Was a disaster and amazing at the same time. My son wanted to help so I let him hand me bolts and tools even though it took 3x longer. We did finally get it put together and he was so proud when his sister tested it out. Took a pic of him standing in front of it with the biggest smile. Totally worth the extra hour of work.
The best part about that is he's gonna think he built that swing set himself. That's his swing set now because he helped. Total win even if it was chaotic.
Building with the kids is where the real memories happen. Yeah it takes longer and bolts get handed to you in weird orders but that's literally what it's all about.
This is the stuff right here. Yeah it probably took twice as long and bolts went everywhere, but that's a memory he's not forgetting. My oldest 'helped' me build shelves last month and I wouldn't trade that chaos for anything.
This is peak dad right here. Building something with your 4yo handing you bolts probably took twice as long but it's gonna be the memory he remembers forever.
The best part is when they retell the story. My son tells everyone about 'building the fence' with me even though he basically just watched and handed me one board. They don't remember the mistakes, just that they helped their dad.
Dude that's amazing. Getting them involved even when it would be faster to do it alone is the whole point. My daughter 'helped' me fix the deck stairs and I got covered in paint but seeing her proud of herself? Worth every minute.
How old is he now? I'm doing a similar project this weekend and honestly debating whether to let my 3yo actually participate or just keep her entertained nearby.
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I love this so much. My oldest used to do the same thing when I was building stuff. Now he's 10 and builds with me instead of handing me tools. Savor this phase.