The Parenting Thread

Discussion in 'Transformers Toy Discussion' started by Janitor, May 19, 2015.

  1. Janitor

    Janitor Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2009
    Posts:
    3,124
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +2,161
    So I'm going to be a dad...and it's a boy! Due date is July 29 (so more than likely I'll be missing my first TFCon since 2008...boo! Peter freakin' Cullen, man!!).
    Anyways, I always knew this day would come and have many burning questions for my follow parents/TF collectors, but the one that's always had me conflicted:

    Do you let your kids play with your toys?

    Sounds dumb, doesn't it? Ask any regular person and "Kids + Toys = Why-is-this-even-a-debate?!". Yet here we are, on a forum with (mostly) grown adults discussing toys, in a day and age where the line between "kids' playthings" versus "collector's items" gets increasingly blurred. Now, there are the obvious limitations and boundaries. Nobody wants infants/young toddlers messing with small easy-to-swallow parts. But there will be a day where my child will be old enough to ask me "Can I play with that?" and my stomach will churn at the thought of something getting broken or lost (hard to track down G1s/G1 parts spring to mind).

    I'm probably being completly petty, but I just want to know if anyone else had the same thoughts going into parenthood, and how you eventually handled it.

    *Figured I'd create a thread for general discussions regarding Parenting + TF toys so others may ask/answer as well. Other questions that I wouldn't mind answered:
    -at what age did you let your kids start watching G1? I myself would've been around 5 years old (and my younger brother 3) during the original run in the 80's, hope that's still ok. [also, the right age for Beast Wars, Animated, TF: Prime, etc?]
    -thoughts on Rescue Bots (both toon and toys)?

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. rosewater

    rosewater Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,760
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +879
    My son will be 2 in September so I've got to figure this out pretty quick. I think I'll let him play with some of it, while expensive stuff and rare stuff will simply be off limits. Right now he's not interested in anything but tools and climbing and jumping off of everything in sight.
     
  3. Dachande

    Dachande MULTI-QUOTE- USE IT. Super Mod

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2008
    Posts:
    52,187
    News Credits:
    21
    Trophy Points:
    467
    Location:
    South Central PA
    Likes:
    +144,053
    First off, congrats!

    All the time, no holds barred. Whatever figure my daughter wants to play with, she does. Her first favorite was MP01, and it still remains her go-to. She loves the Beast Hunter dragons, the AoE Dinobots and some of the older Legends.
    There is nothing I won't let her play with, because they're toys.
     
  4. TheDecepticon

    TheDecepticon Resident Asshole

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2015
    Posts:
    1,958
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    197
    Location:
    Orlando, FL
    Likes:
    +791
    I have an 11 year old daughter. She is not allowed to touch the ones on display. However, when she was about 5 or so she found some of my old G2 combiners and I had no issue with her playing with them. I sat her down, explained to her how to be careful with the joints, showed her how to transform them safely, and that was that.

    She is anxiously awaiting the first set of her own when Victorion is released
     
  5. GoLion

    GoLion Banned

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2014
    Posts:
    8,912
    News Credits:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    242
    Likes:
    +5,767
    I've let my nieces and nephews play with some of my older figures. Armada mostly.
     
  6. WhiteMocha

    WhiteMocha Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2006
    Posts:
    12,498
    Trophy Points:
    392
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Likes:
    +9,875
    I let my 3-year-old play with things within reason. Usually one at a time, and usually with me looking over his shoulder a bit. I try to angle him toward the less expensive figures, of course, but he's definitely gotten his hands on pricier things from time to time. So far nothing has been broken, he's fairly careful as toddlers go.

    These days one of my main goals is to point him towards figures that have a simple, quick transformation... because I know, inevitably, he will ask me to change them back and forth over and over. "Can you make him a truck.... now can you make him a robot again?" Combiner Wars stuff has been great for that. :) 
     
  7. spinrut

    spinrut Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2014
    Posts:
    229
    Trophy Points:
    62
    Likes:
    +18
    From one (relatively) new dad to another, congrats :thumb 

    my little guy is turning 6 months next week so i have some time to figure out as well.

    but mostly, i'll be grabbing some of the one step changers for him to start playing with at an appropriate (or as things usually go with me, inappropriate) age range. I snagged a captain hook hand that makes music the otehr day, states 3+, but the dude loves it. Really dont see anything to swallow so ...

