Too young for the hobby?

I am fourteen and I can definitely say that age isn't always an accurate measure of maturity. I don't think twelve is too young to take care of a BJD by yourself... although someone in elementary school would most likely need help from a parent or older family member. People are always so quick to doubt kids; we're capable of more than most adults realize, but we're never given the chance.

As far as mature enough goes, well, I'd say if they can save up their money, research BJDs and know how to take care of one, and still want one they're probably mature enough. Most thirteen year old kids interested in BJDs can do this; I don't think it's a minority of them like you make it out to be. I turned fourteen recently and I've wanted a BJD since I was twelve.

 

I believe this topic has been discussed before... It was called "How young is too young?" or something around those lines.
I think it very much depends on the child. I've seen 12-year-olds who I would have no trouble handing my dolls to, and 20-30 year olds who really make me nervous! People's personalities are just so varied that age isn't a huge factor.

Now, I would consider this to be a long[ish] term hobby... meaning you don't drop $500 on a doll, play with it for two weeks, then get bored and move on. I can see a lot of children having issues with that. Some kids just don't have a very long attention span, so they probably wouldn't be too in to doing all the research that should be done before they get a doll. [Even basic stuff, like no sharpies or oil paints, how to tell if they're strung poorly, etc.] Or they would have some fun the first few weeks, then get tired of the doll and move to the next thing that grabs their attention. Not all kids have that problem, I've just seen quite a bit of it lately [*coughmylittlebrotherandhisvideogamescough*].

So, in my opinion, it really depends on the individual child. ^^

 

I am over 20 now (Far, far over, infact even over thirty) but i can remember always being extremely carefull with my stuff. I had lots of toys with very tiny parts (Charmkins for example). I still have all the parts, everything is in one piece, none of my doll clothes ever got stained. I used to think a long time before using stuff like paint and clay, because i did not want it to go to waist. I cant recall any of my stuff ever being broken by me. I kept collecting the same stuff for years.

I can recall from my childhood a lot of incidents with other kids toys. I can recall leaving a birthday party shocked because birthday boy had broken all his gifts DURING THE PARTY. Even now as an adult, i see the children of my friends, some i would not trust with a cardboard box, others i dont mind if they play with my expensive crowd (im talking under ten year olds).

So i think the responsibility part is dependend on the individual child, some are more rowdy types, other more caring.

About the price: I do not think there is anything wrong with spending a lot on a child, on special occasions and if things are going well (ie not in a jiffy for a child that has been rude, cutting class and doesnt know if she wants it in the first place). I have a friend who buys baby Dior clothes for her toddler. Did you ever see what that cost?

About Seeing dolls as a from of art/ artsupplies: Ive always felt kids are given exactly the wrong, cheap-o stuff, not that they need the best and highest priced (for the smaller kids junk like eggboxes and leftover cardboard can be great), but for the older ones, lets say after 8, for goodness sake, give them decent stuff to work with. If youre new to something, and dont know how to do it, the change of you making something passable if you get junk to work with is zero, which i feel strongly undermines confidence. At my own primary school we where given bad stuff to work with, wonky scissors, non glueing glue, non-sawing saws etc, and i made junk there. When i got into my dads artroom, i managed to make very nice things. Now my dad, who has done every type of art & craft one can imagine, he picks up a piece of leftover broken of curbstone, and turns it into true art.

What i am basically trying to say here is that if i would have an artsy child, of say 12-13 years old that really wanted this for a reasonable amount of time, yes, i would buy her a doll and it would not have to be one on the cheapest side either (would not get her a limited or rare doll either). And i would provide her with the right implements to try to create something pretty (and redo a face-up myself if it did not work out at all). Some doll with easily replacable parts if something does go wrong, like Fairyland.

 

Its all in how the kid treats the doll, one of my cousins, if she's anything like her mother, should never ever in her life time have anything "nice" or breakable. The other one I could see understanding a doll could break very soon. I would have got the concept very young, I still have breakable toys from back in the day that I loved the paint off of but they're still here.

