We all know that there are some lessons in life that you just have to learn the hard way.
This is especially true for children, who get the same pieces of wisdom from Mom and Dad a million times, but just need to go ahead and make their own mistakes anyway, as we saw with this little fellow and his hilarious shaving cream disaster.
After all, who among us can say they never did something silly and potentially upsetting while growing up, despite being repeatedly warned of the consequences?
Personally, I popped the head off my favorite doll when I insisted on buckling her into the car with me, and I was hardly the only child to suffer from a toy-related mishap.
One little boy in the U.K. made news a few years back when he brought his extra-special new LEGO toy to the grocery store, and promptly lost it.
Fortunately, his thoughtful dad was on hand to teach him one or two lessons about taking care of property, with an unexpected assist from a LEGO customer service rep!
Check out the heartwarming exchange below.
It all started a few years back, when little Luka Apps of the U.K. made a mistake any former kid can empathize with: He lost his favorite toy.
It was a very specific LEGO action figure that he had purchased himself with carefully saved Christmas money.
Unfortunately, because the toy was so beloved, it made the trip to the grocery store in Luka's pocket, where it promptly fell out and disappeared.
Dad, who had warned Luka about bringing his LEGOs to the store, thought this might be a teachable moment for the then 7-year-old.
He told Luka he wasn't going to replace the toy, but that he should try writing a letter to LEGO and explaining the situation to see whether they might be willing to help him out.
Luka took to the assignment with haste, writing out a very sweet letter explaining what happened, and promising not to make the same mistake twice.
His initial email reads:
Hello. My name is Luka and I am seven years old. With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. The number is 9449. It is really good.
My Daddy just took me to Sainsburys and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost JayZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat.
I am really upset I have lost him. Daddy said to send you a email to see if you will send me another one.
I promise I won't take him to the shop again if you can.
Thank you.
Fortunately, it seems that LEGO makes a practice of hiring top-notch customer service representatives.
The rep, a man named Richard, responded right away, and took Luka's request very seriously.
He writes, in part:
We are very sorry to hear about you losing your Jay minifigure but it sounds like your dad might have been right about leaving it at home. It sounds like you are very sad about it too.
Normally we would ask that you pay for a new one if you lose one of your minifigures and need to have it replaced. My bosses told me I could not send you one out for free because you lost it but, I decided that I would put a call in to Sensei Wu to see if he could help me.
Richard gets into the story line of the particular LEGO set that Luka bought and explains to the young lad (with the aid of some of the characters in the story) how he can take care of his toys in the future:
Luka, I told Sensei Wu that losing your Jay minifigure was purely an accident and that you would never ever ever let it happen again.
He told me to tell you, 'Luka, your father seems like a wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigure like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!'
Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I send you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.
Richard concludes with a few words of advice for the contrite LEGO fan: "Alway listen to your dad" and "Remember that you promised to always leave them at home."
It's an extra-special way for a little boy to learn a valuable lesson, and we love that LEGO and Luka's dad took the time to carefully explain and help him learn!
What do you think of this approach to teaching responsibility? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to SHARE this sweet exchange with friends, family, and LEGO enthusiasts!
