I don't know what's wrong with me. Everytime I get a chance to build a model, I look the other way. Also, when you add in school, my school's fall musical, swim season starting soon, work, and, well, girl problems, I just seem to be trying to do anything and everything at once. I haven't touched a model in 4 months! I'll look at them, think, "I really need to get working on those." but do nothing. I've tried every trick in the book. I've looked through my models, I've looked through my model/WWII magazines, I've tried forcing myself, I just can't get back to them. I don't want to give this up, it's a great hobby, and there are millions of great people in it. I've just made so many friends from it, and I've had so many good memories from it: Working on models until 2 AM in the summer, learning tips from people who have been modeling longer than I've been alive, and coming to this site. This site has given me a place to go whenever I'm angered, sad, bored, hungry, etc. This proves that all modelers are not pasty-white nerds who have no social life. You guys/gals have proven this wrong, and I thank you. It's just that I've had such a hard time in school, I'm losing sleep from work, and I'm racking my brain on how to get through teenage life without making too many enemies. Can you guys/gals tell me how to get back on models and stop worrying about trivial things. Lord, it's amazing on how fast kids my age hate, love, like, have a crush on, and turn on each other. Truly amazing. I'll be happy when people my age grow up. Thanks for your time.

Sometimes it's best to take a step back from a problem, give it some time.

Don't force it, then your hobby becomes a chore

Try not to do to much at once, it sounds like you are pretty busy with school, girls and sports.

If modeling is something you really like to do, you will find the time to get back to it, it may be a year or more, but you will start again!

And lets not forget the Up Front campaign

Matthew, I've been there many times over the years, and still go through it. So you aren't the first, :-) :-) I simply call it being human, and as we grow and change, our interest also grow and change, but somehow we always return to the things that give us pleasure and relaxation. As for the girl-friend problems, ...... LOL ROF ..... I'm pushing 60, and still got them......... :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

My advice is to definitely not push yourself, or you'll just push yourself away further. I learned the hard way with paintball. I've been playing for the last four years and very regularly with that. High end gear, the works. But, over the last six months, things got very busy for me with my kids, building a house, etc. and I found that my time and interest waned. Still, I pushed myself to play and found that it became work instead of fun. Luckily, I realized what I was doing and instead of becoming frustrated, I made the decision to take a few months off from it. I still feel the urge to play, which only serves to make me more anxious to play when things lighten up.

The same may work for you. Don't be afraid to say "I need to take some time off". Your love of the hobby will bring you back, whether it's a few months or a few years. Heck, in my case it was 15 years between doing models!

In any case, good luck dealing with everything. I'm so glad I'm married and don't have to deal with the dating thing. Even if marriage brings its own sets of "challenges".

I think you´ll find that most here started as a child an/or youth and left the hobby for while. Then as life settled down, kits became part of life again. This hobby craves time and lots of it. I actually think it would be wrong to give up your other interests now. Live a bit and the plastic kits will store nicely to yer ready again.

MEBM I hear ya bro! its always hard to hear a fellow modeller with this problem it seems you feel so hlpless and it will never return!
but try something different faddiest person i know i can go months on end just building models not being able to even look at a paint pot
then months just painting .abhorring the glue and sandpaper .
i sculpt as well and often find myself turning to this for months on end and yet sometime i just cant stand models at all and nothing goes right , as Dave O'Meara just put it its being human .
but try a little something else , i also paint wargames figures ,warhammer 40 k, etc.. and often i just paint a few of those figures ,its a total chane from is this cammo right ? or should it be in a different period ?
its just you your paintbrush and your imagination
,i'm not saying get into those but ty some other models you didnt even think of ?
or you could just take a long break from active modelling and read tons of reference materials ,pick up some books on the period you are most interested in ,that way you'll be forearmed with knowledge of your chosen subject when you feel like returning to it . helps to just keep the interest alive .if you like drop me a PM for my e-mail address, or chat on MSN ?good luck mate hope you feel more like it soon, and if you dont its not the end of things it'll return soon enough

MEBM, I am right there with you. Well, not on the teenage/girlfriend problem side but on the other one. The one where you haven't touched a model in 4 months. I haven't done anything with my models for quite some time too and like you I have tried to force myself to do something. After a while I realized that nothing good will come from me trying to do things if my heart is not in them. I am taking a break from modeling. The timing is awful as I have enlisted in three campaigns but such is life. I feel confident that I will once again get the urge to build models and perhaps finish some of my projects. Until that happens I will just play computer games. :-)

Matt, I know exactly where you are coming from because I am in the same exact position you are. Work, school, friends, family, it has all become very overwhelming. The way I try and get over it is doing stuff related to modeling, like planning out dios for the future and solving problems with the models I have while never actually touching a piece of plastic. Don't worry about not having time because you will end up losing the time you have worrying about not having time, or something like that. If you need to, taking a break from modeling is great to get your world in order but remember that you can always take a break from life to get your modeling in order.
Kyle
BTW if you ever need someone to talk to about anything, my PM box and email are always open.

Jumping Jimmeny to have your problems instead of mine..... my friend go out and embace life right now. Enjoy your youth, participate in athletics, chase pretty girls, and above all achieve and excell in academics. I hardly built any models during my last couple of years in high school. I had the exact same things going on as you. While in college, I took modeling up in a limited way and have been pretty much been with it ever since (30 years now). Like the man says if you ain't enjoying it, then put it down...it ain't going anywhere.

Boy, you guys are right. I was thinking about this, and I realized something: It all evens out in the end. No matter what happens in high school, nobody knows in the real world. Also, if things get too hard, I don't have to work. (I know, you wish you were me. ) Fast-food jobs are a dime-a-dozen. Heck, the Subway down the road offered me a job! Anyway, thanks for your kind words. I hope I can help you guys when you're low as you have helped me. This just goes to show why I don't want to give up this hobby. Thank you.

MEBM thats it mate ! if ya cant fight ? and ya cant flee?
then FLOW!

Well, i know how it feels like to be you, iam struggling througth my teenage years also( iam 15) had girlfriend problems, had school, family, social life problems, god! its gettign worse and wrose! but high school is almost over... and i cant get my head into doign my stupid math ( challenge sec.4) and next yar chalenge sec.5 and then iam out. i know what you mean about this site and how you thought modelers were pretty rare and all before you got here...

your not alone, jsut dont give up

Frank