Afternoon gents, it’s Max from the Young Gentleman’s Guide here! First off, apologies from both Jonah and myself for not having any posts up for a while. I just started another semester at San Francisco State, and these first few weeks have truly thrown me for a loop and have really been testing my patience. In any case, I should be back to my regular posting schedule right starting right now, and today, I have a big one for you guys! Now, any man should have a positive male role model in his life, and I consider myself incredibly lucky since I have several in my life. Whether family, friends, or otherwise, there are several men in my life that I look up to and strive to emulate every day of my life. With this in mind, I thought it would be nice to talk about possibly the biggest male role model in my life, my grandfather, Robert Mahan. In this post, I’m going to talk about the things I admire about my grandpa and how he can serve as a model for all up-and-coming gentlemen today. So with all of that out of the way, let’s get started!

1. He’s handy

Grandpa is mechanic and metalworker, so he obviously knows how to use tools as well as how to work with just his hands. Just about anything involving the use of of his hands, he’s able to do. He can change a tire, build and fix engines, effectively use an axe, and he even built a fully-functional, scale model train engine from scratch, which took the better part of thirty years to complete. Here’s a picture in case you don’t believe me.

On top of all of this, there’s one thing Grandpa always has on him that can help in so many situations: his pocketknife. He and my uncles are essentially the ones who taught me to always carry my pocketknife with me (which is why I rarely leave my dorm without my Swiss Army Knife). Long story short, if you have any project that involves work with tools or with your hands, Grandpa either always has the right tool for the job, or knows where to find and how to use said right tool. And that’s a great thing that men should know how to do. Being able to help and have the right tools for any situation can generally just make life easier, and being generally reliable is just a great trait to have. But that only scratches the surface of what Grandpa can teach.

2. He’s a true outdoorsman

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this on the blog before, but I’m actually an Eagle Scout, as is our other admin, Jonah. While I can’t speak for Jonah as to why he even started with the Boy Scouts, I myself can honestly say that my entire reason for becoming a Scout can be attributed to Grandpa. He was the first person in my family to join Boy Scout Troop 119, the troop in which my uncle, my cousin, my brother-in-law, and I all ended up joining. Practically everything I’ve learned about camping and the outdoors can be credited to Grandpa. As a man who has been camping, backpacking, and hunting for almost eighty (80) years, he clearly knows a thing a two about backpacks, tents, and the like. I’m sure if he had the option, he could just live off the land and the wilderness. He can read a map just as well as he can read a book, make a fire, cook his own food, shoot a gun, and even track animals to an extent. If these all aren’t important things for all young men to know, then I don’t know what is.

3. He’s a true family man

My grandparents have been happily married for sixty-two (62) years, and in my eyes, they’re happier than ever. Obviously, Grandpa has an innumerable amount of traits that I admire and strive to emulate, but the most important thing to know is that no matter what he does, at the end of the day, the thing that’s most important to him is his family. He clearly shows that he loves his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and would give anything to make them happy. And after fairly recently becoming great-grandfather, I’ve never seen him so happy in my life. The fact that his legacy will continue to live on through his family pleases him to no end, and I cannot wait to share what he’s taught to my future kids and grandkids.

So there it is! My grandfather has obviously left a huge impact on my life, and I feel like he’s taught me so much that many of you young gents who are reading can learn as well. Again, my sincerest apologies for being so absent lately. As stressful as these first few weeks back at school have been, we should be back to our regular posting schedule starting now. In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post. Please be sure to share the post, follow the blog, and follow The Young Gentleman’s Guideon Facebook and Instagram. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!