Thought of the Day 06.26.09

I have Legos. Lots and lots of Legos. I’ve accumulated them over the course of my life, some from gifts, some from garage sales, some just bought. And the reason I kept them all these years was because I liked messing around with them and because I knew that one day I would have my own children to enjoy them with. And now at age five, Spencer really likes building things with me.

Well, the other day he made some remark about what he wanted to do with “his” Legos when he grew up. I immediately corrected him by explaining that the Legos are mine, other than the ones that have been specifically given to him, and I intend to keep them when the kids leave home. After all, how would I divide them among several children, and why wouldn’t I want to be the grandpa with the cool Legos to play with? But I reassured him that he was welcome to play with them all he likes until he grows up and leaves my house.

Precisely because they seem so identical on a day-by-day basis, my son had made the very common error of mistaking stewardship for ownership.