Dad’ll Fix It: What My Daughters Taught Me About Making, Learning & Trust

There’s a phrase my daughters have heard from me for most of their lives: “Dad’ll fix it.” I started saying it when they were little.

Whenever our daughters have gotten a Dremel tool stuck in their hair, stuck gooey s’mores marshmallow in their hair, cut their little sister’s hair… (or any other mess that is not hair related), I have been very intentional about my response. I take a deep breath. And with my calmest ‘dad voice’ and say, “Dad’ll fix it.”

Over the years, this phrase has evolved. As they got older, I started saying,

Dad’ll Fix It. You Can Help.

When my girls were little and deep in their princess phase, broken tiaras were serious business.

I'd say, “Dad’ll fix it. You can help.” Then I'd go get the soldering iron, and show my princess how to safely use and respect tools.

If a shoe came apart, we'd head outside where there was plenty of ventilation, get out the Barge contact cement, and fix it together.

And sometimes something much bigger would break.

The dishwasher would stop working, for example.

Did I already know how to fix a dishwasher? Absolutely not.

But my answer was still:

“Dad’ll fix it. You can help.”

Then we'd get on YouTube together and figure it out.

Admitting what I didn’t know is an important part of this equation. I wasn't really teaching my daughters that Dad magically knew how to fix everything.

I was teaching them that not knowing how to do something isn't a reason to be afraid of it.

You look at the problem. You learn what you need to learn. You try something. Sometimes you get it wrong. Then you try again, ask for help, and know that you never have to face any problem alone.

Somewhere Along the Way, They Became the Makers

My daughters are well past their princess phase, and have become my favorite makers in the world.

And yes, I'm their dad. I'm allowed to brag about them.

My younger daughter decided she wanted to learn how to crochet. No one in our house knows how to crochet. I’ve never gotten into it and other than a sad square my wife crocheted one time after deciding she needed a new hobby - let’s just say this craft has never been prevalent in our house.

Just like when I was learning how to fix our dishwasher. She went on YouTube and taught herself.

Then she practiced. And practiced. She got incredibly fast at it, and now she's making stuffed animals for gifts, making scrunchies for her entire ballet troop, and cat blankets for her friends.

I look at what she creates and see that same process:

I don't know how to do this yet. But I can figure it out.

My older daughter - of her own volition - researched, applied to, and was accepted into an STEM magnet high school. It’s rigorous. There are no sports. It’s A LOT of work.

She's going to learn how to design, engineer, build, troubleshoot, take things apart, put them back together, in this amazing school.

Which also means something wonderful is about to happen.

I've spent years teaching my daughters how to use tools and figure things out.

Soon, she's going to be teaching me.

I'm interested in learning more about animatronics and servos, and there's a very good chance that a year from now I'll be standing beside my daughter while she explains something to me that I don't understand yet.

I cannot wait.

Maybe she'll look at me and say:

“I'll fix it, Dad. You can help.”

I hope she does.

I love it when a plan comes together.

When my daughters were little, the problems they brought me were things like broken toys, shoes, tiaras, and whatever else had suffered the consequences of childhood that particular day.

Those problems don't stay little forever.

Now the things that break aren't always things you can repair with glue, foam, a screwdriver, or a soldering iron.

Life gets more complicated.

Every time I said “Dad’ll fix it”, I was making a promise.

You can bring broken things to me.

You don't need to hide the problem because you're worried I'll be angry.

You don't have to already know the solution.

You can come to me.

We'll look at it together.

And we'll figure out what comes next.

Because after years of fixing little things together, my daughters know that when something bigger happens, Dad is still here.

Making Is Really About Confidence

Being a jack-of-all-trades has certainly been useful in my career as a professional puppet maker and fabricator. But I think one of the greatest things making has given me has nothing to do with the objects I've built.

It's the understanding that “I don't know how” and “I can't” are two very different statements.

The best way I've found to teach that to a young person is simply to invite them into the process.

Don't just fix the broken thing for them. Teach them to respect tools, to be curious, and to watch you struggle in the process of fixing something.

Let them discover that they can solve problems, too.

What does fixing a tiara have to do with Boopos Blanks?

Boopos Blanks DIY puppet kits give you a head start on making a character that is entirely your own. But what excites me isn't just the finished puppet.

It's watching somebody start with a blank puppet and turn it into an original character and realize:

I can make a mess. I can start this and restart it as many times as I want. I can try something crazy.

I love it when customers show me their works in progress and when they restarted a puppet. I challenge you to - Experiment. Solve little problems. Change your mind. Try things that might look ridiculous.

And eventually, something that didn't exist before exists because you made it.

That's a powerful feeling for anyone. I don’t care if you’re 12 or 112.

I want Boopos to give more people an opportunity to experience that.

The Best Thing I've Ever Helped Build

I've built a lot of strange things over the years.

Puppets. Props. Characters. Things for stages and screens. Things that required tools I knew how to use and plenty of things that required me to learn something new.

I'm proud of that work.

But nothing I've ever made compares to watching my daughters become people who aren't intimidated by the words:

“I don't know how to do that.”

They know what comes next.

You figure it out.

And if you need some help?

Dad's here.

Want to build a character of your own? Explore Boopos Blanks DIY puppet kits and start with a professionally constructed blank puppet ready to customize, or learn more about our puppet-making workshops for groups, events, and creative experiences.

— Sam Carter
Proud dad, professional puppet maker, fabricator, and creator of Boopos Blanks