When Alan was little, our toy collection was comprised of sea urchins, jacks, and glass shards. At least that is what it felt like when I stepped barefoot on one of his toys, which at night were usually scattered between my bedroom and the bathroom door. Theresa learned that her ex-seminarian husband knew as many curse words as your average drunken sailor.
That was one reason we never bought Legos. I was in no mood the have more small, sharp-cornered toys embedded into the soft flesh of my feet. (Another reason, I guess, is that they are a choking hazard. Can you imagine what a hassle it would be if one of your kids choked on a Lego?)
But when Paula turned two last month and, for some reason I still haven't understood, we decided to get her a present, we chose Mega Blocks. We now have a bucket full of them, and Paula walks by them several times a day. The older kids, on the other hand, have been having a ball. You can tell they like them a lot, because they are always fighting over them. Here is a video showing an array of ships Gregory built.
Sometimes, you have to recognize a force of nature when you see it. Early on, we didn't give the kids toy guns to play with. Then one day a visitor made his hand into the shape of a gun, pointed it at Alan--about 6 at the time--and said, "BANG! I got you." It was like the discovery of fire; there was no going back. I think Legos are going to be like that.
Here's the happy ending: after so many years of stepping on sharp objects barefoot, I no longer even notice. I think I could walk barefoot across miles of broken pieces of coral without wincing. Being a father help you grow.
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