May 22, 2006 - Review: The Young Man's Handybook

One thing that my husband insists upon me teaching my son is the basic skills needed for living on his own. You see, my husband was never taught how to do laundry or how to cook for himself. The poor thing lived off of hamburgers and ramen noodles while in college - LOL! Now, I've blogged about how I'm going to cover homemaking in a 2-year period with my daughter beginning this fall. And, of course, I want to also fulfill my husband's request and complete a similar course with my son, but I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do that. I mean, I could go through the same book that I'll be using with my daughter, Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills and adapt it for my male child, but I would rather not have to modify a book. I'm just lazy, I guess!

Then, once again, Martha Greene came to the rescue with her new book (co-authored with Gail Kappenman) called The Young Man's Handybook - Preparing Your Son on the Homefront. This book is geared for boys ages 8 and up and will teach them basic skills like making up meals, doing the laundry, fixing things, etc.


There are 8 sections as follows:

In the Kitchen

The Young Gentleman (manners)

First Aid and Safety

The Young Handyman (helping around the house)

Let's Go to the Woodshed (working with wood)

Along the Garden Fence

The Country Boy (outdoor adventures)

Outgrowing the Piggybank (managing money)

The book is written to boys and in a nice straight-forward manner. The Kitchen section contains about 50 basic recipes that the child can make at home including main dish recipes and cookies & breads! All men should know how to cook even if it's just to help a little around the house (I don't expect my husband to prepare a gourmet meal after he's been at work all day - LOL! But it is nice when he helps!).

In the other sections, he'll learn how to tie a tie, take care of bites & stings and other emergency situations, how to do the laundry and help keep the home tidy. The wood-working section looks fun ... from learning how to whittle wood to building a REAL log cabin (one for the kids to play in!). The gardening section includes directions on building a real split-rail fence (something I've seen my husband do since we've been married!). The Country Boy section discusses camping, fishing, knot-making, deer hunting and gun safety. The final section discusses basic bookkeeping and saving vs. wasting money.

I am very pleased with The Young Man's Handybook. I was going to wait until the 7-8th grade years to go through a basic "handyman" course with my son, but after looking through this, I've decided to cover some of the basic material next year - the manners, laundry and money sections especially. The book is currently on sale for $16.11 PLUS you will receive a free gift with your purchase. In my humble opinion, you are getting way more than your money's worth with your purchase. The book is spiral-bound so it lays flat and the front and back covers are protected with vinyl protectors. It's a very nice book ... I think that I've just found the perfect gift for all of my son's friends (And I'm sure their moms will appreciate the book instead of receiving another toy)!