What to expect when you make things with your kids


Lisa Butterworth of Etsy interviewed me about my new book, Maker Dad.

As a dad who's done these projects with your daughters, what would you tell other dads about what they might get out of making things with their kids based on your own experience?

One thing I think they'll get is patience. It's going to take a lot longer to do a project than if you just take over and do it yourself. You have to hand the tools over to the kids and realize that they're going to make cuts that aren't straight, drill holes in the wrong places, be sloppier with the paint than you might be, but that's just part of learning. You're also going to learn that they want to try, they have their own ideas about how things should look that might not match yours. But that's a good thing, I think, and it's going to also teach kids compromise and bargaining. You get the whole operation.