Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:
I am trying to learn everything about our RV just in case my husband keels over one day and I have to get this monster (RV) home. I seldom drive, never dump the holding tanks and never fill with water. Those are the things I have been practicing. The problem is there are always men standing around telling me what I am doing wrong before I even get a chance to figure things out on my own. If I hear “righty tighty, lefty loosey” one more time, I’m going to give someone a “dirty swirly.” Am I being too thin-skinned? I just want some space to make my own mistakes and learn from experience.
--RV woman in Willcox
Dear RV:
Good for you. I think everyone on board should know everything about the ship. If the Captain falls overboard, the First Mate can still get the ship back to port. I’m thinking most people that give advice, whether asked for or not, mean well. You will have to make your own judgment calls on where your advice is coming from and how it’s delivered. But I agree with the learning from experience. These are mostly simple chores but repetitive practice makes perfect. Various dump stations, water facilities and road conditions call for different approaches to the same procedures. It is important to experience them all. Working as a husband/wife team is very important -- especially when backing into a site. Remember, the helpful person that might come over to help back you in has nothing invested. If someone was trying to tell me how to dump my rig, I would just step aside and ask them to show me. The “dirty swirly” sounds like a bad idea. I’m sure you could be charged with some kind of brown collar crime.
--Keep Smilin’, Dr. R.V. Shrink
##RVT876
6 comments:
I'm a solo woman RVer and the two times I had a problem with the hookup on my tow vehicle was when some "helped" me. I now just say politely, "Ive got this, but thanks."
In State and National Parks, the campsites are usually further apart. That might discourage people from trying to become "supervisors." Kudos for wanting to learn it for yourself. That's really the best way.
Some mistakes can be expensive and dangerous so I would suggest an RV is not necessarily a place to do trial and error. To quote Otto von Bismarck, “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” No gender bias intended.
You could make a sign that says "NO COMMENTS, PLEASE" and set it up beside you as you work.
Just more confusion among the sexes. The fact that your in the 1% should make you realize why "others" want to help. Tread lightly, be polite and remember, you might have to eat crow, if you run into something that you can't figure out without an "expierenced" RVers help.
I don't care if it is a man or woman if someone looks like they are having a difficult time I always ask if I can be helpful. All it takes is a polite no and I move on. Had a person tell me to piss-off so I watched as their sewer hose came disconnected and they got their shoes washed in brown. Walked off laughing.
Never and I mean never let someone guide your rig unless they take the liability of backing you into another trailer or park model. Only my wife directs me when backing unless the person in the park takes responsibiliyt.
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