For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 30, 2019

so much for quality parent-child bonding

I relate. It is very annoying when a child wants to play with my “toys” because they are not toys. A child sees trains and tracks and thinks they are something to play with. They don’t know what a hobby means – only about playing with something. As @howtheduck said, this is probably why John built a workshop so he could move his trains and company there and lock the door. He could enjoy his hobby in peace, away from Liz.

Parent/child activities are great … but I also believe adults deserve the opportunity to engage in their own hobbies and interests without their kids or spouse. Everyone needs some “me” time.

SPOILER ALERT

https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/sunday-september-18-2005/

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Reminds me of when my young nephew years ago saw me talking on my Amateur radio one day and noticed the red and green lights on my linear amplifier flashing and he wanted to play with it and start turning the knobs and I wouldn’t let him anywhere near it.Years later he finally understood my concern. Today he’s a Ham himself and still recalls me telling him to stay away. How time flies !

Elizabeth is a little too old to still be saying, “wif”. Lynn Johnston needs a younger character to do all those humorous mispronunciation jokes.

“They’re not toys. They’re scale, hobby models (I keep telling myself).”

They maybe Adult toys but to kids, they are just toys. John should help her to understand instead of don’t, don’t don’t.

When our girls were toddlers we gated off the room where his diecast layout is. However, when they got to a certain age – I believe it was about 6 or 7 – he not only took off the gate, but let each girl pick a house that was “their” house and let them park their cars (yes, he started them on collecting, too) and interact with him in the “town”.

He is not playing. He is building. The playing comes when the building is done.

I’m not sure how old Elizabeth is here, but if she’s six or older John would do better to show her the proper ways to “play” with the train.

Might have been an opportunity to engage Elizabeth in his hobby instead of ensuring that she’ll forever look on model trains as something that her Dad didn’t want to share and, by extension, is rejecting her.

Never learned to share – never too old to learn a new trick.

“Put down. You’ll break it.” We often underestimate how sure the grip of children usually is. When our kids were young we put the glass glasses away and used plastic glasses. Eventually we tried some glass glasses. Sure enough, within a week the first one was broken. Slipped right out of my hand! The kids never dropped one.

My grandson broke one of my steam engines. He was so remorseful I couldn’t be mad at him. Took me hours to fix though.

I always tried to share my “toys” and interests with my children. I can’t say I really had any hobbies as I was too busy working.

Didn’t see this coming.

My Dad would get down on the floor and play toy soldiers with me and his collection of Stadden figures. Thanks Dad!

Wait: April will be coming soon. Although it’s almost June. LOL!

John should have started with something more durable and less valuable. My grandchildren, 7 and 4 at the time had a great time playing with a simple Lionel “O” scale layout under the Christmas tree. The 7 year old quickly figured out how to control the speed of the trains and how to blow the horn on the diesel engine. He never completely understood the problem of too much speed tipping the top-heavy steam switcher off the track. The 4 year old loved putting toy animals on the coal cars for rides around the layout. The track was the modern Lionel track that snaps together and is quite stable on the carpet, which also minimized the consequences of the occasional derailments.

Between my dad, my cousin and my husband, my life has been full of model railroaders. They were extremely careful of their “toys” and as a child I was not allowed to touch dad’s layout.

She’s right.