I think when and if I have a daughter, the first grown-up thing I’m going to teach her how to do is change oil.

You laugh, but it’s a valuable thing to know. Even if you’re like me and are so lazy that you’ll pay someone else $30 to do it. It’s one of those things that’s good to have in your back pocket.

She’ll pout and whine at first, but one day, she’ll thank me for it.

I recently read a story about a high school in Mobile that received a $100,000 grant to attract more girls to its automotive repair program.

Just in case you’re wondering, I got the idea to teach my daughter how to change oil long before I read this story.

But 100 grand is an interesting way to say, “Come on, girl. You can do this, too.

So then I got to thinking …

Why does it take so much for us to encourage women to strive for equal opportunity?

We could have the first woman vice president in the history of our country, and that’s an enormous milestone.

But so many people who will vote for Sarah Palin will forget — or just plain don’t know — that there were woman heads of state long before anyone knew who Palin was.

Usually, the only time we see women as strong, independent figures is when they are single mothers.

Now there are a couple of catches to that. First, we only admire that woman if her children turn out to make meaningful contributions to society. If her son ends up in jail or her daughter also raises children on her own, then statistics prevail once again.

Second — and this is coming from the product of a one-parent household — no single mother WANTS to be a single mother. They desperately desire a partner emotionally, financially and spiritually.

The first time I saw a woman truck driver, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Not because she was particularly pretty, but because I had never contemplated a woman doing that job.

Physically, there are some fundamental things that will never change. You will never see a successful female NFL player. Not to say that I wouldn’t be rooting for her, but it just won’t happen.

And the second science advances so far that men can have babies, well then, I’ll pretty much cease my desire to remain a part of the human race.

I feel comfortable knowing that some things were created a certain way and will and should remain that way.

But some things are far beyond stagnant.

And you best believe as soon as my baby girls master “Dada” the next words we’ll work on will be “filter wrench.”