The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1350 · Mon Nov 17, 2014 2:46 pm

My wife is accepting of my hobby, she can't understand it but just shrugs it off. Though I was open about my interests when we first met really.

Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:30 pm

My wife is fine with it. However, I am the one that decided they were getting a bit out of control and cluttered, so I packed a lot of them away. Some MP figures are on the bookcase in the living room, and that is enough for me right now.

News Credits: 41 · Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:53 am

This is a real nice thread. Great to know there is so much good love out there.

Thankfully, my wife has always excepted all my eccentricities. I am an artist and musician so I'm just weird by nature. It must be one of the things she loves about me. the best was when I told her I wanted to get into archery, her answer was, "me too". It has been fun developing that hobby together.
She was aware of the collections from the beginning, as her brother is one of my oldest and dearest homies. That's how we met. She knew what she was getting into before the love bloomed, and she has always just let it happen. She is great about gift giving, and her Mom, I can't believe it. She loves to support my habit. My Bday was the day before this thread started. The Mother-in-law got me Platinum Predaking and MP Jack! Say Wat?

This is where it has recently changed, and it's all on me.
The wife's career has really taken off. She got an offer that came with relocation. We couldn't say no. We have 2 little girls, and since we were leaving our extended family behind, somebody was going to have to stay at home with the girls. Daddy time! Never before have I felt guilty for buying toys, until now. I've always had my own bacon, and contributed to the pot. Even though she has been great about it, it's hard for ME to rationalize spending "her" money on my habit. I have become quite the bargain hunter though, waiting for sales and clipping coupons. It's actually become a new fun aspect of, "the hunt". The good news now too is that I'm finally making some great freelance connections in our new town, so maybe some of that guilt will subside.

I'm glad my wife gets me and accepts me for who I am. I couldn't ask for anything more.

News Credits: 1350 · Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:35 am

Ah Cobotron I feel the same as I'm the stay at home dad for two little boys

and as I've dealt with personal problems my wife was the money maker. Things are starting to improve and I hope to start earning my own money, so that way I can spend my money.

News Credits: 293 · Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:17 am

man cobo. that actually must be really difficult. i think the only time i havent worked was a two week period when i moved away from home. and i started working when i was 14.

but if she makes good bacon, why not? children need parents, and its waaay better for one to stay home than leave them daycares and such. two benefits though: you get a lot of quality time which is rare for dads, and once theyre schoolbound you can start branching out with your own thing again.

News Credits: 41 · Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:20 pm

Thanks for the support fellers!

0Wolf - I'm sending you a hearty stay-at-home-dad high five. We are a growing minority, and we gotta be pioneers, to pave they way in this new day and age.

I have always been a proponent for gender equality and a pretty liberal thinker, but some things are so woven into our culture, even I have had a hard time adjusting to this new role. Even though parenting is as valuable contribution to the family cause as "bread winner", It takes some getting used to.

That being sad, full-time parent is the hardest job I've EVER had. Until now, I have taken for granted the adult capacity for higher reasoning and logic. Tell you what though, my two favorite Transformers in the world are my lil' girls. They transform into something new every day. And my 3 year old LOVES Beast Wars. Her fav, Longrack.

Good news. I just got back from a meeting with a new client to do some illustration work. Now I can order MP10 guilt free. :DANCE:

News Credits: 1350 · Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:34 pm

And there's a stay at home high five back

my oldest little boy is now at the stage were he plays with his toys properly (the first time they do this its one of those moments where you realise their growth and you feel proud) and his toy of choice? Rescue bots bumblebee. And he's always been interested in my collection, especially grimlock

Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:23 pm

I am a stay at home dad also. I work remotely as a Web developer which is awesome and bad all at the same time. Work / Life balance becomes much more of a struggle...

Wife does Photography and has a studio 20-30 minutes away (which will be changing soon hopefully.) Longest time my middle child called me "Mom..." And thus I am the "Mommy Daddy..."

