Having a child may make you a father, but being a ‘dad’ is something completely different – and it doesn’t have anything to do with how well you raise your child. The typical image of a dad is the handyman organising his garage, and the moment you know you are a ‘dad’ is the moment you have a veritable collection of cutting tools and measuring tools.
Whilst indeed you are someone’s dad when you have a child, it is different to being ‘a dad’ and you can even find yourself being ‘a dad’ without having to have kids at all. Being a dad is all about a feeling – one of being useful and productive.
Okay, so this might not be a dictionary definition or anything, but many people around the country will understand this sentiment. Owning power tools and regularly indulging in a spot of DIY or looking over the car makes us feel like a dad far more simply because, for most of us, it is what we remember our own dads doing. Therefore, whilst having a child makes us feel like a father, it is only when we start imitating our own dad’s acts that we realise that we are indeed that mature adult, the protective patriarch that we grew up with, and that we are in fact now a dad.
Buying power tools and measuring tools therefore brings many benefits. It gives us the chance to do home improvements and small alterations ourselves without outside help, but it also serves to make us feel more mature and a ‘proper grown up.’
So whether you have a child or not, if you want to feel that little bit more mature, useful and responsible, you may well be surprised at just how much of a difference buying a few cutting tools can make.