July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Family disagrees on plan to replace missing doll (03/06/06)
As I See It
By By DIANA DOLECKI-
Crystal is missing. She was last seen in a Texas Wal-Mart. We think she likes to shop although she never buys anything. You can recognize her by her blue eyes, bald head and filthy outfit.
Crystal is a doll that belongs to the three-year-old niece of my daughter. A replacement Crystal has been purchased but I can’t imagine that will fool the child. For one thing, the new Crystal has different clothes. Kaila, the owner of the vinyl and cloth baby, would never allow the doll’s clothes to be washed, let alone changed. Plus the toy itself hasn’t been cleaned in ages. As she accompanied Kaila everywhere, she is quite dirty.
There is another problem. Crystal is hungry. It seems that nobody except Kaila can feed her since - get this - the doll is breast fed. We all know that breast feeding is a good thing. It is healthier for the babies and cheaper for the mother. But a doll? That’s a new one for me!
I shouldn’t be surprised since Kaila watched her baby brother being breast fed. Her new cousin, Emma, also snuggles up to her own mother for meals. Therefore, Kaila assumes that this is the preferred way for babies to eat. We can only hope that Crystal is found before she starves. Apparently nobody else can feed her since, as Kaila adamantly explains, she isn’t real she’s a doll!
At some point many children latch onto a stuffed toy, doll or other security-blanket type item. Sometimes the object goes everywhere the child goes and sometimes it only guards the bed and keeps the monsters from hiding under the mattress at night.
My daughter had Teddy. He talked to her and listened to all her little-girl stories. He rarely ventured out in public. Somewhere through the years he disappeared. I had intended to let him rest in the cedar chest after she outgrew him but he vanished before I got the chance. Perhaps he became “real” like the Velveteen Rabbit did? Or maybe he and Crystal are playing somewhere. One never knows.
Crystal has yet to catch “chicken pox.” Trust me, red ink is impossible to remove and somewhere there exists one of my daughter’s dolls that has had “chicken pox” for more than 25 years. Do today’s dolls still end up with spots since most modern children have never experienced the itchy red blotches? Or is that an unforeseen benefit of vaccines?
Crystal is different from many dolls in that she is always clothed. Almost all little girls go through a stage where every doll they own is naked at all times. If they are not naked then they are in the process of having their clothes changed 50 times an hour. At the end of all this clothes-changing the doll will invariably be left bare with its arms and legs at unnatural angles and its head twisted backwards.
Doll babies are not bashful. They often end up in public places without their clothes. If an adult dares suggest that the doll is cold they are met with a withering look and a proclamation that it’s only a doll and doll’s don’t get cold. However, try leaving the toy behind and suddenly it ceases to become only a plaything and instead it becomes a necessity to avert a full-blown panic attack.
The hunt is on for Crystal. Elaborate stories are being planned to explain the new Crystal and her wardrobe just in case Kaila’s baby can’t be found. Even the family dog is in on it. The dog is being blamed as the reason that the replacement Crystal had to have a bath and new clothes.
Some people think that Kaila should be told that Crystal is lost and she should deal with it. Others are devising an elaborate ruse to avert the panic-induced tantrum that is sure to follow if the truth becomes known.
I’m undecided. I don’t think for a minute that Kaila will be fooled by a new doll baby. I also don’t believe in doing anything that will cause a loss of innocence. She will learn about lost things soon enough and if there is a chance that the substitute will pass for the real thing then it’s worth a try. Meanwhile, if you are in a Texas Wal-Mart and you find a bedraggled baby doll please turn it in so it can be reunited with its “mommy.” Kaila will be most grateful.[[In-content Ad]]
Crystal is a doll that belongs to the three-year-old niece of my daughter. A replacement Crystal has been purchased but I can’t imagine that will fool the child. For one thing, the new Crystal has different clothes. Kaila, the owner of the vinyl and cloth baby, would never allow the doll’s clothes to be washed, let alone changed. Plus the toy itself hasn’t been cleaned in ages. As she accompanied Kaila everywhere, she is quite dirty.
There is another problem. Crystal is hungry. It seems that nobody except Kaila can feed her since - get this - the doll is breast fed. We all know that breast feeding is a good thing. It is healthier for the babies and cheaper for the mother. But a doll? That’s a new one for me!
I shouldn’t be surprised since Kaila watched her baby brother being breast fed. Her new cousin, Emma, also snuggles up to her own mother for meals. Therefore, Kaila assumes that this is the preferred way for babies to eat. We can only hope that Crystal is found before she starves. Apparently nobody else can feed her since, as Kaila adamantly explains, she isn’t real she’s a doll!
At some point many children latch onto a stuffed toy, doll or other security-blanket type item. Sometimes the object goes everywhere the child goes and sometimes it only guards the bed and keeps the monsters from hiding under the mattress at night.
My daughter had Teddy. He talked to her and listened to all her little-girl stories. He rarely ventured out in public. Somewhere through the years he disappeared. I had intended to let him rest in the cedar chest after she outgrew him but he vanished before I got the chance. Perhaps he became “real” like the Velveteen Rabbit did? Or maybe he and Crystal are playing somewhere. One never knows.
Crystal has yet to catch “chicken pox.” Trust me, red ink is impossible to remove and somewhere there exists one of my daughter’s dolls that has had “chicken pox” for more than 25 years. Do today’s dolls still end up with spots since most modern children have never experienced the itchy red blotches? Or is that an unforeseen benefit of vaccines?
Crystal is different from many dolls in that she is always clothed. Almost all little girls go through a stage where every doll they own is naked at all times. If they are not naked then they are in the process of having their clothes changed 50 times an hour. At the end of all this clothes-changing the doll will invariably be left bare with its arms and legs at unnatural angles and its head twisted backwards.
Doll babies are not bashful. They often end up in public places without their clothes. If an adult dares suggest that the doll is cold they are met with a withering look and a proclamation that it’s only a doll and doll’s don’t get cold. However, try leaving the toy behind and suddenly it ceases to become only a plaything and instead it becomes a necessity to avert a full-blown panic attack.
The hunt is on for Crystal. Elaborate stories are being planned to explain the new Crystal and her wardrobe just in case Kaila’s baby can’t be found. Even the family dog is in on it. The dog is being blamed as the reason that the replacement Crystal had to have a bath and new clothes.
Some people think that Kaila should be told that Crystal is lost and she should deal with it. Others are devising an elaborate ruse to avert the panic-induced tantrum that is sure to follow if the truth becomes known.
I’m undecided. I don’t think for a minute that Kaila will be fooled by a new doll baby. I also don’t believe in doing anything that will cause a loss of innocence. She will learn about lost things soon enough and if there is a chance that the substitute will pass for the real thing then it’s worth a try. Meanwhile, if you are in a Texas Wal-Mart and you find a bedraggled baby doll please turn it in so it can be reunited with its “mommy.” Kaila will be most grateful.[[In-content Ad]]
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