 

When I was a kid my mother always bought me "nice" dolls, like MAs, Kathe Kruse, antique dolls, and I was taught from a very young age that some are play dolls and some need more care. Clearly the parent you ran into didn't blink at a $400 price, so they have the money to spend, therefore they probably have very nice and costly things in their home and the child is appreciative of them.

 

I'm 13 (so I'm in that age-group what about is this thread) and I feel myself old enough to own a doll.
I really care about my doll, and I read, I think, enough articles about dolls, before I get mine, to not do childish and cruel things with her. My parents think I don't know how expensive she was, but I know. -.-
I think every girl from my age-group, who're a little bit mature, can care about BJDs. But I don't think, if I'll met a random 16-years-old girl, will be sure, that she's able to own a doll.

 

I still have my childhood dolls and they're in very good condition, including one I got the year I was four (quite some time ago, as I now have grandchildren) so I don't think age is a factor. I would have loved to have one of these dolls when I was a little girl.

 

I don't judge these type of things for other people.

A few weeks ago my mom opened my old Barbie case and we both were amazed at what good shape my dolls were in. They had every one of their tiny tiny pastic accessories. Everything was folded. The hair was not matted (for the most part). They all had their original outfits and there were no cracks in the rubber legs. Some of the dolls I owned since I was 11ish? I was not a very tidy child but I took excellent care of my Barbie dolls. I also played with them very very hard. I was outside with them whenever the weather was good. I took pride is taking care of my dolls and hated seeing other kids chew on their feet and trash clothes. My cousin was exactly like me and all her outfits were in impeccable condition.

It comes down to who the individual is and how much they love and care for the object in question. That is for their parents to judge not me. If after all the kid destroys the doll it is their money not mine. God knows I have seen enough spoiled brat teenagers crash their brand new car (gift from parents) or adults mistreat their expensive computers and gadgets to believe it is all about who you are and how you value things. I think age comes into play only when a child is really too young to be coordinated or mindful with a more fragile doll that takes extra care.

 

As most others have said it's as much to do with the individual as it is the age.
There are as many older teens and adults who have no respect for anything they own as there are children. I've spent many years working with the public selling them things that are breakable or killable and have felt like beating my head against a brick wall trying to get people to treat things better!!
Obviously I would be very wary of giving any child under 8 anything fragile, and certainly wouldn't give something like that to a child age 6 or under. Under a certain age kids tend to be still developing the necessary understanding and co-ordination.

A great deal of it is more to do with upbringing than age, if they've been taught by their parents to respect things, appreciate what they have got, and handle stuff carefully then they shouldn't be too bad. I know when I was a child I could be trusted not to touch, or if I was permitted to touch then to handle fragile things carefully, I've been brought up to respect things plus having lived on a farm during my early childhood you learn fast that you have to be gentle.

Remember dolls used to be made of very fragile materials such as porcelain many many years ago.

 

Ok then! I was about to post my standard bit about my kids -- who were 7 and 10 when I started collecting resin, and who got their own dolls in short order.

But I see that both Blodeuwedd and Isenn above me have said exactly what I would have, and better, at that .

*****

(and Isenn, I'm so envious... if only I still had my Barbies... 1960 or so Fashion Queen Barbie with the 3 wigs... *sigh* who knew!)

ETA: I got prompted to look it up, she was 1963

 

I'm echoing everyone else here. It definitly depends on the kid. There are 8 year olds i would trust with one of my dolls, and there are 20+year old that i would do everything in my power to make sure they never laid a finger on one. A lot of it depends on how the kid understand things, and how much respect they have, both for their own things and for other peoples things.

