My then-17-year-old daughter helped me fix a bunch of stuff on her Mini, and from that point she was always wanting to help work on the vehicles when I had things to do. We did full brakes, fluid changes, spark plugs, EGR valve on my vehicle, among other things. She’s far from a tomboy, too — she’s a tall, lithe model in Hawaii, with perpetually perfect nails and makeup. She didn’t mind getting her hands dirty, though, which surprised the ever-loving crap out of me...

We now live half a world apart, and I miss working on the cars with her.  She has told me of some of the jobs she has tackled herself: battery change, changed a flat tire, changed her oil, and other stuff.  Pretty basic, rudimentary maintenance jobs, but I’m proud that she both has the knowledge and willingness to take those on instead of calling and/or paying someone else to do it.