by Patricia Parker

Created on: October 31, 2010   Last Updated: November 02, 2010

When I read about another attempt by the federal government to fix the economy, I can't help but remember the first set of  Lego's we gave our grandson when he was five. The similarities are eerie.

The first thing he did was look at the picture on the box. He was supposed to build a pirate ship that looked exactly like the big picture. But seeing the big picture and actually assembling the tiny square pieces to become the big picture presented quite a challenge. So, he did what any self-respecting five year old would do. He dumped the entire box onto the floor, looked at all the pieces and simply said, "This looks too hard for me. I'll need some help." So he called his mom in to help. She was in the middle of a load of laundry and told him to call his dad. He called his dad who was dozing on the couch. His dad took one look at the pieces on the floor and said to call his big brother. His big brother was playing a video game and didn't want to be disturbed so he said to call his cousin next door. His cousin next door was doing homework and would have liked to come over and help but his mom wouldn't let him out of the house.

So, the pieces stayed on the floor. The dog carried a few pieces away to his dog hiding place and the cat growled every time she stepped on a piece. Then the vacuum cleaner sucked up a few more pieces. Mom wasn't very happy with the constant mess, dad wasn't too happy with the family having to tip toe through the family room, the big brother wasn't too happy because nobody else was happy and the cousin wasn't too happy because his mom still wouldn't let him out of the house. It became very complicated.

The box with the picture of the pirate ship sat forlorn and empty for about a month. The Lego's, now scattered throughout the entire house, were in every body's way. Nobody had the time, the energy, the expertise or the willingness to help put together the pirate ship.

My grandson had an idea. He threw the box away so that he didn't have to look at the picture any longer. He sat down on the floor one day and began interlocking the pieces together. He didn't know what he was going to make but he knew it would be something. After a few hours on the floor, he announced to the family that he was done assembling. They all came to look.

He had created the likeness of a boat. Given the weight of Lego's, it would probably float. It had two plank seats and an oar on either side.

It certainly would never have been confused with a pirate ship but it was something. Everybody in his house was happy and proud of his efforts. Our grandson was happy, too, because now he could go back to the real job of being a kid. He would once again be able to watch Sponge Bob Square Pants knowing that he had accomplished something good. Not great,  but good. A boat.

Learn more about this author, Patricia Parker.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.