Do Women Give Up Too Easily? Windshield Wiper Wisdom

I had just recently read another version of the research that finds women give up too easily, as compared to men, when confronted with a challenging problem.

“Bright girls believe that their abilities are innate and unchangeable, while bright boys believe that they can develop ability through effort and practice.”

Said girls may grow up to become women who give up too easily. I know these women and at times may be one of them. We believe the problem is “in here, with me,” and that we just don’t have the innate ability to …

Unlike women who give up too easily, men tend to stick with the problem, assuming that with effort they will solve it, as in, when was the last time he asked for directions? Mine won’t even use the GPS.

Goddess of Windshield Wiper Wisdom

So, here I am about to change the windshield wiper blades on my car. I know that women give up too easily, and I will not be caught in that trap.

I read the instructions on the packaging when I encounter…

The First Challenge

No instructions for removing the old blade, only for installing the new one. Hmmm. Up shoots a memory of a time some 20 years ago, when I attempted this same task and ended up breaking the wiper arm, which, by the way, is a very costly repair compared to paying a mechanic for swapping out the blade. Maybe it’s right that women give up too easily. It’s also cheaper sometimes. But that was long ago, and surely I am wiser and I know that women give up too easily. I won’t do that this time.

After careful examination of the wiper blade in an attempt to uncover the attaching & detaching mechanism, I can’t find it, so I resort to the tried-and-true trial and error approach. You know, flipping this, snapping that, and moving the thig-a-ma-jigs around. Voila! The wiper blade comes off. Sadly, I have no idea how, so I will have to start again from scratch with the next blade. I read the installation instructions, which are actually diagrams, but as I have poor spatial relations when it comes to translating two dimensional space to real space, that doesn’t quite work for me. So I trial-and-error-it again. No luck this time. That is when I pack it in and proceed to the Auto Supply store where my son, yes, this is a critical piece of information, purchased the disagreeable blades.

Embarrassed but unwilling to give in, I march myself into the store and ask for H-E-L-P!!!. I-am-determined-to-learn-how-to-do-this. Mr. Otty Auto accompanies me and the blade outside, makes one attempt and determines, “This is the wrong blade.” Recall how this article began. Men assume the problem is “out there,” while women assume the problem is “in here.” Tagged. I’m it. I’m smart. I read the research. But that’s knowledge, and having knowledge is not the same as knowing.

One Down Two to Go

Okay now. One wiper down and two to go. Wiper two goes on smoothly. I am officially a pro. Onto the rear windshield. The blade comes off rather easily. Even I can understand the mechanism. Slide on. Slide off. Easy peasy.

Unwrap the packaging on the new blade and voila…but it doesn’t quite go like that.

The Second Challenge

The new blade does indeed slide on. Then immediately falls off. So I repeat the procedure. And it repeats the fall. We do the dance a few more times, and defeated by my own ineptitude one more time, I hang my head and walk back inside to ask The Expert. Again Mr. Otty Auto accompanies me to the car. He takes one look at the blade and one look at the windshield wiper and once again declares, “Wrong part.”

Apparently knowledge is not the same as knowing.

The Morals of the Story

1. Assume the problem is out there not in here. It saves lots of time and self-esteem.

2. Armed with this knowledge “women give up too easily” will be true no more.

3. Knowledge is not the same as Knowing.

Do you assume the problem is with you?