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Show me a parent with a child between the ages of, oh, four and twelve, and I'll show you some LEGO bricks. Probably a lot of LEGO bricks, spread all over the floor, and stuck in the vacuum cleaner, and mating under the bed, and lying in wait in the dark to attack unsuspecting bare feet.
Do I sound bitter? I'm not. Not very, anyway. I happen to love LEGO. I think it's one of only a handful of toys that's truly withstood the test of time as an activity that's creative, educational, and appealing to nearly all ages. What's not to like about brightly-colored bricks that can be configured in endless ways to create whatever your child can imagine? Nothing, until you step on one in the dark. Ahem.
My children are... how shall I put this? My children aren't naturally given to tidiness. Yes. (That's so much nicer than saying that they're slobs, right?) So things can get a little wild at our house, and then I have to do things like dedicate an entire weekend to shoveling out their stuff, so really, I can't blame it all on LEGO. But as I cleaned I found LEGO bricks simply everywhere. Everywhere except in the LEGO boxes. And although in my cleaning adventure I picked up all sorts of things and organized it all in our shiny new Ikea cubbies, the crown jewel of the experience -- so far I was concerned, anyway -- was the roomy bin into which I placed every last loose LEGO brick and instruction manual.
It's a thing of beauty.
Now, I don't kid myself; I know that the day will come (probably sooner than I want it to) when the LEGO will once again begin its slow, inexorable creep across the floor again. Although my son was happy to let us line up all of his "kit" creations atop the bookcase, there's any number of "I just invented this!" conglomerations of bricks that get assembled and then left either on the floor or in other odd locations (my favorite was the one I found in the sink). LEGO will not be denied. And as exasperating as I sometimes find it, it is also a sign that children are afoot in this house. Which means that I will miss it when it's gone, I'm sure.
You don't have to look far to find moms blogging about their kids' love of LEGO:
CA at Another day, another thought...or two is Supermom in my eyes -- she designated an entire storage unit with bins for the LEGO at her house, and sorted the bricks by type. That's dedication!
Alison at this wasn't in the plan made her own LEGO table for the kids by gluing those big flat "plates" onto an existing table for them.
Boquinha of Sushi and Pizza and Rebecca of RootsAndWingsCo both recently threw super-awesome LEGO-themed parties for the kids. They both found really cute ways to carry the theme throughout the day, making me wish I'd thought of it first.
Of course, LEGO isn't just for kids....
Debi of Do-Rah! designs calls her grown son the LEGO King, as he still plays with his.
And Kashmir Hill of Above the Law tells the story of lawyer-turned-LEGO-designer Nathan Sawaya (check that one out for the pictures, if nothing else).
Sarah Rae Trover at Apartment Therapy's Ohdeedoh sees a budding LEGO furniture industry on the horizon, if your kids are willing.
Jennifer Dempsey went so far as to create a Legoland Brickfilm Resume when applying to work in PR at LEGO, just to prove her love for all things LEGO.
And finally, if you like your LEGO with a side of religious education? Check out The Brick Testament, a bible fully illustrated via photos of minifigs. (No matter your religious persuasion, you have to admit that the sheer volume of work and attention to detail here is astounding.)
I really do love LEGO. Just not when I step on it.
BlogHer Contributing Editor Mir also blogs about issues parental and otherwise at Woulda Coulda Shoulda, and about the joys of mindful retail therapy at Want Not.