I know when i was 12-14 I would have been (err, was? I saw pics online of a volks doll at some point a loooong time ago and looked up bjds after that ^^; i'm 22 now, so i was probably 14-15 though) entranced by them, and I was one of those ridiculously respectful kids who took care of her own stuff and was very good about everyone elses. If I'd had a bjd, i'm sure i would have taken great care of it. The only difference is I might not have been doing my own faceups or sewing as much for them, but i'm sure that wouldnt have taken long ^.~


Just basing the judgement on age, i'd say a good generalization is anyone under 16 should at least have someone close to them who knows whats going on--not necessarially constant supervision, but someone who might be able to help with certain things along the way. My main concern would be whether or not the kid is mature enough to understand what they've got. If they are, more power to them =]

 

Quite honestly, I think it's fine as long as the child is at the age where they are aware that certain things (in this case the doll) must be treated carefully and not tossed around. I think 'too young' only applies to children that haven't reached that stage and still have the habit of putting anything and everything they get their mitts on into their mouth (which would horrify me if I ever saw a child like that with a bjd)

I'm actually a little more concerned at the mother's reaction to the price and how she decided there and then a bjd would make a good gift for her daughter. Now, I don't know anything about them, so for all I know the mother might collect expensive stuff herself and that's why she didn't bat an eye at the price when mentioned, and it's her choice what she spends her money on... but.... well, $400 isn't cheap for a child's present in my eyes. I don't think I ever got anything over £50 when I was her age, but that's probably because I was into lego sets back then and not dolls.

But to each their own; I was brought up by parents who were not in any ways poor, but at the same time they never really spent that much on luxury items like dolls for their kids. That's why I - personally - just find it a little weird. I can understand if it's a case of a parent buying a doll for their child who has done exceptionally well in exams or school studies though

 

I wasn't a very mature 12-y-o, but I still knew how to be careful with valuable things. Usually that's old enough to be aware of that sort of thing. The biggest problems might come, I think, if the kid wanted to take a doll to school. You have to REALLY watch out for the other kids at that age. @_@ Some of them seem to love to steal and break things.

 

I agree that it depends on the child. When I was young my family was very poor and I had very few dolls and toys, and those were all hand-me-downs from older cousins. I took very good care of them but they weren't shelf-sitters either. I think if someone that age wants one of these dolls, has the means to afford one or someone to purchase it for her/him, and can appreciate it, the doll would be well taken care of. But I agree with it being a problem taking the doll to school for fear of other kids breaking or stealing it. In fact, I've heard stories of dolls being damaged/stolen at meets of ADULTS!

 

I totally agree with this, and I think it works backwards too. I'm 19, which isn't exactly old, but I'm totally immature for my age. I'm more like your average meepy kid. Whereas this 14 year old sounds much more mature than I am ^^
Needless to say, I think it's more based on mental age than physical. So perhaps I should've waited a bit ^^

edit: however, that kid does sound spoilt in the OP. A BJD just like that? Seriously?

 

Every kid is different. I think I would have been very careful with such a doll at twelve. I still have some of my toys from my childhood and they are still in perfect condition (and I'm 39 now). Back in the old days, very young girls were given porcelain and composition dolls and were expected to take good care of them, and those sorts of dolls were easily as fragile or even more fragile than bjds.

 

To be honest, if the mother didn't bat an eyelid at the price tag, it's no-one else's place to say what age is too young to have a BJD. The child might treat the doll like precious porcelain, or she might trash it in five minutes - but it's not our business. It's up to the child's parents. I've seen parents splash out ridiculous sums on toys that their kids trashed after only a couple of days; but it was their money to spend, not mine. I might think it a bit of a waste of money, but it wasn't my money that was wasted, so it wasn't my business.

 

I'd say it all depends on the person, as most replies have mentioned. I myself became interested in ABJD around 13 or 14 years old. However I think it's best if the person who wants the doll buys it with their own money or at least helps pay for it. If the person has to spend their own money to buy it I think there's a higher chance they'll take better care of the doll. As long as the owner understands the value of the doll and realizes what they need to do to keep the doll in good order, age shouldn't matter.

 

If they can save up for a BJD themselves, I'd say they're mature enough.

If parents keep buying everything for their children.. I'm afraid they'll never mature xD