Aaron needed to change the oil in his car last week. Why? Because it makes him feel like a man (and he’s cheap and he just honestly really likes to). My husband is a car guy. He loves cars. He loves fast cars, old trucks, and anything that might be labeled a ‘project.’ He regularly scolds me for the state of my vehicle, which to his credit, is covered in smashed cereal bars and littered with water cups and stray matchbox cars. But that’s not the point, the point of this already winding ridiculous story is that he needed to change the oil in his car.
So, after soccer practice, he went out to the garage and started puttering around, getting out the tools he would need for the job. Of course, our two little puppy-dog daddy-worshipers were right on his heels to see what he was up to.
It was just about the cutest thing in the whole world:
Aaron was so patient with the boys. I hovered in the doorway asking if I needed to bring the boys in, but he just shrugged and smiled and went back to showing Jack a wrench or whatever tool it actually was that he was using. The boys were in heaven. They not only got to play with Dad’s tools but they actually got to do a project with him. They couldn’t believe their good fortune.
I loved watching these interactions. A daddy’s pride in sharing something he loves with his children and the hero-worship in the eyes of my children as their father involves them in something they hold sacred.
When I asked Aaron about letting the boys into the garage, the twinkle in his eye was undeniable. “Every man needs to know how to change the oil in a car,” he said.
He might be starting them a little early…but hey, you have to admit, it’s pretty sexy to see your man under the hood of a car (even if he is wearing athletic shorts and a flannel shirt).
A New Day Rises 
Wait! Is that sporty dad and redneck dad all at the same time? Isn’t that confusing to the children?