How do you deal with...

[ptdapen]

How do you deal with young relatives that come over during the holidays, Lego-wise? I try to hide as much as I can, and leave out some stuff that I'm sure they won't be able to mess up. Of course they mess those things up, and raid my closet and find the stuff I hid. So any tips on how to make sure they don't do those things, and how to keep my stress down from not only having to fix everything later, but also having to constantly hear them fighting? Plus more tips to make me pretend that I'm totally cool with them making a mess.... I would greatly appreciate it... especially now when I'm completely exhausted and all my plans have been completely killed.

[djo]

same as you, i always hide all my LEGO. for show off i put some in locked glass showcase. that mean you can see but touching is impossible. if you can't appreciated LEGO then back off.

[Front]

I would try telling the kids what they can touch and what they can't, not sure though it would work :-) Why not place some of your sets out of reach (high up), and have a small set that you can build together with the kids.

Front

[5150 Lego]

The ones i don't want the little ones to touch, get put in a room thats off limits. Its also made very clear were they can and can't go in the house. If they do go in that room after spesificly being told its off limits and stat tearing into sets there not supposed to, then they have lost there lego prilages for the evening, and will have to resort to sitting in a corner or with thier parents. You have to be strict with them from the get go!

[eti]

You should give them as much to play with as they can handle. Which means you should never let a 3 year old play with your entire collection because they will be instantly psychotic... if they're 10, they can play with everything, I guess.

What do you mean, make a mess? It IS Lego... it's meant to take apart and put together, so that can't be a problem.

Of course you would not allow them to throw it all across the room or to put all boxes upside down and jump around in it (if they are like that, lock your Lego away and consult some ADHD specialist).

If you have some built-up models (either sets or MOCs) you want to stay that way, you just have to tell them that those are your models and they can't touch them. It's your house, you're the boss.

But just make sure they get the right amount for them to actually build and play with, and go build and play together with them. That way they are not touching things you don't want to touch, and they do have fun, and so do you.

PS I am basing this mainly on how I handle Lego and my own two kids, who are just 2 years old. They can't touch my MOCs on display (or only under supervision) but regularly get at small box filled with random parts to have fun with. They are excellent builders already - for their age, that is.

[legotrainfan]

My LEGO is in a room in the cellar and the door can be locked. But normally no one apart from my family goes to the cellar. And even if someone did, my brother's model train layout would catch their attention in a room before mine. So my LEGO is out of danger anyway.