As I announced a little over a month ago my wife and I recently had our first child. Now, children, especially babies, take a lot of time and care and that usually comes straight out of hobby-time first. This can be a sizeable adjustment for those who don't have younger siblings, nephews and nieces nearby, or older children. Today we'll discuss adapting the hobby to fit changing lifestyles and increasing demands on our time from outside sources.
First and foremost, always remember these two cardinal rules of Miniature Wargaming:
- Life Comes First. No one should put the concerns of miniature wargaming above larger issues that concern family, friends, and work. Family and friends will be in your life for far longer than miniature wargaming and work provides the money which sustains not just the hobbies we love, but our style of life. So don't leave family and friends in the cold to concentrate on hobby concerns or you'll find that life can be very cold and lonely. Likewise for work, you can't sustain a hobby without money. Even if you have money coming in without working, focus on the things that are truly important like housing, heating/cooling, water, trash, and food. You'll find that generally speaking, painting and assembling miniatures from a cozy desk inside your domicile far easier than gluing those rhino treads on while in your sleeping bag under a bridge.
- It's Only a Hobby. Most people role these two rules together but I like to separate them to enforce that miniature wargaming is a hobby. Hobbies are optional. If you find your time or resources stretched to thin, don't be afraid to hang up your wargaming hat until you have more time or money. This is where keeping your circle of friends intact proves most important as they can help cycle you out as well as back into the hobby as necessary.
Now, life changes differ from person to person. What you see below are the ideas that have helped me stick with the hobby since the birth of my daughter. Please also note that while these changes have kept me in the hobby, I'm not prolific. Painting an entire army in a month isn't going to happen right now.
- Workspace Change. The firs thing I did when my daughter was born was move a limited amount of my workspace upstairs to our living room. This allows me to pay attention to my daughter in the pack and play (feeding her, sleeping, etc) or assist my wife when something goes awry while she is caring for the munchkin. So I keep the paints I'm using, the models I'm painting, paint brushes, the Ott-Lite, and a couple kits to assemble up by my computer.
- Wet Palette. I can't stress this enough. With the constant demand on my time to get up and help out with the kiddo, colicky tantrums, or the dog, I am constantly up and down from my work desk. A normal palette is simply not an option unless you have buckets of paint to waste. A wet palette will allow you to get up, resolve issues, and then get back to work without losing an entire palette of paint.
- Scheduled Time. Particularly with kids this one is a must and requires spousal support. Set up one night a week to work on the hobby and arrange for your spouse to watch the kids another night so she can do something she wants to do. Be flexible though as this may not happen on a regular basis and may be preempted by special events, emergencies, or life in general.
- Safety. Many of the paints we use are non-toxic. As my art-teacher wife reminds me constantly, "That just means that only half the bunnies died". If you look up on any reasonable website you'll see that she is actually right. So do whatever necessary to ensure that kids and pets have no access to the paints. Many of the tools we use are sharp, pointy, or both. These should obviously be kept away from kiddos as well. The best method is the prevent access to the entire workspace. Have a separate area where you work on painting and modelling and keep it under lock and key if possible. Alternatively, keep them in cabinets with childproof handles or locks.
- Involve the Family. If the hobby is made a family interest then there is a greater chance that you will get to work on the hobby. Even if the family doesn't want to delve fully into painting/modelling/playing the game they can help keep you involved. I've had success with this by having my wife and I watch a movie while she helps me base miniatures. I plan to try and get my daughter to play the game in a limited fashion when she is old enough. We'll see how that works out.
- Multitask. Many aspects of the hobby don't take 100% of our attention while we are working on them. Building models, basing, and even limited painting tasks can all be performed while paying attention to something else. Just be sure to ASK your spouse/girlfriend if this is appropriate. If they want 100% of your attention then let them have it. They are your family/friends for a reason and probably deserve your undivided attention.
- Patience. You will get less done with life changes. You will have plenty of interruptions and even planned time can go awry in extreme cases. Just be patient and understanding and know that eventually, you will have time to work on everything you want to.
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