1995 - The world of a five year old.
I'm at home having given up work to look after the children and have happily rediscovered my love of games. Giving up work was initially an easy decision (for me).
The defining moment that reinforced my decision was when Tim ran to a carer calling them mummy. (1992)
Also at play was my work/home ratio and the net income I was bringing into the house after tax, childcare, NI ect divided into the hours I worked being a mere 25p an hour I was regularly off before the kids got up and was back after they should have been in bed, a 60+ hours week.
In addition I enjoyed looking after babies and small children, my wife, not so much, which is why she was pushing for more childcare so she could go back full time. I disliked my job, she loved hers, it all made sense to me and to a degree her at the time. Indeed after she went back full time and applied all her energies to her job she would eventually be bringing in 150% of the joint earning we used to have.
So on Steph's birth I gave up work, got involved with a local toddler group, helping to run it and then got involved with the school that eventually all my children would attend. I started work there in 2000 not earning the same as I had been but bringing in a large disposable income as there were now no childcare costs, that was me, full time parent and school assistant. I still work there now.
1995 -
My interests were now my children's interests. Pingu, Thomas the Tank Engine, Mighty Max and Reboot on video/TV, Bionicles, lego etc etc. The less fun bits were house cleaning and washing fortunately I enjoyed cooking. I was also chief decorator, Kitchen assembler, floor and carpet layer. My wife's father and my own could turn their hand to anything. We both assumed this was normal, there aren't many household projectors I've not turned my hand to, with the exception of plumbing gas & water.
Tim was watching amongst others Mighty Max; a boy, a chicken and a hero, fighting evil. They did a range of toys that Tim loved and spent his time making up his own battles.
I still had a lot of metal miniatures that I'd used in my D&D period so these were brought down to add characters, scale was wrong, but who cares?
It was also the time of Bionicles, naturally these had to fight each other and I found myself writing stats for 25mm skeletons to fight 300mm Bionicles. I tried to find 25mm versions of MM, and walked into the Maidenhead branch of GW and (hilariously) criticised them for the shortsightedness in failing to produce models that could be used in such a scenario, fate brought me back later.
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| 5th Edition |
Whilst helping with the playgroup and helping at the school fete, someone's entire collection of Games Workshop stuff came in a black bin liner, it was considered rubbish, nobody wanted it. Models in there began my association with GW, some I gave away (yes with hindsight I still regret that) others we payed with, naturally you need the rules (Welcome to the slippery slope!) so sometime before 2000 Tim's present was the WHFB Brettonians v Lizardmen. WHFB 5th.
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| 3rd edition |
Of course if you play WHFB and get involved in visiting the shop you get pulled in to other games, (think quicksand). I'm not sure if this was a birthday present or not as ownership is dubious, the SM are Tim's the Dark Eldar mine, we bought the 3rd Edition of 40k in 1997. Tim had been playing it in the shop (2nd ed) and wanted the game. TBH it didn't require a lot of arm twisting.
I recall one game Tim played in store he was given a Tyranid Lictor to play, it was fighting off against other single models. He came out victorious though at one point there had been some doubt, it had received 6 hits, he was informed by the Staff member that it would die unless he got 6 on a d6 for each hit. Tim rolled his dice 5 sixes and the 6th dice rolled to the floor another 6. Informed that floor dice don't count Tim re-rolled on the table, yes another 6. You needn't ask why I lost so many games against him, that rolling skill/luck never really left him.
Tim's best friend at that time was Liam, whose father's friend was a certain Jes Goodwin. We managed a trip to big Games day that year or thereabouts. I was as much in awe as Tim!
In fact there was a day when Jes was visiting his friends and Tim and Liam were in the local GW store. They'd decided to inform the manager of their friendship with Jes, yes they were mocked and not believed, until Liam's father and Jes walked in to collect them, much kudos.
My gaming then became me trying to beat Space Marines with Dark Eldar. I never could, you need to add special troops to win the all out frontal games we played even if you don't allow for Tim's rolling skills, I didn't stand a chance. Eventually I bought my own marines, but the idea of brother against brother didn't appeal so I went down the chaos route, Iron warriors.
A games board was set up in the loft and many hours were spent modeling, painting and playing.
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