Holding Flashlight For Dad

[freudianfloyd]

I'm sure most of the guys on here have seen the memes of holding flashlights for dads. I'm sure most have had the experience of getting yelled at for not holding the light exactly where dad wanted it. And I am sure most of you have yelled at your own kids when asking them to hold a light.

Well now that my dad is getting older and no longer able to do the hard work, he has been relegated to holding the flashlight for me. And it is obvious that he has never held a flashlight for somebody else before.....I was working on his truck and asked him to hold the light, and like a little kid, the light drifted away over and over and had to keep telling him, just like he used to say to me, "I can't see". It got to the point where I said "you never held a flashlight for your dad did you?" to which he laughed and said he didn't remember his dad ever working on anything. Still makes me laugh when I think about it. He used to ream me good for not holding the light properly.

Anyway, no real point to my story, just saw a post about somebody holding a light for their dad and it reminded me of it.

 

[Forgottonia]

Yeah, holding the flashlight. Or running back to the shop to get a wrench, or a hammer, or some tape, or wire. That's how most of us got started working on stuff.

 

[Mikeske]

My dad used to have us kids hold the flashlight for us and yes we get chewed out for not holding exactly on the work area. Funny thing is my dad was in retail sales and not mechanically inclined. I remember one time dad needed to use a tubing cutter and the copper tube was smashed and looked like someone was trying to stop a leak. Dad hands me the tubing cutter and told me to please cut this tube and I showed how to do a proper cut with a tubing cutter

 

[gmcgeo]

my step dad worked on his van couple times, never put interest in me helping him. my biological father never taught me anything either.

but being a father and have two teens, i have them help me all the time. lol they do good holding the light. my son could change my oil in the jeep by age 6 by himself.

the older they get the more they are able to help with larger projects and things.

Family is everything.

 

[HeadsUp]

One of my fondest memories is Dad yelling at about my lack of flash light holding skills. I can laugh about it now. Think I passed my skills down to my own boys.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Lots of great memories helping my dad with projects and in turn, when I got a home of my own, him helping me with projects.

 

[MattN03]

I always tell my boys to hold the light wherever my hands are...."just follow my hands!!!" lol

 

[turbowoodworker]

Dad sent me about age 5 to the corner store with a quarter for an LA Times. Got there and couldn't find the LA Times paper (because "LA Times" was written in Old English script). All he could do was laugh and point out the script on yesterday's paper as a teaching point.
He had plenty of other reasons to yell at me!

 

[Stuart in MN]

The phrase used by many a dad, to his son holding the flashlight: "Can you see what I'm working on? Because I sure as hell can't!"

 

[joseywales]

Wow! This is funny and timely. I held the light for my dad, poorly most times. Now, my FIL is holding the light for me and typically blinds me, more than helps me. He's 85 a and replaced his own water heater in the summer. He's a doer, not a light holder! I'll grit my teeth and always make him know that he's continually valued. My dad once said, it's not cutting the wire, it's knowing which wire to cut.

 

[Viper98912]

Many years ago, I discovered the head light, that mounts on a band, on your head. It was an epic discovery I tell you. I bought one for everyone that year lol.

 

[Rod N]

That is a nice story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[toolmiser]

I was just talking with my kids about this yesterday. Unfortunately they have never been around when I need the flashlight held. I do use a head mounted flashlight to get by though.

 

[johninct]

I remember Brake Bleeding and stepping on the pedal.

 

[Viper98912]

I remember Brake Bleeding and stepping on the pedal.

Ooohhh jeeez......

 

[bradpac]

I remember Brake Bleeding and stepping on the pedal.

down......up.....down.....up......down...... the good ol days.

 

[jd_1138]

My mechanic dad had my help quite a bit. I'd fetch tools, supplies, clean off tools, etc..

 

[Ilikeike]

As posted above,
I remember the brake bleeding, "ARE YOU HOLDING IT DOWN !"
I had trouble even reaching the pedal back then.

But I must have been better at it than Mom was lol.

