My husband travels a great deal for business. Every now and then, especially if the trip has been long, he will return with goodies for the kids. Last week, he brought Lily pajamas with a matching set for her doll. Though excessive, they were just what she’d been longing for and functional as well. Ten points for Daddy.
For Ben, he bought a Lego car.
In theory, this was the perfect gift. A mere five bucks and something his son would adore. A wise choice, indeed. Except that once Jeff got home, he retreated to the basement for a work call that lasted well past eleven in the evening and I was left putting the damn toy together. And, it did not go well. To put it mildly.
I am someone who detests assembling. Actually, I detest doing anything that requires a close following of directions. I pay Ikea employees to assemble their shoddy furniture, adding hundreds of dollars to the bargain prices. I am unable to successfully hang a picture with a series of nail marks adorning the wall and still can’t get myself to properly make a batch of brownies. So, when I was abandoned with a selection of 80 tiny plastic pieces, I knew it was a disaster in the making.
I did the very best I could, swearing all the while and was still left with six superfluous pieces. Six pieces which, apparently, were quite necessary in the function, because once it was played with, the car crumbled in an instant. I’ve been finding bits and pieces scattered throughout the house and have taken to chucking them in the trash. Fortunately, Ben seems to have caught on to the “Daddy bought a silly toy” part rather than “Mommy couldn’t put it together.” At least this time, I don’t seem to be the bad guy in the scenario. For a change.
Because, seriously, what is a three year old supposed to do with this?
Mommy would have known better.
{ 32 comments }
oh gawd i wouldn’t have even attempted to photograph the pile of mess that you did, so i commend you for that. my hub and i have an understanding that when it comes to socialization and reading and writing… i’ve got that covered. anything involving numbers, scientific experiments (especially related to bugs), or putting things together… him. no exceptions.
.-= nic @mybottlesup´s last blog ..annual physical =-.
I have at least 20 different boxes and plastic containers filled with this nonsense. Remarkable how much men are alike isn’t it? Mommy would have definitely known better.
.-= JenniferG´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – In Which I Offer Up My Kids As Hustlers =-.
He bought that for a three year old?! Oh my……silly, silly man…..
You’re right, Mom would have know better!
.-= Kat´s last blog ..Happy Birthday Drama Girl =-.
I’m pretty good at putting stuff together. The hubs? Not so much. So who do you suppose always buys the stuff that requires lots of putting together? Yeah. Not me.
.-= Cara´s last blog ..I can live for two months on a good compliment – Mark Twain =-.
Yeah, men don’t think. Most likely because they aren’t the ones left putting the stuff together.
.-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Suh-weet!!! =-.
Those damn lego sets, I hate them and refuse to put them together. I can’t and Hayden know this and I have no problem with this.
Is there not a six year old in the neighborhood you could hire to lite assembly work for you?
.-= lceel´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Sunday Football =-.
My husband is a LEGO expert. Too bad we could not help. Seriously, he could have probably assembled that car without directions. Glad to have him around because I, too, lack the ability to assemble.
.-= T Rex Mom´s last blog ..Sneaking… =-.
My son is about to turn 3 and I would seriously injure my husband if he were to give little legos to him. It would drive both me and my toddler crazy!
.-= 3 Stinky Boys and Me´s last blog ..I Hope the Dry Cleaning Doesn’t Hang There That Long =-.
I? Do not do Legos. Never have. Never will. They are for people with parts I don’t possess.
The key to lego toys is a bit of super glue while assembling. Then they never fall apart! But seriously – 3 yrs old? Wouldn’t a Hot Wheels car have been so much cooler (and not to mention less than $1)?
.-= sarah´s last blog ..I love it! =-.
My wife is way smarter than me when it comes to this stuff. I would probably have been like your husband, and totally bought the Lego car…not because my son would love it, but because I would love helping him put it together.
My wife, on the other hand, took items from our recycle bin, cleaned them out, and did an arts and crafts project with my son today creating a castle out of all the cardboard and plastic. Was it a polished, perfect castle? To him, yeah, it was. There were a total of 7-8 pieces and some glue. And hours of fun painting, gluing, and just plain imagining.
Yeah, I’m lucky…I admit it.
.-= Mariano´s last blog ..9 Unique Ways to Use Twitter =-.
i have an entire FOLDER full of those instructions. NEVER. could. do. one. never. hate lego
.-= scrappysue´s last blog ..good’n'crazy =-.
My five year old loves lego and he’s pretty damn amazing at putting it together – but at three he wouldn’t have had a hope in hell with that thing.
You’re definitely right with the laying of the blame on this one!
.-= Vic´s last blog ..24 weeks, 4 days/ 22 weeks, 2 days* =-.
