Creative Uses for Duct Tape

I've tried to spend a good amount of time with my son. I really have. Cub Scouts. Boy Scouts. Pinewood Derbies. Campouts. Tough love. Tough talk. THE Talk. Teach him. Let him learn the hard way sometimes. Do it for him sometimes. Noogie him. Hug and kiss him. Dad stuff ya know.

I've especially tried to spend more time with him in recent years as he hit double digits. I figure my time is limited before I become the single stupidest, most over-bearing person he'll claim he's ever met.

But apparently a place I need to spend more QT with him is at the work bench. As I was getting pack to head to KC last week, he mentioned he needed a 2 x 4 for a school project. We found one, and I made sure he knew where the tape and hand saw were. I thought I was good to go.

When I returned from my trip, I found this on my work bench.



I asked him "why all the tape?" He said he didn't know where any screws or nails were so he just used duct tape to hold it together.

On Saturday, I helped him and his Boy Scouts patrol on a 15-mile bike ride and campout. During the route, another scout crowded him against the shoulder of the road causing him to lose control and flip his bike down a small revine. His 360 degree pirouette was the highlight of the day for the other scouts even though it cost him a couple of banged up knees and a road-rash shoulder.

We patched up his knees with an oversized Band-Aid. After he got home on Sunday and showered, he opted to replace the original patch with some gauze held in place with...yep, you got it...duct tape. He's insisted on the same treatment the last 3 days.



He's either ready to travel with Survivorman ... or he's ready for a voc ed track in high school. In either case, he's learned a vital life lesson. All you need to survive in this nutty world are 2 things: a roll of duct tape and a can of WD-40.

TMC