    Back on topic ... one step/simple changes are my plan along with some rescue bots. He'll get his hands on my recent Generations toys. More than likely get his hands on the less fragile 3p toys. Other stuff that I worry about breaking myself will probably be off limits. And if my parents ever end up finding my old stash of G1 toys, he'll probably get free reign on them (save for items he could possible swallow) as they are probably in some bad shape if they havent been a) tossed or b) flee market-ed away

    Not sure when I'll start him on the G! cartoons, though I think rescue bots are a good entry point for the little ones. My plan is to start him on less violent-ish ones like scooby doo, pokemon, digimon etc ... G1 while not overly violent still involves factions shooting at one another and such. PErsonal preference there and all, so to each his own
     
  8. slugslinger2004

    slugslinger2004 TFW2005 Supporter

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2002
    Posts:
    5,753
    News Credits:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    367
    Likes:
    +643
    Ebay:
    Yes. I have a 7 year old and a 3 year old and they can play with whatever to their hearts' content. The only exceptions are Masterpiece and some 3rd Party stuff because it's not as durable. I will say they are not as enamored with robots as they are with the vehicle modes. The Cyberverse ships are my son's favorites.
     
  9. Rewind

    Rewind Swoosh!

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2004
    Posts:
    25,384
    News Credits:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    442
    Location:
    Omicron Persei 8
    Likes:
    +21,354
    The main thing to know with this and EVERY question about children is that kids are all different. While one kid may be extremely careful and considerate, another one may not - even if they are siblings. I let my 3YO daughter handle any toy of mine that she wants to (unless they have parts that can actually hurt her) and I have since before she was 2. She's great with them. She handles them with more care than some of my friends do. She understands that they are mine and that papa needs to know she's playing with them, except for the certain ones that are at her level and up for grabs whenever she wants. Nothing has been broken or damaged yet and it gives me great satisfaction to share my stuff with her and interact with her on that level. Of course she loves it, too.

    I was careful and considerate with my toys when I was a kid and never broke anything. Whatever genes responsible for that seem to have passed along to my girl. My neices and nephews on the other hand, most of them were careless and destructive. They broke their own toys, they destroyed most of my childhood toys (long ago, they are all grown adults now).

    So the best advice I think, if you have any interest in sharing your stuff: just try it - use some 'stunt' toys that you don't value as much. If the idea of them handling any of your toys gives you anxiety than simply set some boundries, enforce them, and keep the things you don't want handled out of your son's reach. There is no absolute right or wrong. Your kid will enjoy sharing your stuff but they don't NEED to share it so you shouldn't feel bad about not letting them. They're just toys, and your son will presumably have plenty of his own. Also try to keep cool if something does get handled and broken because, again, they're just toys. :) 

    As for watching the cartoons, I started letting my girl watch G1 and Animated around the time she was 2. She hasn't really taken an interest in either of them though. I thought for sure she would love Animated since she adores Teen Titans and the two shows share commonalities, but she turns it off.
     
  10. Nubs

    Nubs Master-D

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2014
    Posts:
    564
    Trophy Points:
    81
    Likes:
    +15
    I let my five year old cousin have some of my junkers, and boy am I glad they were junkers. If I let him put his hands on any of the figures I actually value, he'd have destroyed them in minutes.
     
  11. HammerOfThor

    HammerOfThor Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2015
    Posts:
    111
    Trophy Points:
    62
    Likes:
    +1
    Man, this thread hits home. I have a boy due in Sept. and two boy step kids, 8 and 13. The 13 year old isn't really much of an issue, but the 8 year old always wants to play with my figures. No matter how much I tell him, he doesn't quite understand that I "play" with them differently in the sense that I like to display them and pose them every now and then. I always feel bad when I say no. Thankfully he won't grab my displays without asking.
    Sometimes I'll let him play with some older ones I have, but I don't really let him touch any MP or 3rd party figures. He can be a bit rough with them at times, which is totally fine for his toys, I just don't really like my $90 figures broken lol. He still doesn't fully grasp the idea that some of my figures are really expensive and aren't meant to be "played" with the way a kid would play with toys.

