Mindy and Max's True Life

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word obsession as the follows:

Ob~ses~sion n. 1. Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or emotion, often accompanied with anxiety and frustration. v. To preoccupy the mind excessively.

I mean, who isn’t obsessed with SOMETHING? I love the show “Mad Men” and “True Blood”, for instance. I also love  reading,  Martin Guitars, brand new Sharpie pens, Jared Leto and the Khao Soy Kai w/Chicken from Thai Thai in Deerfield ( (847) 564-5999, tell them I sent you)  I’ve got obsessed friends and family too! My Dad would just lose his mind if they stopped making Nivea Lotion, Deidre would go ape shit if coffee was suddenly listed as a Schedule C Illegal Drug and I am not sure how my Mom would handle it if The Lifetime Channel went off the air. My friend Selena hasn’t met a pair of shoes she didn’t like and her brother’s ability to recite every single line of dialogue in the Godfather Trilogy is mind-numbing. This is an innate human characteristic. We’ve all got a little obsession in us.

I, however, hit the Mother-lode.  The following image may be harmful and disturbing to some younger viewers. Parental Discretion is advised. What you are about to see is the culmination of over 100 hours of back-breaking, painstakingly intricate work….done by an obsessed, deranged and commiserable geek.

Yeah, you’re right. They’re Lego’s. Simple, plastic Lego toys that have been around since the dawn of toy. You follow the directions, put together the ship or boat or whatever the hell you bought and then the project is complete. That’s the way the “normies” do it. That’s the way most Moms do it when presented with a brand new Lego ship in a box and an adorable 5-year-old looking up at you and saying “Mommy, can you put this together for me…please?”. And that is the way it started. Max received his first Star Wars Lego ship about 9 months ago. He had seen his friend Grant’s  collection and wanted one of his own so I went out and got one. The first “build” (that’s Lego lingo for the art of making these creations) was fun. It was a small ship and took no time at all. I actually quite enjoyed myself and was proud of that work.

Well, the ships kept on coming, and the “builds” got harder and harder. But as they got harder and more frequent I found a quite, zen-like power while working. I was able to zone out and take a well deserved mental break during these times. And it was energizing.  I literally got a rush from making these ridiculous non-recyclable novelties. But, I just couldn’t stop. And Max and I were having a ball putting together ship after ship, watching the movies and reading all the books.

I have always loved Star Wars. A bit of an “obsession” if you don’t mind me using the term. But since Max and I have got into Star Wars Lego’s, we have both gone off the deep end. And it is all my fault. I have turned my intelligent, playful little boy into a building zombie, working for hours on end on this ship or that, barely coming up to the surface for bathroom breaks and dinner and, this is the worst, waking up as early as 5:00 am and going directly downstairs to play with Lego’s. The worst is (and I am going to get kind of serious now) is that he is alienating his friends when they come to play when, heaven forbid, they want to play something besides Lego’s. This is actually bringing him to tears.  He is talking about it constantly, Star Wars seems to be the only thing we talk about anymore. And he’s not the only nut in the house! No! Yeah, I am so protective of the ships I made that I cringe when someone even breathes on one, I actually took pictures of my progress  putting together the Death Star and posted them on Facebook like they were a new baby to show off. And the worst part is this; I have taken the “important” mini-men (you know, like Darth Vader, The Silver Stormtrooper, Princess Leia in the Slave outfit, little Anakin…) and I have been HIDING them from my own son! I have hoarded them all for myself like they are treasures. Max recently discovered my stash and said to me “But, Mommy, why would you hide these from me?”.

I confess this insane story to you tonight not as a warning to diversify your hobbies, or to get out there and get a social life. I am telling it to you because of this: My son is learning all there is to know about life and how to be a good human being by watching what is nearest and dearest to him; me. My story may be silly, but Max is at an age when making friends is so very important, and he just had a play date with a perfectly terrific kid who he literally ignored. Why? Because he just couldn’t put down the Lego’s for even a second. Why? Because he’s seen Mommy do the same thing.

The Chicago Tribune reported today that the “Young people now devote an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes to daily media use, or about 53 hours a week — more than a full-time job.” That almost 8 hours of watching TV, surfing the web, playing video games and texting. 8 HOURS! So, as of tomorrow, our house is going on a Lego fast. While Max is sleeping I am going to take all the Legos and store them up, clear the house of the distraction. Tomorrow morning will be hell, but I have faith that we can make it one week Lego free. We will come together once again as a vibrant, creative home and I can walk free and barefoot without fear of injury from a misplaced floor score. After the week is up I plan to slowly re-introduce Star Wars Lego’s back into our lives in small healthy doses, little teasers to remind us of how much we do still love it.

I hope to get my home back in order, I hope to stop lying in bed thinking if I put a fucking  droid cannon together correctly and I hope, most importantly, to get my son back. May the Force be with you.

Mindy & Max