I recently had a baby. It’s tough. Rewarding, but tough. And hard. His name is Jack.
As well as the obvious trials and tribulations of parenthood, something I knew would happen but was perhaps a little unprepared for, is what I am calling a Jack-influenced fandom-time austerity.
I no longer have free weekends to explore my hobbies. I need to prioritise sleep and bottle sterilisation over immersing in rich and exciting worlds. I’m on furlough from any kind of creative activity. I only watch the same Bob’s Burgers episodes I’ve seen 10 times before as it’s familiar and comforting and easy to have on in the background, and I’ve turned to vicariously experiencing fandoms through people online instead of doing those things myself (special thanks to the Warhammer Reddit community).
Whilst we all slowly adjust to our new life, the territory actually comes hand-in-hand with something I’m really, really looking forward to - sharing my fandoms with Jack when he’s old enough to enjoy them too.
Intergenerational sharing - from parent to child, or child to parent - is a big part of fandom formation (and an important area of our own Fandom Model at KI). A lot of what we love and continue to love is first sparked by close family members - and sports teams, movies, cartoons and hobbies in particular are all top fandoms parents pass down to their children. Almost everyone experiences this to some degree. I still fondly look back on the day my mum let me stay off school for a Star Wars marathon when I felt burnt out - which is perhaps one of the reasons I still love the films so much now. I’m excited to share similar moments with Jack - to close the curtains, get the popcorn out and watch him experience Luke’s hero's journey, the colourful aliens and overall wonder of having an entire galaxy at your fingertips - like I first did nearly 30 years ago.
As well as just simply being fun, fandoms can have a wider, more important role to play in family life. They give you a focus point around which to share moments, be creative, learn new things, explore who you are, make memories, or even skip school when you need a break... A lot of the values and traditions I have were also in some way influenced by the fandoms I enjoy and how they came to life - and values and traditions are incredibly important for families.
I'm of course also excited for Jack to find his own feet and grow into his own interests and passions (whether that's dinosaurs, dancing, Disney or something in between) - and for them to become my interests and passions too.
In the meantime, a few childhood favourites are making a comeback in our household. Paddington (his cutest outfit), Peter Rabbit and Miffy to name a few. We have an inherent trust in these brands as new parents, as the rest of this new world is often unfamiliar & personally untested, and it’s not a stretch to say Paddington and co may be the first fandoms we share together as a family as Jack’s world further opens up into play, reading and beyond. However, that hasn’t stopped me from putting the first Star Wars marathon in the calendar 4 and a half years from now.
