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My mother is the daughter of an engineer – a handy, practical, do-it-yourself man. My grandfather built the house my mother grew up in, almost all of the furniture they owned, and much more besides. If my grandmother ever wanted something – be it a cot for a baby, a new kitchen, an outhouse, you name it, my grandfather built it. And if it was broken – he fixed it. My mother, being the eldest child, was soon joining in on the projects.

I am the daughter of a vet. A compassionate and competent man. Yet, my father did not build our house, or anything in it, and rarely fixed anything. The role of helping us with primary school technology projects, science expos and building activities simply fell on my mother. In our home, if we wanted something done or fixed, we went to her.

I grew up and married an engineer. Although my husband has the same occupation as my grandfather, he is a man much more like my own father – with many worthy qualities, but being handy is not one of them. Before long, I found myself in the same position as my mother, falling into the role of being ‘the handy one’. When my husband and I married last year, we (like most newly-weds) moved into a tiny home with little furniture. After living with boxes on the livingroom floor for months, I knew, if I wanted that bookcase, I was going to have to make it.

And so I did. It’s no masterpiece but for a girl’s first project, I am proud! One day, when one of my own children – boy or girl – takes after their mother, I hope to teach my child the joys of being ‘the handy one’, like my mother taught me and her father taught her.

RENATE VAN BLERK

I can tell I’m getting a bit more sentimental as the years pass, because your letter really struck a chord in me, Renate.

If you’ve been reading Popular Mechanics since I’ve been the editor, you might have seen that I’m also the son of an engineer

– an incredibly capable man who can practically fix or make anything. The skills you’ve gleaned from your mother will serve you well your entire life, and I encourage you to continually strive to grow them. To help you in that quest, you’ve won the Sjöbergs workbench prize. You probably don’t yet have space to put it, but I’m sure you’ll make a plan.

– Mark, Editor