Homegrown Tech Support by Andy Scheer

My son owns a T-shirt that says, “No, I will not fix your computer.”

Fortunately, he doesn't hold me to that. Working as programmer for a computer company, he's a logical choice to ask when a new technical challenge arises.

I'm grateful he's a good teacher. His explanations of how to solve or prevent problems—plus him looking over my shoulder as he shows me to click there—means I less often need to call on his services.

When that need arises, my wife and I try to pair the request with an invitation for him and his wife to come to dinner—accompanied by their favorite crescent rolls with an extra dozen to take home.

Fortunately, the information exchange goes both ways. My wife and I are often their first go-to resource in matters of cooking, sewing, and home and car maintenance.

As a veteran editor, I'm not surprised to get writing-related questions from people I've met. Unless I'm on a tight deadline, it's usually no trouble to answer. But if those people ask me computer questions, I'm easily stumped if they're running programs with which I'm not familiar.

So I often ask if they have teens in the house—or nearby grandchildren or teens from their church. I suspect a fair amount of tech support is available for the price of a couple dozen home-baked cookies. Or better yet, for showing them how to bake their own.