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Is it "wrong" to let younger kids have BJDs?

Oct 26, 2009

    1. Seriously. From my point, this is like a two sided sword.
      On one hands some kids might actually be mature enough to own a doll such like BJDs.
      But on the other, much larger hand, most aren't.
      However is this to say that a young mature child (ages 9-15) should own one?
      *Personally side. My answer, it depends.
      My sister has a tiny, and she doesn't really take care of it, per-say, as in, she leaves in on the self all day. She finally gave it back to me, after having it for a month, today.
       
    2. Depends on the kid, really. My daughter is 7, and she's had a Bee-A for two years now. Granted, it doesn't go in the toychest or in the closet with all her other toys, but she does play with her. I taught her that if she wanted to keep it, she HAD to take care of it, and it's never been a problem. She plays with her, then puts her in the closet with my dolls until next time :)
       
    3. As long as all the family's (or individual if someone outside family is buying) needs are met and one is not going into debt, I don't think it would be anyone's place to say whether it is "wrong."

      I might not choose to buy one for my little one, but I certainly pass no judgment on someone who chooses to do so.
       
    4. I don't see it as 'wrong' by any means. The argument is, can this child take care of such an expensive item? If the answer is yes, and they really want one, then why shouldn't they have it?
       
    5. My son is 10 and he now has two BJD's and about to get his third for Christmas. LOL, Every doll i get he asks me if it can be both of ours... LOL..... isnt that cute? He likes the 43-55 cm sizes and i like the 70-80-90cm sizes. He about choked when he watched me open the box my 90cm Hale came in. When i took that big dude out of that box.... my son's eyes almost popped out of his head. I think if a kid likes dolls and is good with things like that.... then they can be trusted to have one. We do have a special place they HAVE to be put back.... They don't get kept in his room with other toys. They go on a shelf in the dining area with a few of my other BJD's.
       
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    6. It's not wrong but the child has to be able to take care of it. Kinda like a pet and I wouldn't give them a doll that was really expensive to start with.
       
    7. I suppose if the family can afford it. Most children wouldn't take the best care of a doll, but it really would be up to the parent if they want to buy something that is very expensive and risk it being ruined. I think it is really up to whoever is paying for it, because whether the kid takes care of it or not, it is the parents who spent the money.
       
    8. I know many girls under the age of 15, who own BJDs and I've never considered them too young.
      My bestfriend's younger sister got her when she was 12, I think, and she is very careful with it.
      I can't see myself give a doll, if I had a 9 year old daugther, but 11-12 seems more likely. But in the end it depends on the child.
       
    9. I think it all depends if your willing to spend the money on a costly doll that may or may not be taken care of. It all depends on the kid.
       
    10. As far as I know, there's young owner here at DoA, and they take of a good care of their dollies.
      I think it depends on the kids. Sometimes kids get easily bored with things.

      When they get new dolls, they love it to death.
      But when they bored with it, they leave the dolls and looking for the new one.

      But there's also kids that really love their dolls and take a very good care of their dolls until they get older and so on~ ^___^
       
    11. I think it just depends on wheter or not the kid getting/wanting the doll would take care of it.
      if so, then I don't see a problem.
       
    12. My god-daughter is 11 and owns two MNFs... The first, her Shiwoo, was a birthday gift from her mom and I two years ago. The second, her Ari, she paid for half of all by herself last year after saving up her chores and gift money. She takes excellent care of them, and always has... and I trust her completely handling my own dolls.

      She's always been a very careful kid when it comes to her things, though, and she's pretty mature for her age, so I didn't have any reservations about her owning dolls of her own. I knew she wouldn't break them, lose them or paint their faces with sharpies.

      I'm not sure *every* eleven-year-old would be ready for these dolls, but if they are... I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to have them.
       
    13. 9-15 is a rather large range. Elementary school vs high school; obviously there's a difference. I got my first boys when I was 14.

      If the kid will take care of it and the family (or the soon to be owner) can afford it, then I see no problem with them having one. And not only 'kids' mistreat dolls, there are plenty of other owners that jump into the hobby without researching and end up ruining their dolls.
       
