Today's entry from our HoP Idol contestants comes from Doc Brian of "The Family that Slays Together." Here is a blogger who is offering us a rarely seen perspective.
I’m not going to post a bunch of statistics. You’ve probably already seen the numbers touting that kids who interact with their parents or other role models are more likely to stay out of trouble. Sure, I get involved in their soccer games and ballet recitals. I kick the ball around while tiptoeing about in my ballet shoes and tutu…
Did I actually type that last part?
Um, let’s just say I try to stay involved and leave it at that.
Despite my efforts, I always feel like I could be doing better, especially when I’m indulging in my own hobbies. So, if we’re already spending time with toys, why not kill two birds with one stone? Why not get them involved in what we do?
So how do we get our kids (or nephews and nieces, annoying little brothers, that neighborhood kid who is always hanging out in your yard) involved in our hobby? If your kids (or nephews and nieces…
You know what? I’m just going to say “kids” and leave it at that. If you don’t have kids of your own, insert the youngster category of your choice.
Anyways, if your kids are like mine, they are already interested. Whether it’s because they look up to their dear old dad (I can wish, right?) or because they are bored (probably) or just want to screw up stuff (always a possibility), I often get a crowd hanging around my desk wanting to help me build my miniatures.
“Dad, can I make a goblin?”
“Um, sure, I guess so.”
One minute later…
“Can I make another?”
Two minutes later…
“Ok, I painted it. Now can I make another?”
You might be made of money, but personally I can’t afford to sacrifice my miniatures at that rate of speed. I quickly discovered that I couldn’t just hand them some plastic to keep them quiet while I worked. I had to (gasp!) spend some time interacting with them!
Recently, I picked up some Assault on Black Reach tacticals off eBay for about ten bucks as a surprise for my ten-year-old son. They made a great bonding moment as we talked about the different possible chapters he could choose from. Turns out he’s going to go with an Imperial Fists successor. He likes the Fists’ fluff, but he wants orange marines instead of yellow.
Fair enough.
We’re going to fix them up as a Killzone team. We’ve already been playing Bloodbowl, and I think this would be a good stepping stone into the big games.
So what else is in the works? I’m currently looking at modeling projects you can get kids involved in. I’ll explore the best ways to teach kids to play and paint. Heck, I might even investigate game systems that are kid friendly. Since I haven’t been exercising my psychic abilities lately, I have no idea where this will take me, but it should be a fun ride.
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