your hobby or your wife?

Hey Jim,

IMHO family always has to come first ... the hobby second. But that doesn't mean that a certain reasonable amount of time can not be layed away each day for "model time". For some of us it is our escape time, quiet time, reflective time and that is very much needed.

Ok Jim I am speaking from 31 yrs of marriage to the same woman. ( How many stars for that). I had to slow down on the hobby when we were ferrying the kids around to sports, etc. Helping with homework, fixing things in the "castle". The models took a long time from start to finish, but it was peaceful here.

Now, They are gone...the kids not the wife and I have time to do plenty of modeling or anything else for that matter. I always made some time even when I was busy to have a hobby just as she did too. It seemed to work.

Hi everyone.

I was just about to post a similar question myself! I have to put family first. I've been a dad for eleven weeks now and it's hard work! I have a very busy work life too so most of my time off is spent at home with my wife and son.
It can be tough sometimes when I've had a busy week away from home and all I want is an afternoon/evening in my workshop playing with plastic.
When I get that way I just count my blessings that I have such a great wife and son and tell myself that I'll get round to the hobby later.

That's why my wife wanted me to have a workshop. When baby's asleep, my wife is chatting to a friend on the phone, I can slip outside and have a little bit of peace and plastic
I'm off the job this week so I'm up early and straight into the workshop before everyone is awake and I'll be back there when my son is tucked up in his crib later tonight. I just have to plan way ahead-that's all.
You can have work/family/hobby balance-it's hard, but it can be done. Go to work, look after your loved ones and the rest will follow. OK, you may not get as much hobby-time as you'd really like but you'll quickly learn to love it.

Mmmmmmm. Only another 25 years untill I retire. Roll on 2028!!

Family has to come first. All else will follow.

I'm fortunate that if I'm working on a model after the kids are in bed, my wife will sit downstairs with me on her computer, so we talk while doing other things. Family definately comes first, but multitasking is allowed.

demono69

Yes family comes first. Fortunately, I get off work hours before the wife comes home. My 7 year-old daughter usually comes home and watches tv or plays with a friend. During this time I can work on kits. This in turn frees the evening for family. However, my wife complains more about the time I spend on the computer than all my other hobbies combined.

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee

Family First!

I do most of my modeling when I get home from work, which is around Midnite. My wife works in the mornings so, I have my 2 1/2 year old to chase around the house until the older ones come home from school.

The weekends are mostly for catching up on other projects or just lazing around the house with the family.

Family first, I agree. I've managed to find a way to get a little more time for kitbuilding, though, with a little creativity.

1) The Wife. She loves to read. A lot. I just try to time my visits to Plasticland when she's reading ( or watching some chick flick that I have no interest in ).

2) My son. This is pretty easy right now. He's 5 and has a big interest in spaceships from the sci-fi movies we watch as well as airplanes. He gets to watch me build the kits and I have a little helper to get the next color of paint for me.

Wife and family first, hobby somewhere else down the line. I love this hobby, but there are lots of other things that I love a lot more. I don't get as much time as I'd like to spend at the bench, but I also know that I've gotten burned out before by spending too much time there. When I get my bench setup again this fall, I don't expect to spend several hours every day there. I usually spend 15 minutes to half-hour every 2-3 days or so and that seems to be enough to keep me content. Sometimes on a weekend I'll spend a bit more time airbrushing or doing other more time-intensive tasks, but rarely more than about 2 hours at the most.

Chores aren't fun, but they unfortunately do need to get done. I'm sure you'll find a 'niche' somewhere were you can get a model fix in. Good luck!!

Murray

I've been married for 10 years and have 2 kids. I would agree with everything stated above. I manage to slip in 10 -12 hours a week modeling. I get up at 4:30 am everyday and use this time as my own. This gives me a solid 2 hours everyday before work too clear my head, and It doesn't get in the way of family life.

Darren

Definitely the Old Dragon ... er; Wife.
Actually she seems to breathe less fire lately since she is starting to get interested in modelling ceramic dolls and painting. Who knows, I think she'll be helping me with my model finishes before too long!

My family comes first.

The hobby is important but I don't let it get in the way. It's just a matter of time management, I guess. It would be good if I could get my kids into it, too. Develop their skills and creativity at an early age.

The family first, as all have agreed. But now my three kids are older (youngest is 12) and that frees up
considerably more time for models. (And I've looked forward to that time!) Modeling took a back seat for
many years, but now it's edging back to where it was before the kids came. And not a bit too soon!

I spend alot of time working om my hobbies, but some of my hobbies (sewing) i ahve been able to get my wife involved. (Married 27 Years). She does not complained like her freinds cause their husbands are addicted to sports.

Jim;
Have been married for 36 years (same woman), raised three kids and have learnt family must come first. But rest assured there is more opportunties for modelling after the kids leave home and the wife begins to spend more time on her own hobbies (hurray for introduction of equal opportunities principles).

Then you reach retirement, more time than you can use for modelling, so much time that you can send some of it earning stars on this forum, providing that those little chores set by the other half are completed.



Wayne.

Wife and family and responsibilities first. I get up early on the Saturdays I don't have to work, and spend the time before the wife gets up on building. Usually 4or5 hours. On occasion the wife will say to me why don;t you go downstairs and play around? So It all evens out in the end.
Lee

Family definitely comes first. I just celebrated my 29th wedding anniversary yesterday! Now that fall is approaching, there's going to be more indoor time; however, a lot of it will be fixing things inside, playing with my 9-year old, and helping my 17-year old daughter with anatomy and physiology homework, in addition to orchestra practice every Wednesday night. I actually got to model for the first time in a month this past weekend. My wife actually suggested that I sit at the table and model for awhile, so I took her up on it. The rewards for keeping priorities straight are priceless.
Gip Winecoff

Definitely family first... especially with a 5 month old daughter

With school back in session, I find less time to build-- but I also find that that time is an excellent stress relief to me as well. I am usually home by 4:30-- spend time with the family-- then go grade papers and work on lesson plans....the baby is usually in bed by 9...the wife by 10...and since I don't sleep all that much- late night is my time.

Like most of the replies, I try to spend time with the wife first. As a matter of fact I try to do most of my modeling around 10pm as she is in bed by then and I get some quiet time from 10-midnight. I will also have time on the weekend.

It's good to get so much feedback on this subject. Maybe Finescale could do that page,especially with the wives of some of their contributors who's skills we all aspire to. As for me,my two sons are grown and flown. I sold my house in London England and moved to Warsaw Poland to be with my soon to be second wife.After 7 years of flying back & forth she is just so happy to have me here to stay. I did well out of the house sale and as I'm 53 I thought I would slow down so now just teach English along with some great young Americans at Berlitz. I have plenty of time to model and too much spare change to go model shopping with. Luckily she does'nt visit the basement very often. I am just waiting for 1/32 decals of CHIPPY HO to start my F18.Hopefully not long?

Family always comes first. I spend the evening talking over the day's activities with my wife, my two daughters and my son. After they go to bed, Carol and I have some quiet time that she usually spends reading while I work on a kit at the kitchen table, usually just sanding or trimming flash from parts. Painting and othermore intensive parts of the building process wait until the weekend, or the occasional afternoon when the kids have no homework, and they don't want to hang out with Dad. There's always time to build a kit later; building relationships has to be first.

[quoteThere's always time to build a kit later; building relationships has to be first.]