Not Just Legos

He sits patiently, picking out a Lego that will fit. Carefully positioning it in his hands to steady it and stack the Legos together. It doesn't always fit right. He turns it, angles it, moves it over and tries again. And again. Until he gets it.

I watch him from my spot on the floor by the other Legos. I feel my arms raise up on impulse on several occasions as he struggles. I fight the urge to stack the Lego for him.

Legos are his go to toy currently. His attention span and imaginative structures always seem to impress me. He will watch you at times and be sparked by a new idea but mostly he sits and builds and takes down, builds and takes down.

Sometimes he will ask for help, but most always after several failed attempts. Usually he is calm, clear, but the sense of urgency is heard. Sometimes I am able to coax him or redirect him to accomplish the task with out me actually doing it. Do I help too often though?

When in a hurry before school or in a rush to clean or cook I catch myself not fighting the urge to help and just doing a task for him out of sake for time or wanting to avoid a melt down. But what is that teaching?

I want Jackson to persevere through problems. I want him to have comfortable with the idea that things do not always click into place nicely. I want him to be able to think rationally to arrive at a solution. I want him to be creative and confident to problem solve.

Those behaviors won't just appear when he is a teenager. It is my goal to teach him. I have realized my need to let Jackson struggle a little more, help less.

They are so much more than Legos.