Family members who don't "get" AG?

[jrtmom3274]

Reading this, I realize just how incredibly blessed I am. DH is totally supportive, sometimes too much so. He thinks I should have EVERY doll. I told him to slow down, I can't keep up with the sewing for eight right now! My FIL is a HO scale train guy, so he TOTALLY gets it. Those trains whoo-whoo'd away all day yesterday. He says if he's 70 and still plays with toys, so should I at 31.
My SIL & BIL got me an AG gift certificate for Christmas. They didn't just buy it; Sarah went to the Chicago store after work one day to pick it up!
My mom is not just a supporter; she started it all! She got Kaya, and almost 2 years later, she got me Kit & Coconut for my birthday. She has since acquired Addy & Josefina, and I just gave her #23, made over as Brenda, Girl of 1961 for Christmas.
My birthday is two months from today, so I am hoping it will be a big AG birthday! [img]smile.gif[/img] Hang in there, those of you under durress from others... everyone here thinks you're beyond normal and supports your habit 110%!

[megaagfan1]

Originally posted by goldberry:
My dd is 11 1/2 and she plays with dolls,but she did not tell her friends that she got doll clothes for Christmas.She said that they think dolls are for little kids.Tweens can be VERY mean.Girls aged 9-12 should be playing with dolls instead of I-pods,I.M.,chat rooms,cell phones etc.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree...I'm 14 & I'm OBSESSED you could say w/ AG!! lol!! I've been interested in it for 9 years!!

There was an add on eBay & this lady was selling an AG doll, & she said.."My daughter is 6 years old, & decided she is to old to play with dolls now....." I'm like, WHAT??? [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]
It was CRAZY...I said to myself, "She is NOT to old to play w/ dolls. She's still a little girl." & the products she was selling were in almost never played w/ condition. I couldn't belive what I was reading..... [img]eek.gif[/img]

[FelinaDoon]

I will cry if DD's ever feel to old to play with Dolls.

I too am very lucky - My DH just last night saw that I was about to sell my MIB Lindsey and said no you won't you like her and you can have your own Jess too and I will make you shelves so you can display them in teh Bedroom.... I love him.....

[kitti515]

Funny that this topic should resurface today...

I am still on winter break, so I spent the day at my childhood home. I finally had a chance to watch the Felicity movie my mom taped for me, so I snuggled up in front of the TV with my Felicity and watched. My two youngest siblings happened to walk in on me at different times. 15 year old brother stared for a minute and laughed; 17yo sister called me a "silly goose" (I swear those were her words). Both were more or less good-natured, but they were definately more amused than approving. Of course, I don't need the approval of my younger siblings to do what I enjoy, but still...

Fortunately, my boyfriend has become increasingly supportive. He hasn't bought me anything AG, but he doesn't mind that our apartment is full of doll stuff. He helped with patrioticboy.com, and is all proud that he knows the different types of outfits there are now. He's not the collector sort, so in that respect he still doesn't understand, but at least he's trying.

My mom is the toughest one. She is outwardly supportive of my renewed interest in AG. I'm her oldest, and I think she likes having me retain that element of my childhood. However, she disapproves of spending large quantities of money in general (not just on dolls, but on anything). She never buys anything for herself, and frequently complains to me that 19yo sister spends so much money on things like Starbucks. Therefore, I always feel very awkward telling her about purchases I make. As far as she knows, Felicity is my only doll. [img]redface.gif[/img]

I'm fortunate that even if some of them don't understand, my family is at least tolerant. I feel for those of you with families who make their disapproval so plain. Hang in there - you've always got us!

- Becca

[julliams]

Teri, Your husband is a gem! I wish my hubby would say something like that in front of everyone when they say silly things about my dolls.

Interesting, but if we were spending the money on junk food or cigarettes that would almost be more socially acceptable - sad isn't it?

Juliette

[TaffyCheerful]

Originally posted by jennifermarym:
I called my sister up asking her opinion on where I could install a shelf. She went on this tirade of how the room already "looks like a 12 year old lives there" and then proceeded to tell me I should start collecting teapots instead, this way at least I collected something "more age appropriate."

