Boys think they’re breaking the man contract if they cry

> “But my father would not only know how to change a plug, he could have rewired the house, built the back wall. It’s a generational thing.”

Not sure about the generational thing, I'm 35, I can rewire a house (cheating on this one as I trained as an electrician in my late teens/early twenties and spent my early teens helping my father rewire houses), plaster, tile, fit a bathroom suite, do basic plumbing, tear down an engine, rebuild a motorbike, repair most electronics (that can be repaired with a multimeter and soldering iron), do sheet metal work and basic welding, hang a shelf, do basic carpentry (cheating again, grandfather was a shipwright then carpenter), build a road bike, fettle gears, brakes, replace break pads on a car, change oil/plugs etc, build a wall and a bunch of stuff I've done and forgotten about.

Any son/daughter I have (if I ever do) will be taught all the above if they show any interest, specialisation is for insects[1]

There isn't anything special about any of the above, having the will to have a go and learn from people willing to teach is all it takes (and an acceptance that failure is always a possible outcome but you'll get it right next time).

[1] A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - Heinlein