From the age of 5, I had already built a home telegraph. I had bell wire (house wire for doorbells), I got doorbell push buttons, lights, and made a partyline circuit. I learned morse code, at a very few words per minute.
By age 8 or 9, I was fixing tube radios. Usually it was a dead tube, or a bad electrolytic capacitor.
By 11, I was building kits from Heath and Eico. My preferred were from the latter.
By 15, I was fixing all appliances, changing tap washers, and finding out about watch and clock mechanisms.
By 17, I was Mr watch repair for Sears, I was charging bargain prices. And I did all the other stuff too. I was into hi-fi, Vinyl longplay records and the finest of turntables (rec-o-cut, Garrad), I had my vtvm, my sweep generator, and Heath Oscilloscope.
By 19, I was a carburator expert. I had all the tools for changing spark plugs, rotating tires, and knew the V8 engine design by heart.
We were learning sponges in those days.
Today, kids are whiz kids an smartphone apps. They know not about epicycloidal gearing, "angles and draw" for watch anchors and escape wheels, "watch beating" incabloc, jeweling, carburators, plug-changing, welding, and so much more.
I left that for a masters degree in math, but I have never stopped playing and loving it. My thoughts were always impressed with the watch mechanism engineers who could work with near microscopic sized parts and movements.
Ahh them were the fun days. It was an enjoyment to do all that I did as a hobby. Today, I maintain my home and garden, and look at my grandkids. I am disappointed at how little they know.