Because my 21-month-old son loves playing with his Thomas toys and wooden trains. He also asks for “Daddy choo choos,” his way of asking me to take him upstairs to run the layout for him. Here’s where I need some advice. He loves wtching the trains but the layout is 42 inches high and he starts to get heavy fairly quickly. I try letting him stand on the bar stool I have up there but as soon as I do, it’s “daddy up,” his way of saying pick me up. Also it’s quite hard to juggle him and a dcc throttle. So any advice on how to share my trains with my little guy?
“I must be doing something right…”.
Probably not. What is the age old argument, is it nature or nurture?
Based on what I’ve seen over the years, some people expose their kids to trains and then a few kids take to it and the rest do not. So the "nurture part doesn’t seem to work on the majority of the kids.
IOW, if your kid takes to trains and sticks with it life-long, it’s probably not you doing something right, but him just having it in his genes.
Of course you might think if he takes to trains, thats a good thing. His future wife might not agree, but hopefully, if your kid turns out to be a train enthusiast, he will find a wife who is supportive of his love of trains.
If you’re handy at wood working, is a rebuilt high-chair out of the question? Maybe you could find one at a second hand store or thrift shop and swap in taller legs.
Alternatively, this could be an excuse for a garden RR (if the master of the house is amenable of course :)) or one of those Bachmann Big Hauler sets for the floor.
I’ve always built my layouts at 34” for little ones. That works out pretty good from 3½ up. For the really little shavers I have roll around chairs that they can kneel in to gain some elevation, actually I use them more than the kidos to rest my weary body.
I made a very good investment about 10 years ago in an overhead creeper, it gets me into my layout about 42” and the kids love it the best. They can climb up on it and get an Arial view of my layout. I stick close to the real young ones to prevent them from getting hurt but that doesn’t tax my old mussels like holding them. My control panel is slopped from 30” up to layout height and is simple enough for a 3 year old to operate. They love to run Great Grandpas trains, and they’re all girls. Never had a bite from my sons or grandsons (6), all the girls love my model railroad (19).
Mel
Maybe when my great-grandchildren get a little older, I’ll have such a nice problem.
How about an old car seat or booster seat (ours currently at the dinner table) attached to a step ladder?
Just a thought.
Good luck,
Richard
My layout is 50" and I built step up so the grandkids can see it but I always built my layout for me not the kids but I did make it easier for shorter people and kids to see it.
I like the high chair idea if you have space in the aisles. Do away with the tray part but make sure they are strapped in so there won’t be any headers onto the layout or the floor!
I hope your young guy maintains his interest!
Dave
Agreed, having raised three children and three step children, nature seems to win over nurture - or, the culture undermines the nurture at home…
But best of luck to everyone raising kids these days…
None of mine have any real interest in trains…
Sheldon
I agree with Sheldon 100 percent. Both my boys were nutso about all trains until they went to public school and were taught, in Susquenita School District, home of the famous PRR Rockville Bridge, that trains are for babies…this during first grade. Then they stopped. Apparently teaching that alternative lifestyles are ok is one thing but that does not include model railroading as being ok. Do they think train nuts are future terrorists or something?? And yes teachers said straight out trains are for babies as reported by my older son.
I might have had a little chat with that teacher to find out if what your son reported was true - giving the teacher the benefit of the doubt. If that teacher reported it was true she/he said that, I’d ask on what basis they say that trains are for babies, and what does he/she mean by that. Maybe there is a myth about the hobby that needs to be dispelled.
This is likely not the place to get too deep into this subject, but I can confirm stuff similar to what John reports over the time my children spent in public schools and this goes back as far as the late 1980’s. Values, personal beliefs, attitudes about a number of topics, religious values, all undermined by the subjective morality of the liberal education establishment.
I taught my children right from wrong, taught them to repect authority, treat ALL people with respect, only to have schools tell my children I was “wrong” on a number of issues, like my childs right to physically defend himself from a bully, and otherwise undermine my authorty with my children.
I will stop here…
Sheldon
I’ll just say that I’ve had to sacrifice having nice house with a nice basement because I was helping to fund a private education for my daughter starting with the 6th grade about 10 years ago. The reason was in-part due to those issues you spoke of and in-part the quality of public school education isn’t what it used to be. Re: your particular school issues, it reminds me of that old Pink Floyd song, more relavant now than ever. Nuff said.
As for telling children trains far for baby’s, thats total baloney and personally I can’t even see how that is even an old school vs. new school issue, but rather a teacher who is “out of line” and needs to be challenged with silly, non-real world attitudes.
