Watching my children play have become one of those simple pleasures in my own life, and there has been one particular scene I've gotten to witness over and over that I wish to document.
It all happens over a little baggie of lego pieces.
This spring, at a birthday party, Isaiah and Ezra got to make and take home a little lego car/lego man combo. At 3 1/2, our little builder Isaiah discovered the fun of taking it apart and putting it back together. Later that same month, we took a trip, and I bought them each another little dollar-store car/man lego combo to do in the airport during layovers.
These little car/men sets were designated to a cup for a while, spread over our entire house and collected up many times. Fewer and fewer pieces were found, until we finally got a Ziploc baggie to always keep them in when not being played with. I think we had about 10 wheels, 2 steering wheels, 2 1/2 men, and various little pieces to attach as car parts.
This baggie became a treasured possession (claimed by Isaiah). Over the past several months, I have watched Isaiah play with these pieces for hours. There will be a week or two where he will play with these pieces for 30-60 minutes a day; it will be put on a shelf when cleaned up and forgotten about for a week, and then rediscovered--and so the cycle repeats.
As a mom, I have been greatly blessed to watch Isaiah play with these handful of cheap lego pieces in contented bliss. There have been several occasions where I have looked for an excuse to buy him some more, because this little baggie is just so.....pathetic looking.....and he finds so much joy in building his lego car creations. And yet, it has challenged me in my own contentment--why do we need to buy into the lie that we always need more, need bigger, need better, to be happy and have fun?
Several of the children Isaiah interacts with the most have boxes and boxes of Legos they enjoy for hours on end. Isaiah loves to use them, and yet, he has never once complained about his own lego collection or whined to have more. He comments on their wealth of Legos--in an amazed kind of way--but has never compared it negatively to his own 'set'.
Christmas is coming, and Legos are definitely on Isaiah's wishlist. I know that in a matter of weeks, whether from a family member or his parents, more Legos will soon be in his possession. As much as I am excited for him, I am also a little sad knowing the precious bag of legos will no longer exist, because somehow we value less when we have more. It will become a tub, or two, or three of Legos, and the little helmet, or wheel, or arm, will no longer be placed in such high regard or noticed when missing. When a piece of one of 20, each one is accounted for and valued; if it becomes 1 in a 1000, what is its' value then?
It has been a joy to see Isaiah create an incredible variety of cars from his little baggie, and to see him proudly run up to me saying, "Mommy, look how COOL this is!!!".
I hope the memories and lessons this little baggie of legos has taught me will stay with me a for a long time.
It all happens over a little baggie of lego pieces.
This spring, at a birthday party, Isaiah and Ezra got to make and take home a little lego car/lego man combo. At 3 1/2, our little builder Isaiah discovered the fun of taking it apart and putting it back together. Later that same month, we took a trip, and I bought them each another little dollar-store car/man lego combo to do in the airport during layovers.
These little car/men sets were designated to a cup for a while, spread over our entire house and collected up many times. Fewer and fewer pieces were found, until we finally got a Ziploc baggie to always keep them in when not being played with. I think we had about 10 wheels, 2 steering wheels, 2 1/2 men, and various little pieces to attach as car parts.
This baggie became a treasured possession (claimed by Isaiah). Over the past several months, I have watched Isaiah play with these pieces for hours. There will be a week or two where he will play with these pieces for 30-60 minutes a day; it will be put on a shelf when cleaned up and forgotten about for a week, and then rediscovered--and so the cycle repeats.
As a mom, I have been greatly blessed to watch Isaiah play with these handful of cheap lego pieces in contented bliss. There have been several occasions where I have looked for an excuse to buy him some more, because this little baggie is just so.....pathetic looking.....and he finds so much joy in building his lego car creations. And yet, it has challenged me in my own contentment--why do we need to buy into the lie that we always need more, need bigger, need better, to be happy and have fun?
Several of the children Isaiah interacts with the most have boxes and boxes of Legos they enjoy for hours on end. Isaiah loves to use them, and yet, he has never once complained about his own lego collection or whined to have more. He comments on their wealth of Legos--in an amazed kind of way--but has never compared it negatively to his own 'set'.
Christmas is coming, and Legos are definitely on Isaiah's wishlist. I know that in a matter of weeks, whether from a family member or his parents, more Legos will soon be in his possession. As much as I am excited for him, I am also a little sad knowing the precious bag of legos will no longer exist, because somehow we value less when we have more. It will become a tub, or two, or three of Legos, and the little helmet, or wheel, or arm, will no longer be placed in such high regard or noticed when missing. When a piece of one of 20, each one is accounted for and valued; if it becomes 1 in a 1000, what is its' value then?
It has been a joy to see Isaiah create an incredible variety of cars from his little baggie, and to see him proudly run up to me saying, "Mommy, look how COOL this is!!!".
I hope the memories and lessons this little baggie of legos has taught me will stay with me a for a long time.
Merry Christmas, my sweet oldest. I see many hours of Lego building in your future!
