When you have more fun building your child's new Lego set than they do...

[scumble]

Seb's grandparents bought one of the large lego star wars sets he requested for his birthday, and it is a bit out of his age range for building it, so I ended up putting it together mostly.



I tend to think most of the fun is in the building, and it is probably a bit silly to get this sort of thing for younger kids. At the same time it occurred to me that other Dads deliberately go for this kind of thing as an excuse to play with some toys, as they know the kids will need "help". I felt myself getting pulled into this feeling as I progressed, and as more of my effort had gone into it, I ended up getting a little attached to the end result. I suppose the nostalgia of building with lego came into it as well.

Although I have a soft spot for lego, I'm not that keen on grandparents "spoiling" children, because it may contribute to the idea that accumulating stuff is what life is all about. The more stuff they have the less they value it. I remember the days when they could have just as much fun with empty plastic bottles. I must have another go at restraining the excess...

[demagogue]

I know this phenomenon with my nephew. He's happy if he has the illusion of "participating", where I show the picture and he'll point to the piece or if he can't find it I'll just pick it up for him, then I'll show him where it goes, give it to him, then he'll put it somewhere in the neighborhood of where it's supposed to go if he can find it, or I'll just direct his hand to it if he can't, and he'll drop it around there. Then I end up putting the piece in anyway. After a few of those his patience will wear and I'll get the next 4 or 5 steps I can do on my own before he insists on "participating" again. Haha, all sort of a charade; he won't be happy unless he's doing it too, but the threshold for that is so low it's easy to just let him hold the pieces a little and feel happy, but I'm the one probably having more fun actually making the thing.

[nickie]

My grandchildren have no chance of being spoilt by me and will learn to like empty plastic bottles when they're a bit older. But the older one has lots of really nice toys given by other people which I have fun with. The younger one is only a month old so only teddy bears and mobiles at the moment.

I saw this a little while ago and thought it a little sad but then parents get bombarded left, right and centre on how they're supposed to do things all the time so I don't find it surprising if they have little confidence in themselves. My grandchildren will get this

. . . play tips include making musical instruments from tin cans, going on a nature trail in the local park and building a dressing-up wardrobe from old boxes and pillow cases.

But then I might win the lottery . . .

[scumble]

My grandmother seems to have limitless patience with children, but she was a teacher for more than 40 years. She is someone who knows how to play with children - she'll even pretend to be a Jedi with the boys and wield a toy lightsaber.

I don't know if there's anything different about modern parents and their ability to play with their kids - people just have different temperaments.

[Dia]

I was about to attempt to 'help' assemble a Lego Ninjago vehicle for a 5 yr. old relative, but had to go to the bathroom first (knowing this was going to take awhile). I'd already placed the two instruction booklets on the table (yes; there were TWO!) before I got up and was a little apprehensive at how much more complicated the assembly looked like it was going to be than I thought, even though the pieces were separated into bags marked 1, 2, & 3 for the different stages of assembly. When I went back to the kitchen table, the 5 yr. old (to my dismay) had opened all three large bags and had mixed the contents all over the table.

His father ended up assembling it the next day.

I guess I just don't have enough testosterone for some things anymore.

[Tocky]

My grandmother seems to have limitless patience with children, but she was a teacher for more than 40 years. She is someone who knows how to play with children - she'll even pretend to be a Jedi with the boys and wield a toy lightsaber.

This. You have to have fun. You can't be too grown up. You have to be just grown up enough to put things together or protect from danger but not so much you can't be a pirate or presenter of dubious jewels to the queen at court. That is what gets smiling jumping on the porch clapping squeeling "papaws here!".

And bah the plastic bottles. Sometimes they do get plastic fantastic. Just not so often.

Well okay, maybe a bit too often.

[Queue]

... Sometimes they do get plastic fantastic. ....

Not sure why, but I read this as plastic "fantasies".

[scumble]

Is this an innovative mail order business I haven't heard about yet? Do they charge extra for the ankle tattoo?

[BrokenArts]

The package is broken, send it back, fantasy ruined. Tainted.

[Trance]

I see a Peta logo there. Is it supposed to be a human being lying on the sort of styrofoam shrink-wrapped packages that meat comes in at grocery stores?

[Briareos H]

Sure looks so. Don't know about the message though, as seeing this certainly does not make me want to buy more vegetables.

[demagogue]

Yeah it's like the Archie Bunker effect. Have the thing symbolize what you don't like, then it just becomes something for fans of that thing to rally around. "Eating meat is like packaged sex? And impressing women for sex is like buying meat at the market? Sign me the hell up!" Haha it glorifies meat eating and objectifying women at the same time. Well done, Peta, well done.

This thread is not going the way I predicted, and I should probably not be helping that out.
Think: Legos, legos, legos.

[hopper]

Oh great. Now you made me find a NSFW Lego picture:

http://static.fjcdn.com/large/pictur...5eb_735746.jpg

[Sombras]

Haha it glorifies meat eating and objectifying women at the same time. Well done, Peta, well done.

That's the FIRST fucking thing I thought!

Wait, well, the SECOND thing I thought. The first thing I thought was "Shit, why's there so much plastic right there!?" But then it hit me how PETA's approach here could be considered somewhat counter-productive.

As for Legos, we just helped our five year-old daughter finish a huge Lego house kit. She was way more interested in building the trees and yard features than constructing the roof. Kicked ass on the walls and windows, though.

[PigLick]

tainted fantasies are the best kind

[scumble]

Are you sure you don't mean filthy

[Koki]

Only good LEGO was Technic, and they ruined it when they switched to new brick type.

[nickie]

Yeah! My brats loved Technic. I'm more the Meccano era. I didn't realise it was still going strong.

[Sombras]

Could be worse, scumble. You could like Legos as much as this guy.

[Ulukai]

You don't grow out of Lego, it just draws more disapproving frowns as you get older. But hey, screw that. I had Lego for my 34th birthday

Also, check out Lego Cuusoo.

[scumble]

Yes, that's a bit extreme. I don't think I'd go as far as deliberately buy a "present" for my son that I was more interested in. This old thing is drawing me in a bit too much though:

[PigLick]

is it time to start up the "lego" vs "legos" argument again?

[Ulukai]

Well, someone had to mention it. If you say Legos though, LEGO say you are an insolent turdburglar.

Reading between the lines, that is.

For example, say "MODELS BUILT OF LEGO BRICKS". Never say "MODELS BUILT OF LEGOs"

I realise they feel strongly, but I'm not sure the shouting is necessary, LEGO.

I've come to the conclusion I don't really care any more. I do however, want one of these.

[Sombras]

This one gets me kind of sweaty:

[nickie]

I think I'm going to have to adjust my assumptions about boys and their toys.