In that regard, there is a train club in in NoVA and the guy in charge is a boy scout leader and he is very involved with the kids and hobby. Maybe John’s kids teacher needs a visit from someone like him to “educate” her on the advantages of the hobby, how it teaches many concepts and skills: carpentry, electronics, crafts, art, history, engineering etc.
I am a 55 year old baby !!
My wife buys me train stuff at Christmas , she likes to see her baby happy on Christmas !! lol
A wise and nobel choice on your part. In the earliest days I could not have even considered private schools, by the time I could, none of them were willing to go. The advantages and disadvantages of starting a family young.
Sheldon
I’m a 79½ Year 0ld Baby and everyone around me or that comes in contact with me knows how much I love working on my model railroad. I can’t remember not getting a train related Christmas Gift! My first was Christmas 1945, a 027 Lionel 2-6-2 was under the tree.
My youngest son and his wife are school teachers and both brag up my hobby. I guess I’m lucky. I grew up in El Paso and attended Austin High School, the School had and supported a Model Railroad Club as an activity. As best as I can remember there were at least 30 guys in the club during my four year tour, we met on Saturday mornings in a small room next to the Woodworking Shop.
The 50s were the best time to be a teen as far as I’m concerned. No Graffiti, almost no vandalism and very low crime.
GP9 Man1:
Keep your son and your self close to your hobby. I like Bundy 74s idea about the hig
I couldn’t even couldin’t even consider private school myself, just like you, financially I simply couldn’t afford it and afford a decent standard of living. But I was forced by my ex-wife and her lawyer to pay for half of private school anyway because in NY state, judges basically go with the “standard of living” the mother and child are accustomed to and if the father can’t afford it - so what - into the poor house you go. She grew up a lawyers daughter and basically didn’t want for anything. Lesson I learned, NY is/was a bad state to get married in as well. Result, I not only couldn’t have a decent house with space for trains while a single father, for a number of years I had very substandard living conditions (lived in my sisters basement or tiny basement apartments.) I truly sacrificed standard of living but the end result was still very good for my daughter.
Oh, and as for “willing to go”, my ex-was quite the tyrant - my daughter was never given an option. [;)]
Mel,
Was it a 1666? I got a used one a few years later. Only problem was the couplers didn’t match the ones on my first used train, a pre-war 0-6-0. Still have both, despite a house fire.
Yes, the legal system has the school system on edge about a lot of things. Problem as I see it is, it used to be majority ruled, now one wheel squeeks and all wheels have to change. Enough there, don’t get me started, I drive school bus, what can and can’t be done.
Now for a more hopeful thoughts. Found out just before Christmas that a 5th grader is doing a project on model railroads. The project actually started in Sept and he already has a mentor, but he lives 30 plus miles away. The principal was glad to have me join in as a helper. I’ve met with the student once and will meet again when the modules of the layout come to the school. Evidently the mentor is doing the base work. I met him once for a few minutes, but that was long ago. I think it will be interesting to work with the student, as he seems very interested. Has been doing mostly research stuff up to now, from what I can tell. I think the mentor and I should be able to work together and I certainly hope to learn and I hope he will too.
There seems to be some model rr background in the family, grandfather, but sounded like health issues were curbing his abilities. Will be interesting to see how the project works out. Now the school knows there are people locally that have the interest they won’t have to go so far for mentors and some of us “old babies” can get some younger blood pumping in the hobby. Even if they go away when school, girls, work, kids and life get in the way for awhile. How many folks here were out for mid-life and have come back? Guilty!
Have fun,
Richard
I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old. The 4 year old does a nice job controlling the train slowly on a bachmann controller on our pool table. Him and his brother each perch themselves in wicker bar stools with backs that we bought ages ago for a counter in our kitchen in the old house. The 2 year old will be so in Feb and he sits real nice watching his brother run trains. They are perched up pretty high sitting on their butts so I would think this would be high enough for your little guy.
Mike
I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and (about to be) 5 year old son who just love watching the HVBL ho scale trains run the mains. I had the same issue with mine as they seem to get very heavy in a short period of time. I conjured up a pair of kitchen style bar stools that swivel with arm rests and they will sit there and watch trains run. They were taught not to reach or touch and I have never had an issue with either of them. I just recently taught them how to “slide” the ho atlas snap switches so now thats all they want to do. They throw the switches I point to, and I run the loco back and forth. They love it and it makes me laugh and the loco gets a workout. All’s well on the HVBL…
Rich
GP-9 Man, You sure are! Spending time at play with your children is always the right thing. Your son is a lucky boy to have a father who knows the score.
I commend you, regards, Peter