Kinda OT: The Girls in my Grade say they never had played with dolls.

[sparklyyy]

Katie148: Agreed. Similar to what I wrote in my post, I do believe media pressures children to have narrowly defined roles and interests, and also pressures them to grow up quickly. When I was younger, I loved videogames, action figures, and other toys not associated with little girls. I also loved stuffed animals, dolls, sparkles, glitter, and other things one might assume are very girly. It is a shame when people (or society on a whole) think there's something wrong with that sort of thing. Open up your heart to a bit of the best of both worlds! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

Erin

<font color="#33CCCC" size="1">[ October 01, 2006 10:19 PM: Message edited by: sparklyyy ]</font>

[keristars]

I must agree with Katie and protest the idea that it's unnatural for either sex to play or not to play with an item aimed at a particular gender!


As a kidlet, I had Barbie dolls that I liked to play dress-up with, but I also liked playing with the Hot Wheels cars at my Nanny and Pa's house (they were especially special, because we didn't have a lot of cars at my house). When I colored (one of my favorite things to do!), I liked to color scenes best, not kittens and dolls, but things like Little Bear or Winne the Pooh. I really liked the home-improvement shows on TV and if it weren't for my extrasensitivity, I would have loved helping my dad with yardwork or house repairs. When I got older, my favorite television shows were the "boy" ones like Modern Marvels, and I thought it was more fun to play games with the boys in school than with the girls.


(Actually, I still tend to think that boys are more fun to play with than girls, and I'm 22! I just don't have any interest in make-up or current popular fashion or movies or music. Then again, I don't care much for sports, either...)

At any rate, long story shorter, I think the saddest part about the first post to this thread is the implication that imaginative play has decreased. I'm an incredibly imaginative person, and I spent hours as a child lying on my back in bed, picking out shapes and patterns in the speckling on my ceiling. Okay, I still do that. [img]redface.gif[/img] I had fun turning my backyard into a "forest" to explore. My sister and I loved playing with our AG PaperDolls when we got them, and we had so much fun trying to convince our dad to let us do some of the crafts from Felicity and Molly's craftbooks!


We also didn't have cable television from the time I was seven until I was fifteen. We made due with rabbit ears during that time. Our music was mainly the rock and roll my dad listened to when he was in high school, the army, and then in college, because that's what all his records were, and we loved to use the turntable. And then, because we liked that, it's what we listened to on the radio. My mom ran a daycare in our house, so we also spent a lot of time playing outside, to not disturb the babies, or inside reading. I really appreciate the sort of unplugged childhood I had, now that I'm older.

Ha, I guess I ended up typing way more than I thought, but the doll thing really got me started! I won't even get into how dismayed I am at the sexualization of middle school kids, especially since I'm biased in that regard - I'm going on 23 and I've never been on a date or even wanted to go on a date!

[img]graemlins/star.gif[/img] --- KERI --- [img]graemlins/star.gif[/img]

[Starearedkid]

To Keri-I had to laugh at your term of "kidlet"-I thought I was the only one that used that!

I worked in a preschool-with 3 year olds, and well...I saw how even 3 year old girls were growing up faster. Most of them loved accessories/clothes a little too much at the age of 3. I know when I was three, I was a typical kid and wanted toys/books for birthdays-not clothes.

My friend's daughter is 3. She has every toy under the sun that she could ever wish for and want. Unfortunately, the act of "giving her" way too much, is causing her to grow up faster then I think she should. I mean, she is bratty and spoiled rotten-I don't blame her. She is 3, but she has at least 20-25 different build a bears alone not to mention the hundreds of other toys. She gets bored with a toy. Plays with it once-gets rid of it. I can easily see her once she hits 6 or 7 being so tired of toys, that she turns to make up/clothes early-because there is nothing else she wants or desires toy wise.

On the other side of the spectrum my cousin is 4. Her parents are well off-but she and her brother have a moderate amount of toys and items. A lot of the toys that we see in the house are obviously dollar store/bargain bins. But they don't care-they love them. She gets more clothes-she is a total girl-princessy and things like that for the holidays/her birthday. For her 4th birthday, I think she actually got 2 toys. (And one was from hubby and I) Everything else was clothes/jewerly/dress up things. She lit up when she received the toys. Her favorite toy is a bitty baby we got her when she was 3, last year. She loves that doll and goes everywhere with it. I can see her not growing up as fast. She isn't spoiled-and treasures her toys. She doesn't get everything she wants, so next year and the year after and the year after that, she'll still have the interest in toys, because they aren't overexcessive with her.

I didn't ask for an AG when I was 9 or 10 based on three things-I knew they were expensive, I knew I was getting "too old" for dolls, and I NEVER liked dolls when I was a kid. So why now? I played with boy/girl toys. I remember one day in preschool, my mom was carpooling my best friend Jonathan and I home. I was talking about what I wanted for my birthday-and I told him to get it for me. It was the remote control monster truck, with the teeth that went EVERYWHERE. I wanted it so bad. He told me he wouldn't get it for me, because that was a boy toy. At four, I yelled at him, telling him that there was no such things as girl toys and boy toys. I told him I could play with any toy I wanted to. Needless to say, a week later on my birthday, he got me a bracelet.

