Why You Can Trust CNET Dad thinks he's the family's tech guy, family says 'Hah'
A survey shows that 93 percent of dads think they're the tech expert in the family, while barely one in five of the family members think the same.
Being a father involves copious amounts of self-confidence.
Sometimes, though, that self-confidence can merge with other traits, such as arrogance and bloated self-regard.
I mention this, on Father's Day weekend, merely because a fine and erudite survey has revealed the Grand Canyon between dads' view of their tech prowess and their family's views of dad's tech prowess.
The survey, conducted on behalf of TeamViewer -- a company that stunningly provides helpful remote control software -- reveals that 93 percent of dads think they are the family's go-to guy for tech.
You will be stunned into solitary confinement when I tell you that a mere 21 percent of family members think this is true.
Indeed, 42 percent of these family members, so committed to the truth, offered that it is the son or grandson who is the repository of all thing technological.
11 percent mentioned that it was the daughter or granddaughter who was the family's tech queen.
Given that more than 50 percent said it was a fountain of youth upon whom they relied for technological salvation, the respondents then complained that, when PC problems arose, these young things weren't around or, sadly, were too busy to care.
However, this wasn't the end of the frustration. For even when a supposed expert is at hand, family members still worry about sharing their problem. How can mom explain to her pimply 15-year-old boy that she was on Playgirl.com when her screen froze?
How can Uncle Joseph explain that he was IM'ing with Katya from Kazakhstan when the little multicolored beach ball began to whirl around and around on his MacBook Pro?
Still, families clearly need to disabuse dads of their vast illusions. They need to explain that while dad might make a mean bacon sandwich, he is not the man to declaim knowingly about Ice Cream Sandwich.
I have embedded a video that shows a more balanced technological relationship between a dad and a son. The son is testing the dad on his tech knowledge. You might adore the son shaking dad's hand at the end and telling him: "You didn't do too badly."
Perhaps, though, the perfect Father's Day gift for dads might be something that lets dad down gently. You know, a copy of "PCs for Dummies."
Or perhaps a copy of "Supernanny: How to Get The Best From Your Children"?