Capable // not capable

A while ago our front door stopped functioning.  It worked from the inside but not the outside.  Adam shrugged and said that was fine, we didn't want just anyone coming in anyway.

I told him I thought we should fix it.  I thought Mark could do it.  Adam said he was worried that if we started unscrewing screws, the whole thing would fall apart.

Mark heard him say that and from then on, Mark was unwilling to try.

I told Mark I liked him better when he was younger and fearless.

Yesterday I had a YW presidency meeting in our living room and was reminded again that the door handle was not working.

After everyone left, I said, "Mark, get a screwdriver.  We're doing this!"

He sighed and asked, "What kind?"

"Philips head."

And away we went.

Mark unscrewed the initial screws and like Adam predicted/feared, he ended up with a handful of metal parts.  About twenty of them.

"Um," I said.

But Mark was invested.  He inspected all the parts.  He tried one thing and then another.  He very quickly figured out how all the pieces worked together.  He patiently assembled the mechanism, then took it all apart because it wasn't quite right and then assembled it all together again.

Repeat repeat repeat because part of it was bent (?) and you had to do it just so or it wouldn't work.

About this time, I asked Emma to go and switch the laundry and start a new load.  She admitted she didn't know how to do that.

Really?

It reminded me of how she could write her name before she was two (seriously) but one day I realized she didn't know one animal sound.

There are holes in my parenting.
 
I led her downstairs so I could teach a girl to fish.  I told her, "You'll be doing your own laundry next year.  I think this summer you should start doing your own laundry."

"Or," she said, "we could have you keep doing it so we can savor this golden time a little bit longer."

"Or," I said, "you can start doing your own laundry this summer."

We went back to admire Mark's work and help him hold things while he was screwing them together.   When Adam came home, I told Emma, "Quick!  Go distract Dad until Mark gets this fixed."

Emma went flying into the garage and by then it was just funny because 1) you can't truly hide the fact that the front door is disassembled no matter how distracting Emma can be and 2) Adam wouldn't be upset anyway and 3) I had confidence in Mark.

Well placed confidence.

The door is fixed.