Activation Activated!

We are a Lego family. I did not grow up building Lego, but my husband did, and then our son came along and became obsessed. His chubby little fingers were able to build a significant train when he was 3 at Christmas time, and I am still blown away when I think about the dexterity, attention to detail, and focus it takes to build a large Lego set. 

Fast forward twelve years in the future. Our son is 15, a high school sophomore, with dreams of becoming a pilot. He does not sit for hours free building like he used to. We have collected many, many Lego sets over the years and our basement is filled with Lego. So, now what do we do? 

In addition to the basement, we have many sets built and displayed around the house. Although really fun and cool to look at, for me, they are dust collectors! My son has a few planes and vehicles that he loves and has on display in his bedroom, but I have hopes of selling or donating the sets we do not want anymore. 

There is one large set in particular that I think a kid would love as a big gift. It is from when our son was 9 and he is not attached to it any longer. It has sat on the shelf for at least a year, and every month or so, we discussed the situation. Two weekends ago, on a rainy day, my son sat down and started taking it apart. Within minutes, my husband joined him. They dismantled that Lego way quicker than either of them anticipated!

Later, my son told me that all it took to get my husband to help was for him to start the project. I laughed and told him that is a perfect example of activation! Sometimes, we need someone else to jump-start a chore or project, and it’s enough motivation for us to jump in and help or take over. Sometimes we can do tasks without support, but sometimes, we need another person to help us out. So, the next time you feel “stuck,” find a friend or family member to get you started. You might just discover the task is not as overwhelming or time-consuming as you thought!