Our Kids Learn A Lot From Their Dads. Here’s What Hope They Learn About Cars—In Celebration of Father’s Day
Good habits, smart car ownership and family bonding, plus the occasional curse word.
I really, truly loved my dad, but the first time he gave me a case of motor oil for Christmas, I nearly broke down in tears.
My dad loved me and he knew, if he didn’t buy the oil, remind me to check the level and teach me how to change it every 3,000 miles, it would never happen.
Those lessons can be the most difficult, and also, the most precious in our lives. As Father’s Day rolls around and we celebrate our dads, I tend to dwell on it a bit and think about what I appreciate most — both lessons my dad gave me, and those my husband gives our daughters.
I cherish all my dad taught me about cars, driving and being car smart, and I hope my daughters will have a similar experience. But I wondered, what do other moms hope their kids learn about cars from their husbands and dads?
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
What Moms Hope Kids Learn About Cars From Their Dads
As a mom, the lessons my dad taught me still resonate. But my husband is a totally different kind of ‘car guy’ from my dad; what would our daughters learn from him? I’m a pretty strong car voice in our family, but not the only one.
As it turns out, we taught them a lot about driving and responsibility but not a lot about maintenance (sorry, neither of us are handy under the hood).
If I could go back and do it over, I’d have thought about how to balance out the shortcomings. So I asked the moms on our team what they hope their kids will learn from their dads when it comes to cars—and what they appreciate their kids learning from their fathers.
Read: Car Maintenance Made Easy: Best Paint Remover for Cars
Learn the Basics: Maintenance, DIY and Diagnostics
Erica Mueller is a true DIY queen, so it’s not surprising that her husband is too. She hopes her kids get his resourcefulness, that her sons and daughter will learn to do “oil changes, fluid checks, wiper changes, and how to change tires, belts and hoses,” she said.
And, how to know if they want to go further. “I firmly believe you take better care of your car, if you understand the basics, you really can save a lot of money by doing the simpler things yourself.”
Read: 11 Common Car Maintenance and Repair Questions, and How to Know: Mechanic, Parts Store or DIY?
A True Father’s Day Gift: An Early Start On Being Car Smart
“My husband’s been a mechanic since he was 19,” Kristen Brown said, “so I hope when our toddlers are old enough, they learn the basics of how a car works.” And when they’re older, “how to drive a manual transmission and to have the patience to solve a stubborn problem.”
Jordan Almond feels the same. “My 7 and 9 year old help their dad,” who is an engineer, “with oil changes, brake pads, fluid checks.” It’s a good step to becoming a good, engaged driver, Jordan says. “I want them to do their own basic maintenance and repairs.”
Read: I Love Cars. Thank You, Dad
Learn to Master Our Machines
Teaching our kids to be good drivers is one thing. Teaching them to really control the machine, to get it do to what they want it to is another thing all together. “I want them to know how to back up trailers, to drive a manual,” said Jordan. As a family that trailers for weekend outings, there’ll come a time soon when her sons will get the trailer connected and ready to go all on their own.
Kristen agrees. “Backing up trailers is a good one. I’m so deathly scared of it. I’ll drive with one, but I refuse to back it up.”
Natalie Merola hopes her son learns driving for “all weather and terrain. Growing up [in Florida] without elevation has me learning so many things now, so he’ll be learning that as well.”
“Also equally as integral to the family drive is how and why new tech helps us with the old way of doing things: trailering and payload capacity,” Natalie said; she got a good lesson first hand when she learned to trailer with Ford’s pro trailer hitch assist, an invaluable feature for towing.
Learning How to Mange the Expense of a Car
“My husband doesn’t know squat about cars,” said Jana Askeland. “But he’s really good with the family finances.” She hopes her sons will learn to “balance between want versus need based on what you can afford. I think that’s the lesson: how to be responsible with money.”
The value of being smart with a big purchase can’t be understated, especially for young adults. “Learning how to detect when someone’s trying to scam them at a tire or repair shop,” is something Kristen hopes her kids will learn from their dad.
Being car smart also extends to taking care of a car. “My oldest is 18. He does his own maintenance and he learned from my husband, who is now teaching our 13 year old. My husband loves doing even some of the more complicated things and he always invites the boys to help him,” Erica said; hands on with the boys at an early age will help be not just mechanical, but financially responsible, too (or at least, it’s the hope).
Be a Good Human, On Road and Off
Having a little patience with other drivers is something I value in my husband’s demeanor, he’s always the first to allow others to go ahead at an intersection or to wait while someone makes a difficult parking maneuver.
Crowded roads and the growing popularity of off-roading brings even more etiquette challenges, a value that moms hope their kids pick up from their fathers. “And technique,” said Kristen regarding off-road driving; she and her husband spends a lot of time on the trail, a pastime she hopes her kids will come to love.
Jordan agrees. Her husband has “travelled overland all over the world,” she said, and she hopes “he can use all his wild stories to pass down some of that knowledge” to their three boys.
Off road, and on the trail, etiquette also extends to what you leave behind, my dad always taught me, and I hope it’s something that my daughters will pick value, too.
Make the Car a Family Affair
“I’ve learned a thing or two from my husband tinkering in the garage and my son holding the flashlight for a view under the hood (IYKYK),” Natalie said. “It’s a way to bond, but also cool to share knowledge that was passed down from his dad and important to know.”
And, we can pick up a little extra knowledge, too. “It’s important for him to learn maintenance, troubleshooting, and get hands-on experience,” Natalie said. “To know where everything is and what it means if it leaks a certain color liquid, or if it makes a specific sound” that needs attention. But it’s important for all of us to know these things.
Hopefully, They Won’t Learn the Bad Habits
“The highway is not a racetrack, dad!” one of our writers said. I’m not going to give anyone away, but there are some bad habits that kids *might* pick up on, including cursing when working under the hood, yelling at other drivers and driving too fast.
You also might hope that your kids don’t pick up on stuffing the car’s door panels with trash that somehow is “forgotten.” Or saying regretful things while driving only to hear your kids parroting what you say later on; it can be mortifying. But we take the good with the bad and try to overlook, or overcome, the less than attractive habits.
Take the Lessons With the Love That’s Intended. We Love You, Dad
What do I hope my kids will learn from their dad? A lot of things, but when it comes to cars, I hope they get his sense of “How to find a ‘guy.’ My husband is smart and resourceful but he’s not all that mechanically inclined; he knows when it’s better to find someone who can figure out the problem and fix it rather than try himself and possibly make a mess—or worse.
And then there’s this: neither me, nor my daughters, will ever receive a case of oil for Christmas. That precious moment will forever be my dad’s gift to me.
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