 

[MN_Pete]

I remember holding the light. It was a fine line between shining the light on the work but keeping it out of his eyes. "You're blinding me! Turn the light so it shines on the work, not my eyes!" He had a trouble light with the hot-as-hell bulb with the front half exposed and the back half covered by a reflector/shield. Also got chewed out for having my hand in my pockets. "Get yer hands out of yer pockets, I might need to hand you something!"

 

[Viper98912]

down......up.....down.....up......down...... the good ol days.

I didn't say push yet!!!

 

[619DioFan]

My dad was not a doer , that was my job. he was however really good at barking out orders. but when your dad is a marine colonel you learn to accept the way things are. needless to say he was never a flashlight holder . there was one time when I was 8 or 9 and our basement was flooded during a hurricane in virginia. he was using a sump pump to move the water and told me to turn on an old metal pole lamp that was in water as I was standing in ankle deep water myself. I got zapped and knocked halfway across the basement. he yelled at me to stop screwing around.

 

[jetnow1]

As the oldest boy I was the one Dad grabbed to help, and with 7 kids he did almost everything himself. I learned a lot that way, my brother always ******* that I was taught and he was not. To this day he can do almost nothing on his house.

 

[tarmy]

I learned a lot about various things from “holding the light” for pops. Also got yelled at as mentioned….but still remember helping and feeling good about that.

 

[Loga_3]

Been there done that, fond memories!
Also, i remember one time when my dad had welded in the garage and he told me to not touch anything because it's very very hot! Well, my little child brain had a "Beavis moment"... I just had to touch it, and would you know it, It turns out newly welded stuff is super duper hot!

 

[RedneckWelder]

pumping brakes ah jeez that was always fun because of course the bleeder operator is never clear on what they want you to do at the moment

thank god headlamps came along and removed the need for me to hold that dim *** maglite.

getting sent to find a tool in the worst organized, hoarder garage/basement ever was always fun. He of course knew exactly where it was but god help you in finding it and you never did it fast enough.

two people that are each far better off working alone do not make for smooth work.

 

[velocipede]

Getting along in years. Just finished holding the flashlight for the son-in-law on a project. I knew exactly where to shine it, thanks to my dad

 

[Juiced06GTO]

My best friend and I had a running joke about this as he was over my house one evening after school and I was holding the light for my father. Well of course I got distracted and the light drifted away while my father was muttering curses under his breath struggling with a stuck bolt and he finally snapped around and screamed at me "damn it Anthony hold the g_d d_amn f'ing flash light!!!!" My buddy just about fell over laughing. We were probably about 15 at the time. Unfortunately, both my father and best friend have passed on now due to cancer, but hearing these stories always brings me right back to that day.

 

[Bucko]

Wow! This is funny and timely. I held the light for my dad, poorly most times. Now, my FIL is holding the light for me and typically blinds me, more than helps me. He's 85 a and replaced his own water heater in the summer. He's a doer, not a light holder! I'll grit my teeth and always make him know that he's continually valued. My dad once said, it's not cutting the wire, it's knowing which wire to cut.

My Father-in-law always wants to have me use his Dewalt headlamp. I really don't care for that style but he insists.

 

[joseywales]

About the only wrench 'friends' I've ever had beyond the mid '70s were the fellow mechanics that I worked with back in the day. Beyond that, my wife has helped with certain work, i.e. mostly brake bleeding, along with a clutch replacement on our GMC '85 S15 and head gasket R&R on our '95 GMC 4.3 V6 S15 based Jimmy.

My Father-in-law always wants to have me use his Dewalt headlamp. I really don't care for that style but he insists.

He just gave me AND my daughter headlamps! I kid you not. He loves the fact that she has/wants a tool kit. Not many teens want tools

 

[exmaxima1]

I remember about 45 years ago my dad wanted me to help him with his car. I was home from college for the weekend and my mother wanted me to spend some quality time with dad. He was in the driver's seat while I looked down the carb and fidgeted with it and I distinctly told him to "Not touch the starter". Well, of course, he hit the starter and a flame shot up and burned my beard and eyebrows off (luckily I was wearing glasses). I'll never forget that laugh---or the smell.