    Sometimes its more painful because I'll ask him if he wants something and he'll say no, but the second we get home/I get a package he suddenly wants them :|

    In fact, at a con last year he broke a display of a Snarl mini Transformer(I don't remember if it was a 3P or WST). Now I don't even like bringing him to toy stores or conventions because he refuses to listen when I tell him not to touch stuff without asking me first :( 
     
  12. battery1979

    battery1979 Combiner

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2015
    Posts:
    1,255
    Trophy Points:
    197
    Likes:
    +483
    I have my transformers and my son has his. We usually play together but if a transformer is going to get broken, it's going to be his.
     
  13. jhs8swd

    jhs8swd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2007
    Posts:
    519
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +2,495
    I let my 3yo daughter play with some... her favourite is brave Maximus as he has lots of bits that flip in and out and he's obviously a good size, she's not too worried about transforming them all the time! As already stated it's worth remembering that most of them are toys for kids, ball joints pop right back on, it's not that easy to break a main line TF. As others have said, most expensive stuff is off limits though!
     
  14. ahro23

    ahro23 Omnibot

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2011
    Posts:
    2,787
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +85
    It's hard to say for me since I don't have kids, but if my friends who DO have kids wanted to play with my stuff, I'd probably tell them my 3P, MP, and Gundam models are off limits.
     
  15. Rodimus Mike

    Rodimus Mike MP & TF Collector

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2005
    Posts:
    6,331
    Trophy Points:
    342
    Location:
    NE Texas
    Likes:
    +639
    Ebay:
    I have 4 Nephews and 1 Niece and with the exception of my oldest and next to youngest nephews I won't let my other 2 nephews and niece near my collection,just because if I did they would annihilate my collection within minutes,and I think subconsciously they do it on purpose.

    As I said about my oldest and next to youngest nephews which are 14 and 6&1/2 I don't mind letting them handle and transform some of my figures cause they are gentle with them,also my next to youngest is also a TF Fan like me and even tho he doesn't have a collection yet he does have like 7 or 8,but I keep them in my room so his mean brothers can't get to them or they would end up trashed.

    I also plan on getting him a set of Combiner Wars before long but not sure which ones,but I am gonna show him mine next time he comes here and see which ones he likes best,then I'll get him a set over the summer.I also realize I am discriminating against my other nephews and niece but until they grow out of there mean streaks they ain't allowed nowhere near my collection.Sorry but its the truth.
     
  16. xdmisato

    xdmisato Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2011
    Posts:
    1,469
    News Credits:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    232
    Location:
    Philippines
    Likes:
    +736
    Congrats dude! My wife will give birth this September so I'm close to becoming a father too! Except for the MPs, the rest are his/hers to play with. Eventually though, all my collection will belong to my kid/s.
     
  17. jame5y

    jame5y Till All Are One..In the UK Thread

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2011
    Posts:
    1,931
    Trophy Points:
    232
    Likes:
    +3,405
    It doesn't look like my wife and I can have children (just going through a few more bloody tests) but whenever our friends kids come over, they have free reign on my tfs - they know that they can play with them as long as they don't break them - they love them!
     
  18. MrHolister

    MrHolister Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2012
    Posts:
    479
    Trophy Points:
    122
    Likes:
    +135
    I have an 8 yr old son, and a 5 month old girl.

    My son is really careful, so I let him play with some of my stuff, even to the point of giving him a start to his own collection. Its cool now, because there are a few figures we share, and some are totally his and some are totally mine. For instance:

    I have MP Grimlock, he has FoC Grimlock
    I have Faith Leader, he has CW Optimus

    We share almost anything retail hasbro, but ive bought stuff just for him. I just picked up legends Windcharger because he has been reading MTMTE and got to the shadowplay story.

