An Offering of Reason

Once I was walking home from institute with a friend and a boy from her ward.  As we walked, I started discussing some car problems I'd been having.  This conversation ensued:


Her:  Well, I hope you get that figured out.  I don't know anything about cars.

Me:  Really?  Nothing?

Her:  Nope.

Me: You don't know how to jump a car?

Her:  Nope.  I don't even know how to change a tire.

Me:  Well shoot, girl!  I'll give you lessons!  You should know that kind of stuff!

The Boy:  ...and thus the need for men grows less and less.


He said that.  And I wanted to punch him in the face.

That last statement really burned my biscuits, cooked my grits, singed my whiskers,--okay, you get the idea...  . . . and I don't have whiskers. . .

I didn't say anything about it then, but I really wish I had.  Could someone please explain to me exactly how a girl knowing how to change a tire or jump a car makes anyone less of a man?  Or her less of a lady for that matter?

I personally believe--and my male family members agree with me--that it is very wise for a woman to know how a car works and have a general understanding of what to do about any problems she might encounter.  I believe it's wise for her to know which tools are which and how to use them.  Women should be capable.

Why would it ever be a good idea for a woman to be stuck in the dark on the side of the road with a broken-down car?  The last thing I'd want is to have some creepy guy stop along to "help" me with my car and have random strangers find me murdered in the barrow pit the next morning.

Okay, okay… I realize that's a pretty extreme example, but helplessness is not desirable in any circumstance and should not be encouraged.  I am not saying women should go out and seek to be exactly like men—we all have our gifts, talents and purposes—, but we need to know how to do things.

There are women who never have the opportunity to get married in this life.  Others who do lose their husbands for a variety of reasons.  Even those women who have spouses aren't constantly within their presence and can't always call upon them at a moment's notice.  And even when boys have been around to help me, I've had to teach some of them how to use their own jumper cables.

(Heck. I once met a guy who didn't know how to use an allen wrench.  Seriously?!?  It's a hexagon.  You put it in the hexagon hole, righty-tighty, lefty-loosey.  And he had a super fishy handshake.  Seriously.  ...but I digress.)

What I'm getting at is this: help when you need it is never guaranteed.  Problems with pretty much everything (including cars) are inevitable.  While it would be nice to have someone to help, no one can depend on that.  It would be far wiser to be able to figure it out by oneself.

You know.

Just in case you need to.