I do find it sad how there are very few "toy" years left with boys and girls. It doesn't seem right or even natural.

-Jordyn

[kbrzez]

By the way I love the Little Mermaid since it first came out. Everyone in high school knew how much I loved her and Prince Eric (I was determined I would one day find my Prince Eric-something that my boyfriend at that time did not believe, he thought he was it, didn't last past high school, I found my Prince a few years later and we have been married for 10+ years now) and no one ever made fun of me. We will be visiting the MAgic Kingdom to see her on Tuesday I hope! I loved playing with dolls when I was younger-especially Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake and Cabbage Patch Kids-they did not have AG back then. My girls love their bitty babies, Polly pockets, and all their other dolls. They are so precious playing dolls. It has taught them so much-especially with hand eye coordination and improved their speech too. their special Ed preschool has tons of dolls and doll related items for both the girls and boys. Hey, they need to learn to since my DH has been a wonderful stay at home dad!

[TaffyCheerful]

Originally posted by AGMommy:
I'm going to open a can of worms with this one, but I would have a problem with boys WANTING to play with dolls. It's one thing if they're toddlers, but 8 or 9 year olds? I think there are clear-cut differences between boys and girls, (which I accept.) Girls want to play with dolls. Boys want to 'beat them up.' LOL!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">May I further open the can of worms by asking if it is OK for older males WANTING to play with dolls? I'm 61 and find dolls to be a wonderful hobby.

Taffy

[thepidget]

[quote]Originally posted by Taffy Cheerful:

May I further open the can of worms by asking if it is OK for older males WANTING to play with dolls? I'm 61 and find dolls to be a wonderful hobby.

Taffy

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Taffy, I think it's cool that you love dolls. I don't like that toys are sometimes "gender-defined" and I certainly don't think it's fair. Playing with dolls seems like such a nurturing thing to do (and I'm not talking about GI Joes), and I think it'd be nice to have toys that will bring out the gentler side in males. My fiance is not a doll collector, but he is an extremely gentle and kind person, and I absolutely love it when he starts playing with my dolls with me.

Just out of curiosity, Taffy, did you grow up playing with dolls? Did you have a parent who was into doll-collecting? I'm just wondering how your love for dolls got started. [img]wink.gif[/img]

As for me, while I was growing up, I did play with "girly" toys like Barbies and My Little Pony, but I was also very much a tomboy. I also remember that I went through phases where I actually enjoyed getting into schoolyard brawls with boys... [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/devil.gif[/img] And now, as a female twentysomething, I can honestly say that I still have zero interest in wearing makeup or doing my hair, which are activities that girls my age are "supposed" to enjoy.

But I guess my point is that everyone, male or female, grows up with different interests, even if the interests are not necessarily considered "gender appropriate."

[QueenNellieElizabeth]

I'm not saying that it's bad for boys/girls to like the toys that are geered twoard the other gender, I love playing with legos when i was little (and now).

[TaffyCheerful]

Originally posted by pidgetgirl:
Just out of curiosity, Taffy, did you grow up playing with dolls? Did you have a parent who was into doll-collecting? I'm just wondering how your love for dolls got started.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I used to make clothing for my spoose, having learned how to sew way back in high school when I worked after school in a small dry cleaning store where they did alterations. Years later, she decided that she would pick the styles, the fabric and the color, at which point it became a job, which I already had and the job I had paid better. I needed a hobby that I could keep as a hobby, one from which I could derive joy without having to live up to anyone's expectations or demands.

About eight or so years ago, I saw a Target doll on sale and thought, "Gee, I could make clothes for her and she would not complain about the styles, fabrics or colors." That and the fact that these dolls are really, really cute, began my love of dolls.

Alas, I am so busy in my job that I have not been able to make anywhere near as many clothes for them as I would like, but I have built a huge wardrobe for them nonetheless from eBay and various doll stores, both online and brick-and-mortar. In many cases, I have requested or commissioned outfits I really wanted for them from ebay seamstresses whose work I particularly liked. Outfits like a 1950s-era gymsuit, a pink/white cheer jumper, a 1960s Brownie jumper and blouse, various school uniforms, summer rompers and cute unmentionables would otherwise be unavailable for my girls.

If I had my life to live over, I think I would have taken dolls up as a hobby much earlier. Wished I had known then what I know now, both about myself and the joy these dolls provide. It is a great hobby. My grandboss mentioned to his admin on noting that I bring a doll into work most days, "He brings diversity to our workplace, and it is good he doesn't collect guns..."

Taffy

[only1genevieve]

Hm, I cant get the quote function to work, but in regards to AGMommys post (the apostrophe wont work either, sorry) about boys "wanting to beat dolls up" :

I don"t think that"s fair, a lot of boys are gentle with toys. I had brothers who were very good at playing dolls with me, at ages 8-14, even if they didnt always enjoy it. I think the idea that little boys always want to beat things up and thats the way they are is another gender role established to explain away their rowdy, energetic behavior. Its much easier to say, "oh, boys will be boys" then it is to step in and give them a creative direction for their energy. My brothers were very energetic but my mom kept them busy doing constructive things like building tree houses and taking care of the baby (me!) which included playing games that I wanted to play (baby dolls, often).