Dr. Laura,
I've enjoyed your commentary on Legos - yes, they are addictive! One of my greatest joys as an engineer approaching 40 is being able to share my love for Legos with the little ones around me.
As I and my 2-year-old niece opened her first set of Legos, I firmly told her "Instructions are very important. You must always read the instructions!" Interestingly enough, instructions became an obsession. We can't open ANYTHING around her, without an inspection for the instructions and a stern warning that they must be followed.
When I visit, we play Legos. We have built houses, pet stores, castles, and cars. For her 4th birthday, we built airplanes! Multiple airplanes, with a hangar, tugs, and lots of people! She doesn't just build these with me, she invents stories - that's a skill my Dad has been working on with her since before she was a year old.
I love that our time together is about creativity and sharing in the success of starting from parts, organizing and assembling them, and reaching a finished product in the end. No TV, no iPad, no phone. And luckily we have never had to worry about her eating the Legos! Keep having fun! And thanks for the smiles.
