Lego

There are many things I am nearly addicted to: cheese, ice cream, a good wine & etc. The fear of weight increase and clogged arteries keeps that controlled, but we have a family addiction. I don’t think I have written about it much. Our friends know about it and if they don’t approve they at least quietly acknowledge my/our condition and just mutter quietly among themselves.

This obsession revolves around plastic – a plastic block. Yes, you have guessed – Lego or as the Americans say Legos. We started the collection about 35 years ago. Now that our last daughter has fled from the house we can finally take it out of cupboards, from under beds and on top of wardrobes as, at last, we have a room to store it in.

Over the years we have found a myriad ways to justify collecting and building with this Danish building material. Here are some.

1. We don’t have to think too hard for birthday and Christmas presents. Every second Christmas [odd years] is officially nominated as a Lego Christmas. There is not much point shaking the box to guess what is inside.
2. It is an activity that the family can do together.
3. It encourages creativity.
4. Rather than having lots of toys, it is one toy that grows.
5. It has allowed a dad who has six daughters (and now we are speaking of the distant past here) to lie on the floor playing with toys alongside his daughters without compromising his masculinity. (Side note: I promised myself a train-set when my first son was born. After three girls I went out and bought a train set anyway – a Lego train set so it would fit in with what the girls were doing.
6. And now that we are home alone, my wife and I have something to play with. As the knees are not what they used to be, we don’t play with them on the floor any more.
7. It was great toy for hand eye coordination when the girls were young. Now that we are getting older it helping my wife and me maintain our dexterity and test how far our eyesight has deteriorated.

The moral is: If you have an obsession or addiction, ensure that it is a healthy one.

Photos illustrating the illness can be found: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pstok/collections/72157613256264075/