Three boys here, and they all have some level of interest... Oldest (5yrs) wants, "Them All..." Middle Child (3yrs) obsessed with Hotshot (Most bumblebees do not stand a chance and end up being Hotshot...) Then I have also a 1yr old who just simply wants what the others have... (All boys...)

The two older ones know the majority of the main characters so I feel like I am off to a good start... The wife tends to roll her eyes a bit... Her quote, "You must be proud..."

Having kids in the mix of this hobby does seemingly make it an interesting situation as they do not always understand the "do not open" policy... Though seemingly we have another thread here to start on "YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR COLLECTION..." Think Ill start that now ;-)

News Credits: 41 · Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:43 pm

Well another stay-at-home-dad high five to you "Mommy Daddy".

Ha! I thought the same thing. We need a thread called, "your kids and your collection".
Do start that thread. I'm sure there are some good stories out there.

Sat Nov 22, 2014 12:27 am

I love how much positivity is in this thread. My wife is fantastic. We earn equal money and spend an equal amount of our discretionary fund, just on different things. She is all about clothes and thus gets the majority of the closet and I'm all about toys so I get most of the shelf space. She indulges me whenever I want to discuss the latest issue of MTMTE and regularly checks toy aisles when she is out even though I never ask her to.

Sun Nov 23, 2014 5:30 pm

Since when did a woman's opinion count anyway?

News Credits: 293 · Sun Nov 23, 2014 6:08 pm

Blast Cannon wrote:Since when did a woman's opinion count anyway?

i dont care if your joking or not, keep that out of this thread.

Mon Nov 24, 2014 6:37 pm

shajaki wrote:
Blast Cannon wrote:Since when did a woman's opinion count anyway?
i dont care if your joking or not, keep that out of this thread.

Why would you bother using a comma and not capital letters or apostrophes? Just to annoy me?

Also, what is "that"? A different point of view? Chauvinists are people too! Where are their rights?

News Credits: 129 · Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:01 pm

Be nice.

News Credits: 293 · Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:18 pm

Blast Cannon wrote:Why would you bother using a comma and not capital letters or apostrophes? Just to annoy me?

while being lazy, people can still understand me.

Blast Cannon wrote:Also, what is "that"? A different point of view? Chauvinists are people too! Where are their rights?

my statement was going to be "keep that sh!t out of my thread" but unlike you, i was trying to behave. and that "sh!t" refers to your flame provoking garbage. to which, i wont be responding anymore. simply reporting.

News Credits: 226 · Tue Nov 25, 2014 5:37 am

BC, behave.

Everyone else, drop it.

News Credits: 1 · Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:31 am

My girlfriend thinks it's cute and I exploit that. My birthday is coming up.

Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:37 pm

RhA wrote:My girlfriend thinks it's cute and I exploit that. My birthday is coming up.

Exploit it by getting her to dress up like Arcee and ask her to play with your crankshaft. It is your birthday afterall

Thu Nov 27, 2014 12:24 pm

I told my fiancee about my collection almost immediately, in that it most likely came up during our first date. She teases me about it, but never in any kind of negative way. She is crazily supportive of my hobby, and I have shared experiences with so many of you in this thread. I don't know if she ever had any difficulties accepting or warming up to it, and she always listens to me ramble about it.
She gets frustrated that she can't keep track of what I do have, but she always seems to know what expensive thing to get me for Christmas. She's texted me from the toy aisle to ask if I have this or that, and will pick up things that I get text-excited about. There are times when I know she gets a little upset that I've got so much stuff scattered around, and that I don't dust as much as I should, but for years she has been nothing but supportive of my hobby, even during times of scarce finances and a pair of moves and everything.
It helps that she also collects stuff. She just recently got interested in the Monster High dolls, so we've picked a few of them up for her. She's kind of sheepish about it, but I have been vocal in my hopes that she enjoys the toys and is personally rewarded for her interest. She's pretty much fallen into the deep end on them already, but denies it. She's really into playing around with cosmetics (I kind of don't know how else to say that...) so we go around to a bunch of different stores hunting for stuff for her, so we don't just go out hunting for toys for me.
I think the thing that really matters is that we both know. We know what it's like to collect something, and to hunt for something, and to show off our finds. We both know what the mindset is and what its demands are. We also have shared collecting interests, like comic books and Ugly Dolls, and we both have multiple English degrees so we've got a rather large library, so amassing things is like a natural response to the world for us. She's infinitely better at keeping track of elements of my interests than I am at hers though, because I have no idea what's what with the make up stuff.
I think it's important that these kinds of threads pop up every once in a while, because there really is the idea out there that your hobbies and relationships are mutually exclusive. These kinds of discussions prove that that's not true, and I know this is going to sound really lame and stuff, but they also show that there are real world examples of the untruthful nature of that exclusionary idea. That might be important for people who don't have our experiences to help them see that the meme conception of collectors and relationships is all bullshit.

