It is quite possible that we as parents are also to blame. When I grew up in the late 50s and 60s, - as teh elder son, I had to take part in all sorts of chores, as hiring people to do odd jobs was totally out of teh question. As a kid I often hated this, but as a seasoned (!) adult, I know what I learned from this. Kids today are far to busy playing PC games to take part in practical work, and parents are too busy watcing stupid TV series. My son is 26,and it wasn't until he passed 20 that he really took an interest in practical work, finally understanding that he had to pay others to do the fixes he didn't care to do