 

[CoogarXR]

At least flashlights today put out a ton more light, so you don't have to be as accurate as you had to be back in the day, lol.

 

[jclem40c]

Just read thru the thread and I don't think a lot of you understand. It's not about the where the light is pointed it's all
about the time spent with the parents and the grandparents that matters. Never realized at the time how much this would
mean to me now but now that I'm a Grandfather and a Great Grandfather I have a much better understanding. Time spent
in the shop with the kids is the most valuable time we have left. Days are numbered.... Enjoy them.

 

[JWILLIE1977]

At 44, I would give the world to hold the light one more time for my father. One more run to the basement for the right wrench. Such a pain in the *** when you don't know any better. But, such a reward when one realizes holding the light, getting the wrench, etc. . Was so much more.
One more father son moment that could help me be that much of a better person, and that much of a better father.

 

[paulsomlo]

Boy, this brings back memories - I too, suffered the rite of passage known as "holding the flashlight". I used to go out with my dad on jobs (he was an electrician), I was put into service carrying bundles of wire, helping to carry the ladder, and the occasional wire pulling, which caused my dad great frustration - "can you see it, can you see it?".

 

[Mikeske]

As the oldest boy I was the one Dad grabbed to help, and with 7 kids he did almost everything himself. I learned a lot that way, my brother always ******* that I was taught and he was not. To this day he can do almost nothing on his house.

I was the 2nd oldest and the most mechanically inclined of my fathers 5 boys and 2 girls. I was home on leave from the Air Force and dads old Dodge had skipped timing and I determined that it needed a timing chain. I pulled it in the garage went to Sears in my car got a set of Craftsman tools and dad used his employee discount and I go back to his place. By the time he gets home I had the old timing chain off had reset the timing and I was buttoning up the front of the engine and he is sitting there asking me questions and shooting the breeze. The way I thought about it was it so valuable to live lessons as 6 months later I was at work when I was called into the office that my father had died from a heart attack. I am so glad he held the flash light for me when I was working on his car.

 

[goldtang]

Dad. Was a mechanic and I did the flash light brake bleeding thing he taught me other skills as well from as early as I can remember. That was from home as he did some work on the side for friends later on we move from the north west to down south and ended up setting up a mechanical repair business weekend work And after school work became the norm he set me up for life by what he taught me and I will for ever be grateful, i Followed in his foot steps and got a trade when he got sick I would do the work and like some of you he would hold the flash light it would not be very steady his comment was now you know how it was when you held it

 

[firebirdparts]

I'm glad you shared this story. My dad was a machinist who worked on everything, and we lived in remote Appalachia, so I have a broad ranging reputation to this day for being a bad flashlight-holder. We just laugh about it now.

 

[cstmg8]

What I wouldn't give to be yelled at again for holding the light wrong. That man taught me how to do more things than most people will ever be able to do in their lifetime (aside from fellow garage journal folks). I lost him way too early and miss him everyday.
At 40, my girls are just getting old enough to work on things with me and I try to take advantage of every one of those memories I can make.
Take advantage of every opportunity you get to spend time doing something productive with your family in both the generation before and after you. It doesn't last forever guys and gals.
Now this old manly elevator mechanic has to go wipe his eyes after typing this.
Happy holidays garage journal.

 

[goldtang]

Trade I picked still is fitting and machining got the best of both worlds and on the up side I did not lose the enthusiasm to work on cars I do steer away from trucks and heavy mobile equipment now

 

[firebirdparts]

I remember holding the light. It was a fine line between shining the light on the work but keeping it out of his eyes. "You're blinding me! Turn the light so it shines on the work, not my eyes!" He had a trouble light with the hot-as-hell bulb with the front half exposed and the back half covered by a reflector/shield. Also got chewed out for having my hand in my pockets. "Get yer hands out of yer pockets, I might need to hand you something!"

That's funny and reminded me, my dad also said you can't work sitting down. You can't get any leverage or reach anything. He's right about that.