How does your family react to the hobby ?

My mom was okay with me getting my first doll. She even helped me pick out clothes and her first wig. And she helped me decide on a name for her. My dad didn't really have an opinion at that point. I've gotten a few more dolls since then and I don't think my parents are as happy about it now. I can tell that my mom doesn't like my newer dolls even though she doesn't say it. And my dad isn't happy about how much they cost. I think he thinks it's a waste of money. But they both like to see me happy so they've been supportive on the outside, even though I know they're not very happy about my hobby on the inside.

 

My family is fine with it, though they don't really understand why I would spend so much money on a doll. After I explained it in art collection terms, they understood a little better.

 

Since I've bought everything with my own money, my parents don't mind... But they admit to thinking that my money could be better saved instead of used up to buy stuff >.<;; Well since it's my hobby and my money, they support me despite reservations about costs.

Dad likes to give me tips when I take photos of my dolls, he even suggest I invest in a light box so I can do HEAPS more photography stuff like in a mini-studio since I do a lot of photoshoots with them.

Mum actually rather likes my smallest doll due to her angelic and sweet appearance, she admits to finding the more larger-eyed dolls being scary as they aren't really proportioned enough like humans.

I have two little sisters... The younger one was initially hesitant about bjds as she thinks they are creepy. However since I've bought one home and she has seen one properly in person, she admits that they aren't as creepy as she thought they were, also that my bjd looks awesome
When I bought the next one, she was almost as excited to see him as I was!

My youngest sister is a different case altogether... She constantly remarks about how they are creepy if I leave them in her view TWT But I am making head-way with the latest anthro doll I've bought. Just recently she says she doesn't find that one really scary compared to the others. (Muahahaha my subtle plan of desensitizing her is coming to fruitation! I leave my anthro doll out in the open near my desk where she walks past it everyday XP )

 

My very first doll, which i am currently waiting for as its shipping right now, was actually paid for by my grandmother.

My parents tend to be of the mind that its no more expensive than buying cars or bikes, and its not like they are something that won't last, like food or clothes.

So my family is pretty much chill with it

 

My dad is bullying me xD He says things like you're 18 not 8 xD My mother does not want me talking about it haha. But when she saw my MSD dress (I still have no doll) she really liked it. It's so pretty My best friend is terrified of dolls Fortunately my aunt and my boyfriend like them
but anyone finds them too expensive...

 

Everyone except my grandmother are okay with my dolls. My gran hates it. She's really religious so she's against me buying them and spending so much on dolls. My favourite aunty looves my dolls; she's been a doll fan but hasn't got any since her husband hates dolls xD.
But yeah, everyone except my grandmother are okay with my dolls.

 

My family is really ok with it. Except for my father, he thinks that dolls are just an expensive, pointless hobby. But the rest of them is really ok with them and my mother even supports me with sewing!

 

Well my sister is right there with me. I kind of drug her down into the hobby with me, and now she's even more fanatical about her collection than I am. My husband... politely ignores it? Hehe. The rest of the extended family is pretty indifferent. My parents think they are way too expensive, but even so they have knowingly contributed funds to both my sister and I so we can buy dolls (ie, money as birthday/Christmas presents with the intent of us buying doll stuff with it).

My mother-in-law is something of a doll freak her self (different type of dolls) so she can kind of understand the obsession.

 

My dad was horrified when I got my first doll, absolutely horrified of the price. He still is. In fact, I still don't tell him I'm getting a doll. If he asked I'd probably say it's clothes. He doesn't even like when I'm trying to make the clothes myself though -_-. I think he just thinks it's stupid. The last thing he collected were piggybanks (More money relation).
My mom was upset at first too, but I like to think she knows I'm not frivolous. I've discussed the quality difference with her a couple times now. Mostly I think she's just bemused...
My brother could not believe the money, but he collects airsoft guns. That shut him up.
My boyfriend still makes fun of me but he's pretty tolerant. He has a pile of guitars so the money spending isn't new to him. I like to think he's warming up to them ;D He's buying me one for christmas!

 

My parents think its a waste of money and a really bad time for me to get interested in such an expensive hobby (I'm in the process of becoming fully financially independent of my parents as I make the transition from undergrad to grad school). I was able to find my first doll for a reasonable price (she's a ResinSoul Mei) so they didn't whine too much about it. However, when they realized that that is an inexpensive doll and that my collection was not going to stop at one doll, my dad especially got upset with the prices. My mom understands about the whole collectors hobby thing so she's a little more supportive, but she still balked when I mentioned possibly doing a layaway for a pukiFee Mio. They don't want me to have any more bills. Even so, they just bought me the new KID Lonnie as a combined birthday/holiday present, so they can't think TOO badly of it, right? And they do admit that my doll(s) are cute. My sister is completely apathetic to the whole thing. She thinks my doll is cute but has absolutely no interest in the hobby whatsoever.

