Engines, Muscles, and Spending Time with Dad

I remove the engine from Callum’s old ute. It’s no longer needed. “I’m going to fit a bigger more powerful one,” my second son tells me.

So he goes on a search and finds just the engine he’s looking for. “It needs a bit of work, Mum, but it’s going to be fantastic!”

The new engine sits on our driveway for a few weeks, and then one day Callum says, “You want to help me work on my engine, Dad?”

“Go on,” I encourage. “You two men will enjoy working together.”

Andy and Callum spend a day outside in the sun, tinkering and chatting. Late afternoon they reappear with huge grins on their faces. (They’re a bit sunburnt too.)

“It’s in great working order,” announces Andy.

“You should see it, Mum!”

So I go outside to admire the engine.

“That’s OUR engine, Mum,” says Callum proudly. “That’s Dad’s and my engine.”

“OUR engine?” I ask.

“Well, Dad did just as much work on it as me. He’s pretty good at mechanics.”

“Dad has been working on cars a long time…”

Just before dinner, Callum says to Andy, “Do you want to come to the gym with me, Dad?”

Andy looks a bit unsure so I say, “Go on! You’ll enjoy working out together.”

So the men put on their workout gear and head off to the gym. They return a couple of hours later with huge grins on their faces.

“You should have seen Dad,” says Callum. “You should have seen the weights he was lifting.”

“Well, I’m not an old man yet!” says Andy.

“Nah! Lots of older and less fit men at the gym than you, Dad!” Then he adds, “I’ll get you a copy of my training program. We should work out together all the time.”

“Okay,” agrees Andy, “but I’m not going to drink your protein shakes.” He grimaces. “They taste awful.”

Later that night, Andy groans. His muscles feel sore. He gingerly lifts his arms. “I have muscles I didn’t realise I had. All that work on the engine and then the gym…”

Callum grins. “You don’t have to use those muscles tomorrow, Dad. Tomorrow’s lower body day.”

“You’ll come home from the gym with sore legs instead,” I predict.

“Silly idea working on engines and going to the gym!” Andy moans. “Too old for all that.”

But it wasn’t a silly idea at all. Kids, even adult ones, love doing things with their parents.

“Hey, Dad! Now our engine’s in working order, when shall we put it into the ute?”

“Can’t you do that bit?” asks Andy.

“Well, it is our engine, Dad!”

Don’t you just love watching fathers and sons spending time together, sharing their skills and enjoying each other’s company? I do.