[COMMUNITY MANAGER WEEKLY] Raising AFOL

That is awesome! I was never a sorter, as a kid, and now as an adult. I open up the bags, dump them, and start building. I think for those of us who do not sort, we develop some sort of eagle eye for those parts that we need. Or we get frustrated, start having those thoughts that maybe that part was missed at the factory, and then suddenly we find it. 

My youngest daughter still builds with her bricks, my oldest daughter still has sets in boxes! I may have to acquire those from her and put them someplace safe. I love that my youngest shares my love for LEGO, I just hope as she gets older she holds onto it!

@Paul Striefler | LEGO Sadly my children have entered their dark age, but I remember those days of rattling boxes, and on one occasion my son rushing in the room when it was still dark outside to share his latest creation.

As for the sorting most was kept in a chest of draws like yours, but only loosely sorted plates, bricks minifigs etc

As a mocer now, I do not sort takes too much time. Here is the last box remaining from this years build.

Watching kids build is so rewarding. They can be so creative and so unique. I have actually learned a couple interesting ( but non approved) connections from my daughter. I never would have thought to insert the needle end on the "syringe" element into a mining's wrist socket = Laser blaster hand !  Sometimes bricks get used as mining parts, and vice versa. It is a truly amazing process to watch play out.

For most kids, that don't have a room full of bricks like their parents  Every day is a building challenge. They only have a limited supply of parts and colors, so they just make it work. They use whats on hand to fit their needs. No obsession over details, no stress about making the shape perfect, no worries about color palette. They are just having fun with it, and thats what its all about !