I have a younger brother, he's 3 and unforutunelty likes my scale autos on the layout. This was fine for a while, until he discovered he could reach the layout! One day I got home and found all the vehicles lined up on the floor, it was quite obvious he had been driving them.
What can I do to stop this? Me and my parents tried talking with him, but yesterday I found more signs of it, although it could've been the cats. I had some Lionel track on a shelf for display, and it was on the floor in a line, which a cat wouldn't do. Any help please?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it never stops.
First it is the siblings.
Then it is the children.
Then it is the grandchildren.
(I'll let you know if great-grandchildren are the same.)
It's best to learn to share. My 4 year old grandchild is happy just running Thomas, and leaves the rest of the layout alone. She knows if she breaks that rule, she won't get to run Thomas.
My 9 year old grandchild has recently decided she likes the real trains better, but she is also mature enough to run them responsibly.
Youngsters are an ongoing perpetual part of life. They have an insatiable curiosity. They want to touch, try, and taste everything. Like rising water, you cannot contain it, you can only channel it in a safe direction.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
You need to talk to your parents about getting your little brother to respect your stuff. Another suggestion would be to put your best cars and equipment up and give him some cars of his own. Also a Brio train might be good for him instead of your stuff.
tattooguy67 wrote:You could try cayanne pepper or a squirt gun, LOL, ok sorry could not resist, but seriously the problem you are having is the "Forbiden object syndrome" meaning basicaly he is told he can't have it so he wants it more, maybe trying to include him will help some, take away some of the mystery which should help, also get some cars and such for him to play with and keep the good stuff out of reach, other then that trying to keep him away from it by using a locked door if thats possible, i don't even want to think about the damage a 3 year old in tantrum mode could do to a layout, yikes!.
I've tried to include my kids(now four and six) because I wanted them to play with my trains. Now I can store engines nest to them. They won't tuch them, they hate them!
However, when the kids had a birthday party. Some of the kids got into my private hobby room, broke up some cabinets and took some Proto2K E8's and PCM F3's. Those handrail have been in a better shape. The little b** even dropped one of them and broke a lot of things. Didn't even tell me! These kids where 6-7 years old and I was a bit upset of them going in to another room, opening cabinets, rooting around, breaking stuff.
Now, I know what you will say, one should expect it. But one can not expect everything. What I do expect is that parents should not allow such behaviour in a strangers house.
Magnus
Virginian wrote:I am so glad I remember the good old days when you didn't talk and reason with 3 year olds, you told them. And they knew they better hear you. The ones that didn't never even got to three. Say what you will about the old system - It produced better people.
Heard THAT!
It's really the same as the cat problem. The only thing that will work is a locked door. You can't reason with a 3 year old. (or a cat) Anything else that might work will probably get you hauled before a judge these days.
loathar wrote: Virginian wrote:I am so glad I remember the good old days when you didn't talk and reason with 3 year olds, you told them. And they knew they better hear you. The ones that didn't never even got to three. Say what you will about the old system - It produced better people.Amen, brother! When I was a kid I got punished for my wrongdoings. I didn't fear my parents, I respected them. And I knew that punishment followed wrongdoing. It's a sad state of affairs when parents can't discipline their children. I, too, think it produced better people. Heard THAT!It's really the same as the cat problem. The only thing that will work is a locked door. You can't reason with a 3 year old. (or a cat) Anything else that might work will probably get you hauled before a judge these days.
Amen, brother! When I was a kid I got punished for my wrongdoings. I didn't fear my parents, I respected them. And I knew that punishment followed wrongdoing. It's a sad state of affairs when parents can't discipline their children. I, too, think it produced better people.
Even though you can't reason with a cat, you can scare the you-know-what out of them when they get up on your layout. Our cat used to get up on my layout and use the telephone poles for kitty toothpicks. He doesn't do it any more. I think he just got bored with it, or maybe moving the layout to a different location made it look different to him. I agree that a locked door is about the only sure way to keep little fingers and paws off your layout.
