Mia Robertson has been through many surgeries to help with her cleft lip and palate. According to her mom, Missy, she’s had three surgeries in the past two years.
These operations require extensive recoveries “with very limited physical activity.” This serves as a problem for an active little girl like Mia. She decided to build Legos as an activity to pass time while she couldn’t do much else.
She enjoyed building Legos so much that she continued to do so after she recovered. For Christmas she received a few different sets and began building right away.
Mia found that a few pieces of each set were missing and she couldn’t figure out how to finish her project. She was getting frustrated. Per her mom’s suggestion, Mia took a break to walk to her cousin’s house. After gathering her thoughts, she returned home with her cousin to finish what she started.
Together, they fixed what Mia was stuck on, but then ran into another obstacle, and then another. After trying and trying, and becoming extremely frustrated, Mia and her cousin were advised, firmly, to take a break. They went outside, rode their bikes, and jumped on the trampoline. After their break, they finished everything with no problem at all!
This situation made Missy ask herself, “Isn’t that the way life is?” In her blog, she wrote about how Mia’s frustration mirrored real-life frustrations.
“Sometimes, when we are faced with an obstacle that we are trying to control all by ourselves, we may need to take a break to clear our head or ask for help,” she writes. “And if our attitude is not what it should be, we may need someone close to us to give us a little kick-in-the-pants to strongly encourage us to get back on track.”
She finished her blog with some advice to not only Mia, but to everyone, including herself.
“The next time you choose to take on a project or decide it’s time to push through an obstacle, imagine that crown or sense of accomplishment on the other side. Go for it! However, remember that you may not be able to do it alone. Realize you may need to take a break if it starts to change your attitude or priorities. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. All of these things will help you enjoy not only the finished product but the path it took to get you there.”
Well said, Missy! How creative to tie in a learning moment into building Legos!