I guess the saying “His heart was in the right place” applies here. However, if you or I had to assemble your husband, his heart would probably be in his foot.
.-= Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last blog ..Is it supposed to look like THAT? =-.
Ironcially, I am a fan of the puzzles/legos thing. It would have been the expensive doll PJ’s that would’ve ticked me off. We save that American Girl Doll stuff for bdays and Christmas – it’s too expensive for us otherwise! :)
.-= Futureblackmail´s last blog ..CUP OF PEE =-.
LOL love that last sentence. Mommy’s always know better indeed.
.-= dawn´s last blog ..devil’s food cake with chunky pb-cream cheese filling smeared with ganache & salty peanuts =-.
Oh yes…I feel your pain!!! K’nex are made from the spawn of Satan as well. I truly believe that they are demonic toys sent by the devil himself to Walmart shelves for unsuspecting Mother’s to buy and then he slowly gets control of their weary hearts.
If Daddy buys it then Daddy puts it together over here in our humble abode.
XO
Leigh
.-= Leigh´s last blog ..I was a young Philospher. =-.
The directions for those things are crazy hard to figure out because they usually only give pictures and no instructions. Even the pictures are hard to follow. This of course coming from a dads point of view.
You might try using some super glue to attach the pieces together. This will keep the car from falling apart, but wont allow imaginations to build new and different things in the future so its kinda a give and take.
I hope that helps some. Good luck!
Love and Prayers,
Tim
.-= Tim´s last blog ..Vlogemotions – Seven Clown Circus =-.
Oh sweetie, you don’t even want to KNOW how many lego things I’ve helped assemble. Tens of thousands of pieces by now, AT LEAST (I am not even exaggerating). There are ALWAYS extra pieces left over. I am unsure as of why, but it’s a true fact.
I hate those things, and can now hand them to my 7 year old who puts them together for his little brother.
An engineer, I am not.
Perhaps you should remind said husband that you were not a rocket scientist in your past life.
.-= toywithme´s last blog ..Dear Redhead, My Vibrator Stinks =-.
My hubbie is a LEGO fanatic. Has his space sets from the 70s and has been busy on ebay buying any missing pieces or missing sets. So of course our 2 yo got lego (the duplo big piece kind). I figured a while ago that I had better learn to deal (aka assemble and look for little pieces everywhere) or I’d go crazy.
I share your detest for assembling…..IKEA furniture has to be produced by the devil.
ps – those instructions are AWFUL!
.-= Nel´s last blog ..I can’t believe Belle has neglected our blog like this. Shame. =-.
I’m hoping Lukas will be smart enough to assemble his own, cause those types of things drive me crazy too.
.-= SeattleDad´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday: Tricycle, Tricycle… =-.
Leaving you with that task is even worse than if he turned the tv or music to something you don’t like as he’s on his way out of the room.
Given that I like to put things together and I always read the directions, I have to say that so much of the lego directions are confusing. I really don’t see how the average person is supposed to achieve the desired results.
But, um, what is that with the lego policeman? A speed detecting radar or a gun stand? HA!
.-= CrankySarah´s last blog ..Why I rarely talk politics =-.
If you recall from a post I did on legos and SpongeBob I actually do enjoy putting these together. But I must be doing it with a cocktail close by.
.-= Live.Love.Eat´s last blog ..SpongeBob Bikini Bottom Birthday Package Giveaway =-.
I’ve spent many an hour putting Lego together only for my son to accidentally drop it on the floor as he delightfully walks off with it. End result is screaming kid, cranky mother and a million pieces of Lego to pick up.
.-= blueskyhi´s last blog ..Same Pod, Different Peas =-.
Seriously laughing over here, but with much appreciation for your frustration because I made the mistake of buying on of these for my son, too, and nearly had a fit over the fact that it almost takes a damn engineering degree to assemble these things!
.-= Mommy Cracked´s last blog ..Stomping Grounds =-.
OMG, I love it!
Only bc it’s so true…those who buy ridiculously impossible to put together or function toys are those who do NOT have to put the damn things together…
.-= Chelle´s last blog ..In Need of a Fall Intervention… =-.
Shane loves to buy games that are too old for our daughter. He bought the dora game for the tv, and some dance thing with mickey mouse, all of which just end up pissing her off and have to be put away for when she’s older and given trial runs periodicly to see if she is in fact able to play them yet. LOL Men are clueless though, at least your hubbie has the ability to pick out cute pj’s…I’ve finally taught Shane how to match Jezi’s clothes when he gets her ready in the morning. That or I’ve just taught Jezi what doesn’t match so now she questions anything inappropriate.
.-= Jeni´s last blog ..My focus would be… =-.
hee hee – BOYS always take momma’s side!!
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