Day 3 of the 30-Day Challenge: Procrastination Station
Task: To put together a brand-new Lego kit with my 8-year old son.
Reason for Task: If you read my blog post, entitled Begin with the End, then you’ll find out that it’s no secret, in my household, that Little Man loves all things Legos. He has spent countless hours playing with the things. So, what better way to spend quality time with him than to join him in his Lego-building efforts. In fact, if I can successfully pull off this task, I do believe it will be one of those cherished memories that Little Man can add to his “Favorite Childhood Memories” book. My goal is to let my son know that he’s important to me and that I value opportunities to engage with him in the activities that spark his interest and that release the creative genius within. As a mom, it’s my job to encourage the overall healthy development of my child and not only is Lego building one of those activities that provides entertainment value, but it also promotes concepts like fine motor skill development, STEM applications, mental acuity, logical and reasoning skills, and reading comprehension and follow-through of directions (when putting prescribed Lego kits together). In short, funding Little Man’s extravagant Lego collection is undoubtedly an investment that’s paying out big-time dividends in my personal estimation.
Duration of Task: 1 day; however, I might participate in this task on a quarterly or monthly basis, perhaps. Children grow up incredibly fast, and I’m not sure when Little Man is going to outgrow Legos or get to that age where our playdates are uncool. Therefore, while Little Man is still young enough to appreciate Mom and Son in-person face time, I’d better relish these opportunities to engage with him.
Reflection: I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to put a complete Lego kit together with Little Man. He’s been playing with big building blocks since he was a toddler and with the smaller Lego pieces probably since age 5. Our house is practically decorated with the things; they’re everywhere. So, why consider this a challenge task? Well, quiet frankly, Little Man rarely enlists help from others when it comes to Lego construction. When getting a new Lego kit, he will literally work independently and non-stop until he constructs his masterpiece in its entirety. It doesn’t take him long to put it together either. And, since he’s pretty content to go it alone, I never press the subject. I just let him do his Lego thing. But as of today, that paradigm will shift somewhat. Son, get ready for a new Lego partner!
Outcome: Little Man and I went to Wal-Mart and picked out a Lego kit together.
Here’s the before:
And, here’s the after:
I’d say we done good, mainly due to Little Man’s mad Lego building skills. It took us 35 minutes to put together this 200-piece set. He probably could have done it in less than 30 minutes if I wasn’t tagging along. All I can say is that I’m in awe of how quickly and easily this robotics type stuff comes to Little Man. I think this special time spent with my son is one for the “Favorite Adulthood Memories” book.
Quote of the Day: This quote comes from Little Man. “Next page… done… next page.” He repeated this several times during our building session. While I was stuck on a page, still trying to figure out what pieces go where, he had already put them together and was ready to move on to the next page for the next step in the instruction manual. Go figure.
Update: I successfully completed Day 2 of my workout regimen, exercising with Kelli from Fitness Blender. I definitely did feel the effects of my first workout from Friday on Saturday morning, but my body had a chance to rest that day and I got up early this morning and put it all out there once again. I have to admit that early morning exercising results in an immediate productivity boost to my day. It’s amazing how that works, because you would think it would function the opposite way. Anyway, just wanted you to know that I’m in it to win it. I’ll check in with you periodically on this task. Maybe the next time will be when I’ve actually lost a few pounds. Here’s to Day 2 of the rest of my life.
degreesofmaternity.com 