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Every home should have a tool kit because there are repairs that can often be performed without the assistance of an repairman. Have you ever had a clogged toilet? Have you ever wanted to hang a picture? Have you ever had a flat bicycle tire? Have you ever had a leaky faucet? Have you ever changed your auto license plate?

These simple repairs all require only a few tools that should be kept handy in the home. The plunger is most needed when you have a stopped up sink or toilet. The hammer can be used to hang a picture on the wall. The flat head screwdriver can be used to tighten appliances as well as pry the inner tube from the bicycle tire. With the Phillips screwdriver, one can install a lockset on a door. And on a hot day, a monkey wrench can open a fire hydrant in New York

But in today's electronic world, these household tools have been replaced with the electric drill and the electric hammer. And for the do-it-yourselfers, there is the air buffer/sander, the electric saw and so much more. There are new-fangled nails and electric masking tape trees. The home improvement boom has turned into America's newest hobby Weekend contractors hum away at building pool decks, revamping bathrooms, renovating kitchens and the like.

Who would have thought that in today's fast paced society, the newest gift giving craze is a gift certificate to a hardware store. Many shoppers use the gift certificate for birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, and anniversary gifts. As families are 'staying home' during free time, the desire for these products have increased.

Could this be an effort to slow down the societal pace? Could this be an attempt to reconnect families? As we are investing in the use of hand tools 'around the house', is this an unconscious attempt to reconnect the family? The proverbial hammer and nails approach to repairing home and family? Every home should have a tool kit that includes a hammer, screwdriver, wrench, plunger, and masking tape.