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Behaviour/development

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Original poster

When do boys grow out of 'Thomas'

34 replies

sheas · 27/03/2010 11:06

My 5 year old is Thomas the Tank MAD!!! Is this normal, I thought that it was for younger children, I've not got a problem with him enjoying it, it is much better than some of the tripe that masquerades as childrens programmes nowadays but I would be comforted if other people have older cguldren still enjoying Thomas....

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webwiz · 27/03/2010 11:08

As soon as you have collected the whole set of those tiny trains

Tyson86 · 27/03/2010 11:08

My mum said about 7. I cant have an opinion, ds not even 2 yet

Dumbledoresgirl · 27/03/2010 11:13

Ds3 grew out of it when he was about 4 which I think is quite sad really as the original books are clearly intended for older children than that. It saddens me that so many children's classics are introduced to children too young and are then considered babyish when in fact they were originally aimed at older children (Winnie the Pooh is the prime example).

If your ds is the oldest boy in his family, he will naturally hang on to some things longer than other boys who have older brothers. My ds1 loved the Tweenies when he was at school whereas our neighbour's boy (same age but with older brother) looked upon it with contempt.

Enjoy the innocence while you can!

ChildOfThe70s · 27/03/2010 11:23

My 6 and 8 year olds still play with all their trains and track quite often, although they like more "grown-up" stuff like power rangers and doctor who too.

ChippyMinton · 27/03/2010 11:28

Mine went off it when they started school, mainly due to peer pressure to like tv-related stuff like power rangers, which was a shame. Now the power rangers are binned and they have the brio track out again and love building complex tracks by themselves. Also have the Thomas Hornby sets. DS1 did snigger at a pair of Thomas tracksuit bottoms the other day though.

ln1981 · 27/03/2010 19:35

DS1 is now 6 and he is still a (closet) fan. Ds2 (2.7) has inherited all ds1's track and trains, lego set, books, dvd's etc. Ds1 is quite sensitive about the fact that he is the only boy among his friends who still likes it, but we try to tell him not to worry about it.
ChippyMinton- am so of you with the Hornby set! me and dp keep looking at it in the shop, if only we had the room!

TulipsInTheRain · 27/03/2010 19:45

if you're lucky they never get into it at all like my ds

MrsJohnDeere · 27/03/2010 20:50

My nephew - a HUGE Thomas fan - suddenly went off it at 6 years old. Probably peer pressure.

Thankfully both my dcs are quite indifferent to it.

islandofsodor · 27/03/2010 20:57

Ds is 6 and still going strong. All of his friends have outgrown it now but he is totally obsessed. Fil took him to a model enthusiasts meeting durung half term and he was engrossed.

moomaa · 27/03/2010 21:04

DS is 3.3 and has said he doesn't want to wear Thomas clothes any more because they are babyish. I wonder if someone said something at preschool.

He loves his trains and books though. I think that he will like those for quite a while.

Feenie · 27/03/2010 21:08

DS was about 3 when he went Cars and Spiderman mental. I think the latter lasts into adulthood!

RatherBeOnThePiste · 27/03/2010 21:20

ahem... I think that some little boys just become bigger 'boys' who like Hornby,and who get a massive kick out of going on the Flying Scotsman up to Edinburgh and I mention no names...

nannynick · 27/03/2010 21:57

I was listening to Thomas the Tank Engine in the car today... I'm 35 In my defence, I did have a child in the car.

I don't like the new Thomas the Tank Engine tv show (uses lots of computer graphics)... far prefer the older ones which used mostly models.

Men don't outgrow trains... TtTE Model Railway Video - still go to model railway shows!

ChippyMinton · 28/03/2010 10:36

I met a grown man recently who had Thomas hornby in a special shed in the garden .
Ours only comes out when the boys tidy their room on special occasions. What you need is a platform bed with space underneath for the track. Or a loft conversion.

kittyfu · 28/03/2010 21:29

boys never fully grow out of trains, my 4 years got his out to play with today and his dad and granddad took over.

fabhead · 28/03/2010 21:38

my 5y old wouldnt wear the clothes anymore due to peer pressure at school - same with peppa pig which he loves but now claims he doesn't as some little brat took the piss at swimming out of his peppa pig pants that I searched high and low for (they had George on). Anyway, he is still happy to play with the trains and tracks, though the obsession has waned a bit - he is more into building intricate tracks and helping his younger brother set it up. He will still happily sit and watch the Thomas movies and tv episodes though.

As he is the first I really dont worry about it - he is not really collecting the trains anymore but his little brother is happily inheriting the obsession. I guess it is a gradual phasing out thing, he is massively into Lego now, but he does still play with it (and the Duplo).

Without school/peer pressure I think it would have lasted much longer tho - shame I think.

stillenacht · 28/03/2010 21:40

My DS is 6.5 and loves Thomas...

Mind you he is severely autistic and its very common with all his autistic buddies too (I hear its very common with neurotypical children too). Stop worrying.

shona2 · 28/03/2010 21:46

My 3 year old still plays with Thomas but my 5 year old tells him it's "for babies" . We all loved the show with the models; it's a bit creepy with the CG trains and what did they do to the fat controller?

lipglossandcigarettes · 28/03/2010 21:55

My DD is Thomas obsessed so it's not just boys who are like this.

I find the programmes / books incredibly dull.

islandofsodor · 28/03/2010 22:49

Oddly enough fabhead although ds insists on wearing his Thomas pants at school I always make sure that he never has his George ones on for PE or swimming days so he doesn't get laughed at.

When did 6 year olds grow up so fast?

MrsDinky · 28/03/2010 22:55

My DS still likes the books a lot at 6, has never been bothered about the programmes, is still happy having Thomas bedlinen and stickers on the walls, likes the model trains too. He also likes Peppa Pig but knows not to admit it in front of his friends! He pretends he likes Ben 10 when at school (he has never actually watched it, to my knowledge).

nannynick · 28/03/2010 22:55

Given the Youtube Videos - this one is of Thomas using TrainSim software - many people don't outgrow Thomas!

zapostrophe · 28/03/2010 22:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nannynick · 28/03/2010 22:59

And another video - Gordon's Coach Problem. Software used is: Trainz So to find more videos, search Youtube using: Trainz Thomas

nannynick · 28/03/2010 23:14

There is also a website called Sodor Island 3D to help Big Boys play with their Thomas Trains in virtual reality - such as with Trainz2006.

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