Playing with dolls

I saw a couple of episodes of a very weird tv comedy 'Travels with my Father) - Jack Whitehall.

The 'mother' (real Ma or not) walked around with some kind of doll thing in a baby carrier which added to the general creepiness of the thing.

Would that have been one of the 'reborn' dolls, does anyone know?

I never played with dolls, I much preferred my Dinky cars, and playing cowboys and indians. Dont think I did too bad as a mum, and my grandchildren think I am “ace” 😂😂😂😂😂😂

I absolutely loved/love dolls, and played with them until I was about 12. My grandchildren think this is hilarious, but times have really changed. I don't think it would make much different what kind of parent you become. Am 74 now, and always say to my children, if I get doo-lally, to please get me a baby doll to love.

I have yet to see any reported research on the potential for a relationship between playing with dolls as a child and becoming a parent. Likewise, nothing on playing with cars and becoming a racing driver, or the nurses' and doctors' kits and becoming a medic. Planning to become a parent and actually reaching that position is based upon cultural expectations, career opportunities and resources. I don't believe that cultural expectations are legitimate but the other two factors are. At the end of the day it's the woman who undergoes the pregnancy, gives birth and suckles the baby - it should be a choice and the falling birth rate shows that women are exercising that choice more these days and that I think is a small measure of greater emancipation.

I loved playing with dolls and paper dolls as a child. One GD had an American Girl doll when she was little that took everywhere. Her younger sister also played with dolls and stuffed animals. It's cute to hear her having them talk to each other. She already says she wants to be a mom. Her 4-year-old boy cousin also has stuffed animals and action figures talk to each other. The other grandkids haven't done that. I don't really see a connection between playing with dolls and wanting children.

i had a few dolls knocking about but very little interest in them. My joy was spending time on my grannies farm and wearing trousers and t shirt and being able to feed the animals climb trees, collect eggs etc. such a freedom to be oneself and to be trusted at a very early age that you would of course, shut gates, check animals were ok before you came in for your own tea, and be a responsible person, but it was from within, not constantly telling you rules or checking you out. You were trusted and you could see the common sense point of shutting gates etc. Responsibility for whatever you looked after whether it was my younger sister or the animals was what made me feel part of the whole , whether that was family or a wider group.

watermeadow

I loved my dolls and mothered them until I was ten, when I transferred my affections to pets. I always wanted babies and had four.
One daughter never touched a doll and didn’t have children. My granddaughters didn’t play with dolls or any imaginative games as they were enslaved by iPads.
I wonder if fewer little girls have dolls now? If they don’t practise parenting when young does this contribute to the sharply falling birth rate?

I think it was inevitable that the birth rate would fall when women found they could be more than wives and mothers (and I'm not knocking either), and that has naturally reflected in the toys market.

I'm not sure about the idea that playing with dolls gears one up for motherhood though. I loved my dolls but had little enthusiasm for becoming a mother (though I did ultimately). I also loved my toy tin cooking stove and little tea-set, but I don't like cooking, nor entertaining! It's an interesting concept though.

I would guess that the falling birth rate is more to do with the fact that women now have the opportunity for fulfilling careers, plus the fact that economically life is quite precarious for lots of couples. Also, I don't think we are a very child-friendly nation, but that's another story.

Loved dolls, wanted children, had three darling girls, best part of my life for a while, was raising them. I am 85yo, none speak to me, nor their children. Wish I had chosen dogs, had better luck with them. They always loved and wanted to be with me. Maybe next time around.

I was never interested in baby dolls. I preferred action toys - train sets, bikes, building sets, etc. When I was older I had fashion dolls - Tressy and Sindy, and the cut out ones from magazines.
I had my children when I was 27 and 29 and thought I was old! My daughter and her friends are now having their first babies in their late 30s. The only problem with that is that they’ll be in their 60s by the time their children are grown up, and maybe too old to help with childcare, or even passed away by the time grandchildren arrive. I always thought it was nice to have young parents - my Mum was 24 when she had me, but I suppose older parents are probably better off financially.

I think it is very sad that families are having fewer children. It will be very hard on your country when you cannot do the work, both financially and physically, which it takes to keep your cou try afloat because there are not enough new people coming along to keep the country running and to pay into the tax schemes that help the older citizens. I love dolls and played with them and pose them and dress them until I was 14. I had a tiny tears doll, too. I wanted a Betsy Wetsy, but got tiny tears instead and I loved her. I even used to dress my dog up as a baby and wheel her around. I raised five children.

Playing with dolls does help you with motherhood. Nothing can prepare you for that.

Boys are allowed to play with dolls as well . My brother had a doll called Alan as child long before action man came about. My grandson's have a doll each a baby doll and a boy doll plus love playing with the toy pushchair my daughter brought the eldest when he was 2 he's 5 now he's 2 year.old brother zooms round with it.

All toys can and such be played by both sexes. I had cars and we brought cars for our daughter. So glad my parents where forward thinking and let my brother and me play with what toys we wanted. Brought our children up the same way . Unfortunately there are still people in this modern age who think that boys shouldn't play with dolls and tea sets and girls shouldn't play with cars and building sets. They must live very sad lives to be so limited in their thinking.

Pavane

So sorry to hear this. 2 of my 3 children are "estranged" so I feel some of your pain.

I was an only child and had one doll i played with but was more of a tomboy and always played with neighbors boys climbing trees when I could. I had one son and 2 long term Foster children and later became a volunteer with Home-start.

JackieBee1.
Thank you for your response and understanding. It is what it is and life goes on.

happycatholicwife but even more problems are caused if people have more children than replaces those people already here. The world was moving towards overpopulation. Some would say we are there already.

Around the world birthrates have slowed down to about replacement rate. The increase of population is being driven by increased longevity. We are all living much longer, again world wide. That will take about a generation to work through, then as the number of people being born drops, so will the number of older people.

This is why countries are putting up retirement ages. The solution to the problem you set is for people to worker for longer. Say what we will, we are living longer because we are all healthier than we used to be, even in old age.

I was a tomboy as well and always making dens and climbing trees but still liked my dolls. Had a doll called "Rosebud" and when her eyes came out my Grandad took her to the dolls hospital in Manchester (can't believe there was ever such a thing!) and Rosebud got new eyes and I was thrilled! She used to come to my dens with me and I would sit her in a tree!
Oh the joys of youth eh?!

mrsgreenfingers56 - what a lovely Grandad you had. Thanks for sharing this.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Most definitely and categorically NO!!!!

🤔

mrsgreenfingers
My doll Katrina, had a split across her forehead, and was sent to the doll’s hospital in Exeter.
As you say, who would have thought such a place existed? and on our very limited budget, I’m amazed that this was deemed a good use of our funds.

mrsgreenfingers56
Rosebud came to live with me, too!
In fact, I had two, one was white and one black. My twins 🙂

Dolls Hospitals exist still, although they are more like private nursing homes with nimbly fingered people working from home.

DD bought a doll recently where the legs came separateky. She sent her to a lady in Sheffield offering repair services and the doll returned fully repaired.

As an only child my dolls and teddies were very important to me. They all had names and I had favourites, too . I can still remember one called Petronella, my very best doll. There was another one called Betty that I didn’t like so she sat at the back ! The cat would always be part of the play , he was the best because he purred.