    14. I think it totally depends on the child and the family. As expensive as these are, they are DOLLS. It's not like a pet, there's no morality involved. For some families it's a huge expense and it's important a child take amazing care of it. For some families it's a weeks allowance and it doesn't matter if the doll gets ignored or destroyed.

      And if you have to put "wrong" in quotation marks you probably know already that it's not a right or wrong issue, LOL!
       
    15. For me, the biggest issue isn't the potential damage of an expensive, fragile doll but rather safety - BJDs contain several small removable parts that can be choked on, the elastic could easily strangle a child, and I'm not sure on this one, but kids like putting things in their mouths, and sucking on toxic resin doesn't sound like a good thing. Those things pertain to a younger child, obviously, but accidents can and do happen. Even the best behaved kids get into trouble now and then.

      So as far as I am concerned, it's wrong, and I would never allow any child I had to play with or have their own BJD until they were older than say, 13 or 14. It would all depend on their maturity level and degree of responsibility too.
       
    16. I agree with everyone that said "it depends on the child"
      but honestly it just depends on the person too...age is just
      a number!! There are plenty of adults that might not take care of
      a bjd the way another feels is "right" or appropriate.
      How many of us have a stuffed animal or other toy
      that was loved so much it no longer resembles it's
      previous self? *raises hand*

      That being said, I would never give an expensive doll
      (or any item) without knowing if the recipient even wanted it
      first. Actually wanting something is key to taking care of/appreciating
      it. So, if a person ages 9-12 (or younger!) wanted a BJD & could
      even save something up for/towards it then I don't see any reason
      why they shouldn't be allowed one of their own;)

      I would have LOVED ABJDs as a kid & my Mom wished they
      were around (as lovely looking as they are now) when she was
      younger also. :aheartbea

      edit: I agree that some dolls are NOT age appropriate due to magnetic
      parts getting lost or even eaten (lol) but that must be left to the parents
      or person giving the doll to decide.
       
    17. There sure are a lot of threads on this board asking "is it WRONG?" to do this or that. Look, if you're comfortable with it, fine. If you're not comfortable with it in your particular situation, fine. No need to put a value judgment of "WRONG" on it.

      There are kids of 9 years old who are more mature and careful with their things than 18-year-olds, and there are also households that think nothing of spending a few hundred bucks on a toy or a hobby item for their child because they can afford it, and don't much care if the kid smashes it on the floor or ignores it all day when said kid gets whatever it is.

      My response is that it depends on the kid and the situation. Factors such as how much the doll costs, how bad the kid wants it, the manner in which the kid is likely to play with the doll, etc. would be things to consider. I don't think you can make these decisions just based on age. I know for a fact when I was 12-13 I had a huge Barbie doll collection and took pretty good care of it. By the time I was 15 I was "too old for dolls" and didn't really get back into them until I was out of my "teen" years, so it may be that a 12-year-old is at a perfect age for a BJD whereas a 16-year-old isn't because she wants to spend her time doing other things, such as dating.
       
    18. There's nothing wrong with letting a child play with dollfie dolls. It's pretty much the same as letting them play with a barbie or anything else like it. The only thing I'd be concerned about is if they got the eyes out and starting chewing on them or something. Just make sure their hands are clean first and it should be fine.
       
    19. I'm guessing Volks says 15 and up because 15 is the age of a high school student in Japan. I would say "high school" is a good guideline. But even then, the maturity of the individual comes into question. One point there is that teens don't know themselves as well as adults do. Is a teen or kid going to get a doll and then decide that dolls are stupid and they don't want to play with dolls anymore? There are hazards and precautions to consider if you allow a kid to do their own faceups (you probably shouldn't, and an older child 14+ shouldn't without supervision). If you give a large doll to a smaller child, they may not be able to handle it physically and could drop it.

      So yeah, I think it can be wrong. There's a lot more to consider than just "I want it, give it to me."
       
    20. Agreed, absolutely. These are objects that people purchase. What does it matter what anyone else does with their doll that they own?

      I have met 4-year-olds that I would definitely trust with their own doll, and 25-year-olds I wouldn't want to see near one. But it doesn't matter. Their money, their doll, their decision.