News Credits: 293 · Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:55 pm

Dagon wrote:I think it's important that these kinds of threads pop up every once in a while, because there really is the idea out there that your hobbies and relationships are mutually exclusive. These kinds of discussions prove that that's not true, and I know this is going to sound really lame and stuff, but they also show that there are real world examples of the untruthful nature of that exclusionary idea. That might be important for people who don't have our experiences to help them see that the meme conception of collectors and relationships is all bullshit.

thanks

i think part of my reason for starting this thread was because, when i was 19-27ish i wasnt really comfortable in my own skin. i suppose it was well known for being a nerd, but not anything specific. i may have kept my love of comics and toys to myself, because i was single and who wants a nerd right?

i think times have changed (in a short amount of time actually) and us nerds have a place now, we might even be revered. just look, big bang theory is one of the most popular shows on TV, that says a lot. the fact that we're now more socially acceptable has helped, but ive also grown up and learned to "own" it. i dont hide my passions from anyone anymore, and my friends family and coworkers are all aware. its hard to describe, but it feels good y'know?

this statement might be odd, but i wanted to say: its ok to come out of the nerd closet. to any of the young singles out there who think they need to hide their passions (like collecting toys), dont. own it! once youre comfortable with yourself, all other relationships will feel more complete.

(sorry this got gushy :grin:

)

News Credits: 41 · Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:08 pm

shajaki wrote:(sorry this got gushy )

Don't be sorry. Nerds have feelings too.

News Credits: 1 · Sun Dec 28, 2014 12:28 am

LOL...my wife started my TF collection when we were engaged with Vector Prime. Then later added to it with a Leader Prime for me and Leader Galvatron for herself. I upgraded her wedding ring set presented in the mouth of Cybertron Scourge. She still collects with me, her most recent was AOE Leader Grimlock.

News Credits: 3 · Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:25 am

A previous girlfriend tolerated my collection and wasn't happy any time I got a new figure, but her buying anything she wanted was ok, she's not missed. My fiance actually encourages me to buy figures if I see something I only kind-of want in a store. The first time she saw my collection she 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed over it, other than one small problem with it. She bought me my first Bumblebee figure (her favorite transformer) to fix the problem. She's definitely a keeper.

News Credits: 293 · Mon Mar 02, 2015 10:40 pm

Kyleor wrote:A previous girlfriend tolerated my collection and wasn't happy any time I got a new figure, but her buying anything she wanted was ok, she's not missed. My fiance actually encourages me to buy figures if I see something I only kind-of want in a store. The first time she saw my collection she 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed over it, other than one small problem with it. She bought me my first Bumblebee figure (her favorite transformer) to fix the problem. She's definitely a keeper.

ha! id say

News Credits: 6188 · Tue Mar 03, 2015 5:52 am

I had a deal with my ex, which wasn't really a needed thing since our incomes were very much independent of each other. But it works wonders with my aunt and uncle, who made me think of it: whenever either buys something, the other person has a similar budget for something in their own interest.

And as has been said many times in this thread already, it's a hobby, it makes people (us) happy, there should be no reason to be shunned because of it. I liked how my ex would help give me perspective on what I actually wanted, and aided in creating more of a focus and reasoned spending, rather than my initial phase of 'BUY EVERYTHING' - and all that despite not really caring or wanting to get into the franchise's stories or characteristics.