Shawn bought a 32" TV last Christmas for his room. I didn't mind because he is a good kid, he works, and when he is watching TV, movies or playing video games, I know where he is. However, the other night, the stand that it was on started to fall apart before our eyes. It was actually a microwave stand, and it sufficed when he had a smaller TV (whuch he gave to his brother).

We had to get it off there in a hurry. We went on line and picked out a new stand at Best Buy. We went yesterday and picked it up. It came in a flat box, so I knew that it would require assembly. Just how MUCH, we weren't prepared for.

The box said that the directions were in English, Spanish and French. Well, I don't know what difference it made because the directions were all PICTURES. No words. They were just drawings, not even good photographs.

Mike (youngest DS) and I set about to put it together in the kitchen, while Shawn stood by and kept reminding us of how much it cost him, so we had "better not wreck it". It truly took two of us to try to decipher the directions. When I discovered a major error, and we had to take it apart, Mike was furious. Then, after I had had a chance to really think it through, and got it back together correctly, he was MORE furious. He said, "You know, I could have figured it out. Women don't know how to do these things." I really bruised his ego!! LOL!

Anyway, I was so happy when we finally got it together, and into Shawn's room with the TV on it. What an ordeal!

What happened to the good old days when furniture came all in one piece?

By Karen~admin on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 07:54 am:

What happened is more and more pieces are being made of products other than solid wood, packaging can be smaller for unassembled products, and pricing supposedly is cheaper.

I've had to assemble things using directions that were just diagrams also. It's frustrating! As for women not knowing how to do these things, I think more women are doing assemblies, etc. in homes than men are! LOL And trust me when I say this - my DH is THE most unmechanically inclined person in the world, so any home assembly automatically becomes my job.

And just to make you (*me*) feel a bit more inferior, I met someone (other than Yvonne! LOL) who installed her own laminate flooring last week.

Glad you got the thing assembled for him. Is he happy with it?

By Tripletmom on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 08:14 am:

I also think women are also putting more things together.Unfortunatley,I still think the directions are written by men. LOL

By Dandjmom on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 11:58 am:

I love putting things together , but when it comes to the directions, I too believe that men must do the instructions, the worst of the worst are just the diagram ones with no words.

and the second worst thing about instructions, is when they have you put a part together and then in the next step you find that you have to work around what you just did( basically partially take it back apart) to get the next step completed. when they could have just simply gave the directions the oppesiate way.

By Tink on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 12:44 pm:

I don't mind putting things together, it's pretty simple for me but DH and I spent $800 on a new entertainment center last month and then had to assemble it ourselves and I'll admit to being a little irritated. If I spend $99 at Walmart and it's unassembled, I don't mind. For the price I paid, I WANT it to come in ready for my TV!

P.S. DH even admitted women are usually more patient with hard-to-decipher directions than men, too.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 12:47 pm:

What frustrates me, is that I think DH forgets I have a brain and thinks that there is no way I could figure it out. It bugs the heck out of me!

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 12:47 pm:

Oooooh tell him to bring it on. LOL.
Women can, and do, household projects. Just ask my hubby.
Karen do not feel inferior! I happen to love doing household projects. I hate to sew, clean, etc. No Suzy homemaker here --just project queen. LOL.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 10:09 pm:

DH and I make a good team, when putting together something together. I am pretty good at interpreting the instructions and I'm good at figuring what screw or nail we need for a given task. I think it's great fun to put stuff together. Now, the kids help him, do it. Sarah needed a new computer desk and they did all the helping.

By Hol on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 - 10:51 pm:

Yes, he's VERY pleased with it. However, Mike and I had to apologize to each other because we both got a little "snippy" with each other. LOL!

You're right, Karen, little of this "put it together yourself" furniture is real wood anymore. Then, to top it off, I was pleased to see, when we put the box in the truck, that it had an American flag on it. I said to Shawn, "good. It's American made". Well, when I was breaking up the box for recycling today, on the other side it said "made in Mexico". LOL!

You are so right about the directions being designed by men. It follows the same logic and thought processes that they do. After all, isn't *directions* something guys try to avoid at all costs? LOL!

PS* At least Mike and I can do a project like that and still remain on good terms. DH and I once installed four ceiling fans, just the two of us, and we almost killed each other. (DH slept through this one last night).

By Cocoabutter on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 08:04 pm:

It usually works better if one person puts it together and the other person keeps her mouth shut!

(At least, in my house, that's the best way!)

Was Shawn actually serious??

I would have told him- it's your TV stand, you put it together!

By Hol on Thursday, August 3, 2006 - 10:05 pm:

Oh yeah he was serious. The "enlightened" ramblings of a teenager. I reminded HIM that Best Buy does offer a service where they will send someone out to your home to put it together, for FIFTY DOLLARS! Therefore, he had better close his mouth.

It would have been much worse if HE had attempted to put it together. He has his gifts and talents, but he is not at all mechanically inclined.