I called my BF and asked him his opinion which started out as "who is going to be in there but me" to "it does look like a 10 year old is living there right now."

Arghhh...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I am so sorry to hear about this lack of support. Still being 10 on the inside, I don't see anything wrong with what you want to do, but am particularly put out by the insensitivity of their comments. After all, it is YOUR hobby, not their's!

Originally posted by jennifermarym:
I just got so upset that I took everything AG out of the room and packed the girls in their boxes and put them in the closet.

I am sad about it, but how much ridicule from family members can I take?

Does anyone have any advice? I am not even excited about Lindsey coming anymore because the way things are going she is just going to end up in a box...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You need to put up shelves and take your dolls out of the boxes. Having moved to a new cottage and having kept the dolls in boxes for two months before I got shelves up and freed the dolls, I can tell you from personal experience that you will be much happier when YOUR dolls are available again.

Originally posted by jennifermarym:
Oh, forgot to say that sister said it is creepy how she'll stop by and they will be wearing one thing and the next time she comes over they all have on new clothes. I tried to explain that I have many outfits for "the girls" as I like to call them, and that at $20+/per dress they better get shown off.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Her issue makes as much sense as people buying an Xbox and then only running the one game that came with it. Hello! They are not called "play dolls" without reason...

Taffy

[mystere]

I really feel for so many of you- the lack of support is amazing. I can't figure out why collecting dolls is any less "normal" than collecting the dozens of other things I see adults filling up their houses with- china, crystal, plates, spoons, whatever. I mean the stuff just sits there. At least my dolls displays get changed every week or so!

My family is very supportive. They think it's a little goofy, but my whole family is strange so they could really care less. They love that I remain a child at heart. At 27 I love AGs as much as I was when I was 9. I loved my dolls always, though they were put away from about 14-18. Then I began collecting again at 19 right after I got married.

My in-laws think it's fine. I've never heard a peep about it being weird. Of course, MIL collects literally thousands of roosters and chickens (statues, salt shakers, etc.) and FIL has over 10,000 model cars, so in their eyes I'm a novice at collecting! SILs mostly are into antiques so I think they actually think the reproductions are kind of neat.

My husband used to not like the dolls being out; I had a doll room. We sold our larger house and are temporarily leasing a 650 square foot one. He now thinks it's fine that they're all over the place. He warmed up to them considerably when I needed money for tuition and sold off most of my collection, banking several grand in a week. Now he sees them as savings/investment that we can cash in if we ever really need it. I buy carefully so that my stuff is worth more on ebay than what I paid for it (or at least equal to what I paid, including my shipping), so I actually make money off my collection if I have to sell. The worth of them made him feel like it was not wasteful.

Lately though, he's just warmed up to them too. It's pretty cute to me. We had a very rough year last year and nearly divorced, and I think he figured out that part of what he loves about me most is my kooky, child-like heart. He likes seeing how I get all happy with the doll stuff, how I still play. The other day he looked over at Elizabeth and said, "You know she really ought to be putting an ornament on the Christmas tree, not staring out into space! She looks uncomfortable!" I just thought it was so endearing that he thought about it! [img]smile.gif[/img] And he even admitted that my new LOF parasol (it's elaborately beaded and detailed) was "pretty cool."

Heh-heh. Now he tells me if I see a good deal to get it for the collection. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Edited to add- I do think it's very sad that kids grow up so fast these days and are hurried along into teenage and adult-hood. I also think it's sad that adults and teens feel like they can't have toys, fun, or play time anymore. They lose creativity, imagination, and goofiness. You have to grow old, but you don't have to grow up!

I think kids partly learn from their parents what "adulthood" means. If they see modeled for them that being an adult means being responsible, but not necessarily being boring or giving up one's wonder and joy in life, one's sense of playfulness and imagination, then they learn that it's OK to honor their passions, no matter what others think. People don't give me a hard time about my hobbies or my silly, childlike side. I think they don't know how to reconcile a woman that is a professional with a PhD with the little girl I house inside my spirit.

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ January 06, 2006 10:02 PM: Message edited by: mystere ]</font>