Taking a page from The Man-ual, I am about to reveal something that us guys keep hidden from view… as much as it might hurt us to do so.
There’ve been a few UrbanMom bloggers who’ve hosted Lego contests over the past few weeks. In fact, DIY’s Sara is running a contest from now until November 28 (details below). Every time I read one of these posts, I chuckle to myself because these ladies just don’t get it.
Before I get into it, you have some homework.
Find a man… your Dad, your partner, even that curious fellow from the street corner that shouts obscenities at passersby, and ask him the following question: Do you want to play with some Lego?
The man in question will probably give you one of the following excuses as to why he does not wish to play with Lego. These answers are lies:
- Pfft, Legos are for kids dude (usually followed by some awkward facial expression)
- I… um… I don’t have time right now (usually followed by the man running away from you)
Here are the facts. Men only turn down the opportunity to play with a Lego set because they fear it is socially unacceptable to do so. The truth is that all men experience what I like to call the Latent Engineer Effect, or LEE.
LEE is based on a genetic trait that feeds a man’s need to create things — anything — as a means to pass the time, practice problem-solving skills, and build things of epic proportions.
Don’t believe in LEE? Think I made it up? Ok, fine… here is a REAL case study.
I once worked with a woman who’s husband was OBSESSED with Lego.
- They had a room in the house dedicated solely to the erection and display or elaborate Lego scenes.
- They had large storage bins in their basement, which contained colour-coded Legos for future use.
- He would purchase a new Lego set on a monthly basis and he would spend all of his free time putting together make-believe worlds… not for playing with, but for the challenge of building them.
Is my friends husband weird? Eccentric? Nope. He’s just being honest with himself.
To the ladies, this probably seems odd. That’s because your LEEness generally fades as you pick up your first blush brush.
But for men, my friend’s husband is a modern-day hero. In fact, every time I tell another guy that story, I get the exact same reaction: Awesome. When can we visit him? I’ll just tell my wife/girlfriend I’m playing poker with the guys.
So ladies, don’t miss your chance to win some Lego Duplo for your man kids during D.I.Y. Sara’s contest. All you need to do is leave a comment on her post telling her what your favorite playtime activity is with your kids and we’ll pick a winner randomly. The contest runs from now until 5pm November 28th! Good luck!
Remember, only UrbanMoms.ca members are eligible to win so don’t forget to sign-in. Not a member yet? Click here to join!
Click here for contest Rules and Regulations.
I’d gladly head over to see Legoland Erin! Who wouldn’t?!
One of the first things I did with my son was put a hockey stick in his hands. But the 5 of us (mom dad 3 wees) have been known to all sit down and play lego together. Best toy ever.
Death Star Canteen is my all time favourite Youtube vid, I watch it whenever I need to laugh.
I wonder what Lego World is like in Denmark, Shawn, maybe that should be your next boys trip!
My husband still has ALL of his childhood Lego. It is stored at his moms.He wants to bring it home so our 2 year old can play with it. I won’t let him yet becasue our son is way to young and I know he’ll hole himself up in his basement man zone and build things as long as I’ll let him.
Julie, I almost put that Lego animation at the end of this post, if not for the swearing! It is HILARIOUS!
Shawn, um, your nerdiness might just be showing a leeeetle bit right now 😉 My kids never played with Lego despite the fact that I was obsessed with it (especially Space Lego) until well after I should have been. I definitely would have loved to have shared this with my kids but once my hubby had put a hockey stick in their hands and a ball at their feet the cause was lost. However, many of their friends (even some of the 11 y/o boys) still build with Lego and I am amazed at their creations.
I am thinking you may need to seek treatment for your LEE Disorder. Good luck.
you need to google eddie izzard, lego, and star wars.
Well what the heck is up with my husband???
I spent 3.5 hours last week putting together 584 pieces of Lego for my sons Toy Story 3 Western Train set. (I’m not even exaggerating)
When I brought it home hubby said “Have fun with that honey” and walked out of the room…he wanted nothing to do with it.
huh….
Hey, wait – did you get my husband to guest post this?