Another poster suggested giving the little one his own trains to play with. I did this with my eldest granddaughter when she was about 4 or 5. I let her play with some old cars that I didn't care about. Over the years she developed a keen interest in my layout and helping me build it. She developed a strong artistic ability over the years and loves working with me to develop the scenery, and she does a good job of it. She's almost 15 now and still loves to work on my layout with me. She surprised me one day by asking me if I would leave my layout to her in my will! I've got another granddaughter who is 5 and likes to look at the layout. She touches things on it, but does it very gently with a finger, obviously knowing that they are delicate and to be looked at, not played with. I wonder if she will develop the same interest as her cousin?
..... Bob
Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here. (Captain Kirk)
I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)
Resistance is not futile--it is voltage divided by current.
You have good suggestions from Phoebe Vet and others. There is evidently quite an age difference between you and I just caution that you don't want to create a wedge between you and your brother that could become a life long issue. He's old enough to remender having a mean big brother if you don't handle it properly.
My older brother and have never been close but neither of us know why. Maybe a train issue. lol
Just my 2ct. worth.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
TrainManTy wrote:I tried giving him some out of scale ones he could use, but he never put those away, I found them everywhere.
He's 3. Did you put your stuff away at that age?
Prorobly not!
Still, it it a bit annoying.
Tell him that the drooling, jagged-toothed monsters under his bed eat little kids who touch their big brother's layout.
Of course if you do, it wasn't my idea.
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
Its the same with me. My little sister (9) looooooooooooooves the Acela, and CSX trains, not to mention when she rearranges the buildings "because it looks nicer" (HEY DON'T YOU TOUCH THAT RESTAURAUNT, I WEATHERED IT FOR 9 HOURS!!!!!) jk about the restauraunt... but as long as you love him (however conditionally-- again jk) everything will be fine.
P.S. You can get the autos @ the LHS right
SteamFreak wrote:Tell him that the drooling, jagged-toothed monsters under his bed eat little kids who touch their big brother's layout.
Hahaha! Maybe I will try that, he already thinks my closet in my room is magic, he used to goin there and pull everything off all the shelves!
My bro does the same thing every now and then. He quit since I got him a Viper and some other cars to play with. (I got them in 5-car packs, the ones I gave him are all too new for the 70s)
But I have my own problem. I'nm cleanning up the garage when I noticed all the windows and doors on my ADM elevator have been popped in. My dad said since it froze last night(stupid florida weather, 80 one day, then freezing the next), the super glue (CA) lost its bond. I think my bro or his friend went in there and messed with it.
Also, they(bro and friends) have turned the foam subroadbed int swiss cheese, and I ocassionally will find a BB here and there (Yes, he's shot them before)
So how do you proof a layout from several 13-14 year old kids, without having to beat someone?
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
Well, the expensive option is what I did for my four year old son. Get him his own layout, and he can do whatever he wants on it (right now, all the trees are piled in the lake, and there is a large corvette on the roof of Farmer McColl's place -- darned teenage drivers). I don't ask why things happen on his layout.... it's HIS layout.
It's actually worked out very well, because if I'm not sure how a new modelling technique will work, I can test it on my son's layout before ruining mine.
So we "do trains" together, on separate but adjacent layouts. His only rule is that if he breaks it, it's broken, because I'm not going to waste time fixing his carelessness. And you know what? He hasn't broken anything major yet (in 18 months).
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Hot Wheels are still only about 99 cents each and much coooooooooler than anything you could possibly have on your layout (assuming your layout is at least marginally based in reality).
Get your bro' a few of those sweet babies to divert his attention.
Hmmmmnnn...think I'll dig out my Custom T-Bird, Custom Cougar, Custom Firebird, Red Baron, Jack Rabbit, Demon, Nitty Gritty Kitty, King Kuda, Splittin' Image and the rest and get down to some bidiness!
Craig
DMW
This is what happens when you don't take the belt to your kids once in a while. I was 3 and I got the touchies on stuff too. Then I got a belt across the backside and didn't sit down for awhile. Cured it in short order. It's not child abuse it's discipline, there's a difference. Once in a while kids need to learn that no means no.
I feel sorry for you! All of my siblings bug me, but I've never had this problem. Of course, I could contribute that to no scenery on the layout or that my layout is in the attic. I'd try shutting/locking the door to your layout room, or if it's in a place where you can't do that, Build a plexiglass/fiberglass/whatever material guard above his ability to get at it. Try some in-scale vehicles. that aren't going to be permanent, and say they're even more highly valued.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout