Little Scrapper
Cassutt freak
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2013
- Messages
- 852
- Reaction score
- 201
Thought I would share this. Not many others in life could grasp what I'm talking about except you folks.
I screwed up a few years ago. I started a business and forgot about my family.
It wasn't intentional, things just have a way of taking on a life of its own. I mean, I started small but then it grew. The more it grew the more distant my family became. It got to the point where my wife and kids started planning events without me because I was so busy serving customers.
So then all of a sudden I was working on a service call, probably a Saturday or Sunday when my wife sent me a text photo of the kids. It was a cute picture. I wasn't in it.
So I set out on a path to fix it.
The little biplane made from scrap was perfect. It was my chance to fix my screw ups and to get my 3 kids involved in something where we could all have fun.
At first it was hard. They didn't want any part of it. But like most things in life it just takes a little time and patience.
So far we have been building rib components but it wasn't until this weekend that I have really seen a great family effort and involvement that was meaningful.
The patience stick was what did it. What started out as a jig to sand the round gussets to final shape has become a game of sorts. It has become a game where the kids try and out do each other with craftsmanship. "Who can produce the finest part" has become the new talk in this family.
With about 700+ gussets to mark out, cut and sand that's over 2,000 separate operations to complete. That's over 2,000 opportunities to bond as a family.
And now, instead of my wife sending me a text of the kids, the pictures on the refrigerator are being replaced by photos of real memories.
Biplanes. It's more than just a pair of wings.
I screwed up a few years ago. I started a business and forgot about my family.
It wasn't intentional, things just have a way of taking on a life of its own. I mean, I started small but then it grew. The more it grew the more distant my family became. It got to the point where my wife and kids started planning events without me because I was so busy serving customers.
So then all of a sudden I was working on a service call, probably a Saturday or Sunday when my wife sent me a text photo of the kids. It was a cute picture. I wasn't in it.
So I set out on a path to fix it.
The little biplane made from scrap was perfect. It was my chance to fix my screw ups and to get my 3 kids involved in something where we could all have fun.
At first it was hard. They didn't want any part of it. But like most things in life it just takes a little time and patience.
So far we have been building rib components but it wasn't until this weekend that I have really seen a great family effort and involvement that was meaningful.
The patience stick was what did it. What started out as a jig to sand the round gussets to final shape has become a game of sorts. It has become a game where the kids try and out do each other with craftsmanship. "Who can produce the finest part" has become the new talk in this family.
With about 700+ gussets to mark out, cut and sand that's over 2,000 separate operations to complete. That's over 2,000 opportunities to bond as a family.
And now, instead of my wife sending me a text of the kids, the pictures on the refrigerator are being replaced by photos of real memories.
Biplanes. It's more than just a pair of wings.
