I think everyone here agrees that our kids need to explore what interests them & whatever it happens to be, so be it. Most, if not all here, have embraced that & that doesn't make us love them any less. Trains are our thing. Almost everyone here has children or grandchildren that at one time found our hobby interesting, even if for a short period. Those are memories, everyone included, will be looked upon fondly, along with tons of other unrelated subjects.
This all started when Doug (boomer0622), expressed being disappointed that his grandkids were no longer into trains. They have chosen to keep the layout after all. As many have mentioned, there is more to playing with trains than just running them in a circle. Some of those other other activities, scenery etc. may draw them deeper into the hobby.
My grandkids (4 & 6 years old) have lately been into uncoupling the engine, parking it by the coaling tower & switching the cars (or shunting as they call it, taken from watching Thomas the Tank Engine). They still love running trains around the layout but the switching turned it into an interactive game. I throw the switches & uncouple the cars while they run the engine. Quite enjoyable.
The toy train hobby, model kit building, even slot cars aren't going away any time soon. Do a few searches on the internet and see. These hobbies may not be as popular as they were when we were kids, and may never overshadow video games. Who knows what the next big craze will be for kids 10-20 years from now.
