I don't like having to check all the pieces in a themed set are present when putting them back in the box after my child's finished with it. It's difficult to reuse the pieces for other ideas because I can't just commingle them with other sets because finding the pieces again to build that themed set would be more difficult.
Just following instructions has limited value anyway.
Lego is not the right brick manufacturer for your needs anymore.
Lego occupies the high-end market nowadays, where you pay $1,000-$2,000 for a franchise set (Harry Potter, Star Wars) that you can display in a glass showcase. You'll get robotics and some smart app functionality, along with a devoted following.
If you just want plastic toy bricks to let your kids' imagination run wild, there are alternatives.
I always had to clean up my own lego and if I got parts mixed and wanted to rebuild from the instructions later, you better believe I had to dig around for hours (probably less than 10 minutes, but I was a kid ;)) to find it.
I sympathize, but is this not just something you as a parent/consumer can control? i.e. why don't YOU stick to lego classic, and let lego do what they want.
I guess received gifts would be a problem, but it seems presumptuous that your way of doing lego is the right way.
The way I heard it, the copyright on classic pieces ran out, so Lego had to differentiate. Further, the co-marketing arrangements like Star Wars and Harry Potter have been lucrative, and probably saved the company.
I don't like having to check all the pieces in a themed set are present when putting them back in the box after my child's finished with it. It's difficult to reuse the pieces for other ideas because I can't just commingle them with other sets because finding the pieces again to build that themed set would be more difficult.
Just following instructions has limited value anyway.