experiencing a situation where your children by base you to go get help from someone else  please feel free to let me know about it in the comment section.

Below are a list of resources, recommended readings, and affiliate links that I have compiled that have helped me solve some of the issues that I face.

Resources

Daddy Doing work – http://daddydoinwork.com/

Recommended Reading

Boys Should Be Boys

Boys Should Be Boys
 Boys Should Be Boys – By Dr. Meg Meker

First Dovetail Project!

I have been experimenting with the many different ways of joining wood together.  This week I have been trying to perfect one of the methods for using the Dovetail joint. Several years ago, one of the Captain that I worked with made a picture frame for me.  He used pocket whole and Dovetail joint and I’ve been mesmerized ever since. For the longest I could not figure it out.  The jigs and other tools used to line it up, it all went way over my head. But then I found the French dovetail.

The French Dovetail  is what is used in many drawers, as many of the woodworking video shows.  After a few tries I found that this was very simple to do and eased my headache about dovetails.  Check out my first dovetailed project!