Grandpa's Boy

March 2007

Mark has always adored both of them. He got his red hair from one grandpa and his name from the other one.

From both grandpa's he got the inclination to build.

I'm convinced either grandpa could build or fix just about anything.

Mark loves Legos. He loves tinker toys and Bionicles and puzzles and blocks and complicated marble runs.

And he loves to build things from IKEA.

Today I was constructing a little IKEA project and Mark found me on the floor in my room...pieces of wood and hardware scattered.

I think he started salivating.

He sat down and grabbed the instructions and pored over them like they were an engrossing novel...not that Mark reads engrossing novels. He reads instructions.

(At a ridiculous age Braeden wondered how checks and balances in the government worked...at an even younger age Mark was fascinated by the DVD that came with the Dremel tool with pinewood derby tips and tricks.)

Soon Mark was telling me the next instruction and finding the appropriate hardware and insisting that he do the hammering and screwing in of screws.

I sat back and marveled at the differences of my three children. And the similarities of my Mark to his grandpas.

I have to think he got his affinity for wielding an IKEA allen wrench from his mother though.