Small Things, Big Problems, And a Piece of Lego
I stepped on a lego today. It hurt like all hell and reminded me of a time when sudden death by lego seemed like a probable way to go. Apparently, just because my son is legally allowed to drink beer in Germany, doesn't mean that I am safe from assaults by legos.
Somehow, that makes me very happy, even if my foot is still smarting.
Of curse, there are several really easy solutions to the massive pain problem caused by the piece of lego.
Pick up the lego from the floor and make sure there is no lego on the floor ever again.
Wear house shoes.
Don't enter the teenager's room.
Eliminate all the lego from our life.
Solution number one seems like the obvious one. However, as of this writing, I have not heard of any parent who has successfully implemented it in their house. If you know of someone who has kept their floors permanently lego-free without removing all the lego from the house, I am dying to know their secret.
Solution number two is a bit more practical. I like that it gives me control over the situation. Rather than relying on my son to keep the lego from getting on the floor, I can be proactive and just protect myself from future pain by donning some shoes. The limitation of this solution is my aversion to wearing shoes around the house.
The third solution seems like the most sensible one. Considering that my son is a teenager, I should probably not be entering his room unless I absolutely have to anyway. I have a sense that the less I know about what is inside his room, the more peacefully I will sleep at night. As long as nothing rises from the dark portal under his bed, we should be fine.
Except for when I need to talk to him. Well, there is always yelling through the door, I guess.
Solution number four would probably get my son to move out prematurely and lead my husband to seriously consider a divorce. I am scratching that one.
Out of the lot, I think solution number two is my best hope for making it through unscathed. It has all the elements of a great solution:
it is simple and easy to implement
it is something I can actually do and not something I can not control
it does not affect other people negatively
the benefits (no pain) far outweigh the downsides (effort spent on putting on shoes)
Very often, the solution to seemingly big problems is very simple. Our brain tells us that a complex problem requires a complex solution. If the pain is big and serious, the treatment must also be big and serious else, it can't work.
This misconception is the reason why you are still taking much more prescription drugs than you would need if you drank more water and went for a walk every day. It is the reason why you use elaborate productivity apps on yourself rather than just writing things down on a piece of paper. It's why you buy expensive skin care products and treatments instead of sticking with your simple SPF and a good moisturizer.
So, next time you step on a piece of lego, ask yourself if yelling at your kid or banning all the lego from the house really is the way to go.
Maybe you just need some shoes.