    So, in all, every kid is different, so just see how they treat stuff. I always told my son to respect his and others things, so I can take an expensive figure and let him play with it and know he will be careful. There are some kids though... ug... lets not talk about those kids.. my sons FoC Jazz figure's knee lasted about two minutes of his cousin just wrenching it bck and forth for no reason. The crappy ratchet ability is long gone now. Just be careful.
     
  19. OCProwl

    OCProwl Autobot Dad

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2011
    Posts:
    10,702
    News Credits:
    20
    Trophy Points:
    312
    Likes:
    +12,027
    Congrats! Being a Dad is one of the best things ever. I have a 3 year old daughter. I have bought her a bunch of Rescue Bots toys, she loves them, and for the most part they are super durable (the first series more so than the newer ones) and easy to transform/play with. I gave her her first one, Bumblebee, when she turned 2, and Optimus Prime right after that. Her favorite is Blades, in either helicopter or airplane mode. I highly recommend them!

    So far she has seen about half of Rescue Bots Season 1; she likes the show and we use it as a reward for good behavior. I imagine I'll let her watch G1 and TF Prime when she's maybe 5 or 6? I think it just depends on when it feels like she is ready. For now Rescue Bots is a great show for her age.

    As for my toys, I think some of us are all "President Business" but deep down we'd love for our kids to enjoy our hobby too. I plan to introduce her to and let her play with my CHUG stuff mostly (I think Combiner Wars would be an awesome start), and Legion/Legends class guys. I already bought a Metroplex just for her. MPs and 3P stuff I will wait until she is older and I can explain the concept of value and replacement cost. :lol 
     
  20. ar78

    ar78 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2015
    Posts:
    1,088
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    192
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Likes:
    +1,856
    It's like the Lego Movie man. My wife looked at me with this strange stare during that movie. I kind of told my wife I was collecting Transformers so that our kid could play with them someday. Wasn't really a fib, but when the first live action movie came out I just had to buy some toys. After Christmas Target had a whole mess of left over inventory on 75% clearance and I went a little nuts. In 2009 I had a son. When he was three the Transformers went in a box.

    My son is almost six now and he has a massive collection of Transformers and I have a large bookshelf of "my" Transformers. I let me son play with every Legends figure I have accumulated because they are the most forgiving. The movie toys are too complicated for him so he doesn't even ask to play with those. He really wants to play with my Masterpiece Prowl and Wheeljack, but those are off limits. I do keep finding AOE Hound half transformed and placed ever so carefully back on the bookshelf.

    The biggest problem is the new Generations line and Combiner Wars. I have my collection of what I wanted and he has a ton of the others. The transformations are simple enough for him to figure them out and the figures are robust enough to play with, even though there are some pretty bad QC issues. Shoulders and arms should be loose after two days of playing with them.

    I'm not a leave it in the box and never touch it collector. If you aren't one of those you're going to have to let your kid play with the toys.

    What I will say is that Transformers are fantastic toys for kids to play with. They take far more brainpower to figure out than simple figurines. Since he started really getting into them after Christmas this year his teacher says his concentration level has improved dramatically along with his focus. He is more interested in Transformers than video games and cellphone/tablets. He takes them outside to play with and it is just awesome.

    Plus having your son "transform" into Optimus Prime and crawl on the floor is the cutest thing ever.

    My son has been watching Rescue Bots, which I would say is appropriate for 4 and up. He also watches RID which is perfectly fine for a five year old. He knows how to use a remote control well, which is scary, and found G1 on Discovery Family at 6 AM. "DAD, DAD, DAD TRANSFORMERS FROM WHEN YOU WERE A KID IS ON!!!!" Honestly watching G1 over again kind of gives me pause about whether or not I want him watching it. Cartoons from the '80s really were for a more mature audience. I remember getting nightmares from seeing Dark Awakening when I was seven. That end scene with Optimus missing an arm and an eye blown out. Didn't bother my son though, but I chalk that up to everything being much more realistic today. At the time the best video game graphics were Pac Man.