Lego

Consider for a moment staying home with a child when it's all wet outside - what makes it more miserable is the strong wind and then typhoon signal.

If this sounds humdrum, that's because it is: "Borinnnnnnnnng." Any time this word boring is part of a child's whine, it's as scary as fingernails on a chalkboard.

Nothing in the parenting almanac says we have to put up with boredom like that, so we decided to unwrap a box of Lego when we were hit with heavy squally weather last weekend. That's not a small set of interlocking plastic blocks. A set of more than 800 pieces, big enough to build Christmas village with elves, reindeers, sleigh and Santa's workshop.

I didn't know I would have opened the set that early when I bought it online: the set is supposed for kids aged 12 or above. I was even more surprised at the way Jasmine was absorbed in the project. The length of her attention span amazed us by the time we looked at the watch after finishing the Lego set. Six hours.

Unbelievable.