Railway modelling with children - I'm starting to understand.

[john new]

17 hours ago, 33C said:

They do that...we had 4 boys by the time we were 29 and because I was on early/late/night shifts, and in bedsits in the early days, we had a system. Anytime before 3am, her turn. Anytime after 3am, my turn. No arguments. No excuses. And it worked great. I still did loads of modelling as I could ALWAYS find 5-20 mins, on an old wooden, tea tray, to stick some plastic together and she would do Logic problems! The other residents in bedsitland were a great crowd overall and we would babysit for each other so we could enjoy a night out. I have always thought that bringing up kids is as hard as you want to make it. I was a teenage father by choice and knew what I was getting into and loved every minute. Kids are fun! 

We did the same. What we never did fathom was how the kids had also worked out which one of us to wail for when they woke in the night.

 

As said do the best you can, make models with them out of scrap stuff and PVA, set into them the idea that model making/crafting is not a naff pursuit.

[Wheatley]

It gets easier, they get more independent and can be left to play on their own, and eventually you adapt. I lost my weekend afternoon modelling time because the bench is in the living room but switched to evenings, theres nothing worth watching on the telly anyway. The biggest problem is staying awake !

 

[33C]

I tell you, the best fun we had was to turn every light and t.v. off, I go in the bathroom and let them hide. After about a minute, I would then pretend to be a zombie (ha!) and go looking for them, knowing full well they would be under the table making a camp! The odd groan would get them sh#!!#ng themselves and when they least expected it I would slowly creep up, put my arm under the table cloth and grab one of them! All in the pitch dark! They loved it, run to mum and shut the door. I would then do my "Shining" bit which would make them scream and panic with excitement.! We would all sleep well those nights!! 

[Steamport Southport]

Is this now RMumsnet?

 

 

 

The mill's closed. There's no more work. We're destitute. I've got no option but to sell you all for scientific experiments.

 

 

 

 

[Lemmy282]

Get them interested, but beware what it can lead to! We started with reading Thomas stories at bedtime, over and over again, then Brio, then Hornby and then visits to stations. Kids can be useful there, lost count of the number of cabs we were invited into, from Pacers to Eurostars! Virgin were very good giving us bottles of water while we watched trains.

He now works on the "big railway" for one of the freight companies!

 

[Cowley 47521]

I grew up totally obsessed with railways and model railways.

My father is to blame for this as he’s a straight up railway obsessive too and much of my childhood was spent on trains, plus he always had a model railway of some sort on the go.

 

Scroll forward to when I had children and to be honest it was difficult to do anything model railway related when they were little (toddlers) because it was just so full on, although I did go all out on the Brio (or any cheaper versions I could find)!

My advice to the op would be to stick to the Brio at the moment but for your own sanity try and get a little project going for you to tinker with of an evening that’ll fit on a shelf somewhere when you’re busy doing other things. Maybe even something like a loco shed diorama that can be incorporated into a layout in the future, as that time will come soon enough but don’t wish away these precious moments when they’re little because once it’s gone it’s gone and as you get older you realise what a short amount of time it was.

I built a 00 gauge railway in the loft when the kids were still young (my youngest was 5) and with supervision at first I’d get them involved, but they had their own trains to use on it which were older 1980s stuff that I’d picked up cheap at car boot sales or been given by friends that were clearing their old attics out etc.

By the time he was 8 my youngest could put my 16 wheeled Bachmann Peak on the track, hook up about twenty wagons and get it all running smoothly without damaging anything whatsoever and I’m sure it did his hand eye coordination wonders.

 

 

[Enfys_Rainbow]

I have a three year old. She was a poor sleeper as a baby, and hasn't improved much in the last 3 years!

 

However, on the topic of modelling, I've been far more productive since she's been born. I obviously don't get anywhere near as much time as before, but the time I do get is far more focused and I've actually completed more projects as a result.

 

It is possible to do both, you just have to grab any opportunity, no matter how short.

[westernviscount]

On 22/01/2022 at 08:51, Enfys_Rainbow said:

I have a three year old. She was a poor sleeper as a baby, and hasn't improved much in the last 3 years!

 

However, on the topic of modelling, I've been far more productive since she's been born. I obviously don't get anywhere near as much time as before, but the time I do get is far more focused and I've actually completed more projects as a result.

 

It is possible to do both, you just have to grab any opportunity, no matter how short.

Similar situation here. My daughter was 18 months when I started my layout. I found the early bedtime an opportunity to get some modelling done and I think I was still used to unusual sleep patterns and not so useless with tiredness as I am now!!! 

[OnTheBranchline]

19 hours ago, westernviscount said:

Similar situation here. My daughter was 18 months when I started my layout. I found the early bedtime an opportunity to get some modelling done and I think I was still used to unusual sleep patterns and not so useless with tiredness as I am now!!! 

having one more?

[westernviscount]

1 hour ago, OnTheBranchline said:

having one more?

Not a chance!!! ;-)

[OnTheBranchline]

When does life with children stop being 'wash, rinse, repeat'?

[DCB]

On 14/01/2022 at 14:19, OnTheBranchline said:

I'm starting to understand why a lot of modellers wait till their 50s to start modelling - kids take up a lot of time. I have a toddler right now who isn't sleeping that well and we are expecting our 2nd in July. After that, I fear my free time will be gone forever for at least the next 5-10 years.

 

When I got into the parish, my dad warned me not to buy too many things because once you have kids, you won't have time for it (he's a wonderfully optimistic person).

 

Time management.   My son and my wife had constant battles over bed time.  Son won. Midnight sometimes before he started pre school.  But we blacked out his bedroom with closely fitting hardboard shutters so it was pitch black even in the afternoon, and he stopped waking up early. Peace reigned.  Its not time but the need to supervise the child (s) and be quite so they can sleep when school starts.  The early start means getting tired and going to bed early. Like 9 pm and get up at 8.15.  And creeping around when he's a kip.   That's what killed my railway. It was next to or above his room so I could no work on or run it when he was asleep, nor could I work in the shed or on the outside line when I was supervising him.

But BLACK OUT the bedroom with removable shutters, and don't wake the kids any earlier than you have to if you want a happy contented child.  Friends send kids to bed at 7 pm, and get them up at 5.30am.  Muppets.  I expect they go for a jog at 6am and complain to friends they are always tired....   Did I mention close fitting Hardboard......

[OnTheBranchline]

On 24/01/2022 at 13:49, westernviscount said:

Not a chance!!! ;-)

 

That's what they all say...

 

Turns out our #2 kid is a terrible sleeper and is up constantly at night and won't take a bottle (only wants mummy).

[Jason T]

On 19/10/2022 at 05:06, OnTheBranchline said:

When does life with children stop being 'wash, rinse, repeat'?

Mine is seven and a half now, full of beans and wants to spend every waking hour with Daddy. She has zero interest in railways but does love making stuff so is over the moon when she’s allowed to make stuff for her dolls out of mounting board, etc., for her dolls. I obviously don’t let her anywhere near a Swann Morton (I cut myself enough with them…) but her cutting card with scissors and glueing the bits together entertains her enough whilst I can get on with frustrating myself with modelling.

 

the downside is that when she’s finished, I then have to play dolls :D

 

It doesn’t get easier as they get older by the way, it just changes!!!