 

My family is mixed; My dad doesn't really like it because he think's it's a waste of money, My mom likes that I sew and do artistic things with my doll, My little sister has a tiny and wants to get a bigger one in the future, and my other two siblings don't care. XD

 

my mother was ok with it when i bought my first one, right after, i bought a nice bed and closet for my doll and she even came over to my room to admire the furniture. honestly, i thought she was going to flip in the beginning, but she didn't.i guess she figured i work very hard for my money and didn't say anything. she knows of my love for dolls since i was a little kid, we lived in a poor country and toys were not very easy to get. so, my daughter one day asked her about my doll and i heard her reply that i didn't have many dolls as a kid and now i have the opportunity of getting whichever i want. i was really happy to hear my mom say that. i told her that i was planning on getting Arvid from ipplehouse at the beginning of the new year and commented to her about getting linglang from oasis doll, she seems ok with it. i know she likes the one i have even if she doesn't say it XD, at least she had never said that iam wasting my money on junk, and she knows exactly how much they cost, but she also knows this makes me happy, and that's a relief!!!

 

My mother claims to not like the hobby, she thinks it's weird. But then she'll play with my doll, brush her hair, help me with photostories and such, so while I think it's not her favorite thing, she's okay with it because it makes me happy.

 

I'm quite interested in this as I'll be bringing home my first ever doll this Christmas. (Yay!)

I'm married with a baby and no longer live with my parents so I sort of have two families now.

My husband is so loving and supportive and has watched me collect Littlest Pet Shop pretty much as long as he's known me, he knows I love Disney/Pixar movies, stuffed animals, My Little Pony and Monster High dolls so my interest in BJDs was no shock to him. He isn't thrilled about the cost but he's supportive of giving me one for Christmas and things like that.

As for my parents, they are still very involved in my life, live just down the road and usually see me and the baby a few times a week. I would NEVER let them know how much I'm spending on my first BJD--It will be close to $1000 after I get everything from glass eyes and magic erasers to the limited clothing sets I've fallen in love with (why!?).

I always imagined that I would keep BJDs pretty much a secret from my parents, though I am close with them so I never liked the idea...

But one of the clothing sets I've picked is very elaborate and "traditionally doll-ish" which I hope will help my mum see my doll as something more "normal" like a porcelain doll (one of which she bought me once as a child) luckily her mother also has a doll collection which may help her cope with the idea of me wanting a "beautiful doll."

What I think will also help is that the doll I'm getting is a 35cm child, which I hope will add to the porcelain doll resemblance.

However, wanting to dress my BJD up in "plain" or "every day" clothes and imagine a real life character for her would be much harder for my mum to "get" so I might keep that idea from her for a while...

At the moment I hope to have my parents over at our place for Christmas morning and let them see me unwrap my girl and her elaborate satiny pink outfit. Hopefully they will see how pretty she is, how much I love her and kind of "get it" at least in the "normal doll" sense.

 

The nice thing about living in another country.. LOL Besides , collecting isnt a vice.. its something that makes one happy and ultimately is not bad for you. Nothing in the extremes is okay.

 

My mom had some time to get used to the idea of me buying a BJD, and at the time, I was telling her, "I might want a tattoo.... Or I might want a doll." I'm sure she preferred the doll, even though the price was crazy. However, she knew I was intending to get it with my own money, and she's usually been pretty supportive of my utilizing my money on what I want. I'm sure I've gotten the "better hobby than drugs" comment from her before.

Also, because it was almost a full year between mulling it over and actually acting on a decision, it didn't come off as expensively impulsive. Making your spending seem responsible does a lot for family opinion.
I've made several things for the doll, including clothes and furniture, and my mom (who learned to sew by making clothes for her barbies at a young age) is absolutely proud of my improving interest and skill at the sewing machine. I was never big into dolls OR sewing until my adulthood, so I believe she feels it's given us some mother-daughter thing to bond over.

She also thinks it's interesting how I decorate my doll, as I have a little "room" for her on a table in my bedroom. It's decorated with furniture and miniature props that I pick up for her. My mother often confesses that she'll peek in my room occasionally just to see what scene, style, or poses I have my doll in.

My brother's thing is computers, so he understands having an expensive hobby. That is as far as that goes, really. He does understand how valuable she is to me, though, and has made a diving save once to keep her from what would have been an almost comedic horrific falling disaster. Don't ever set your doll on your car trunk. Don't do it. If you forget the trunk POPS open when you hit that button, that doll will FLY.

My father doesn't need to know how much the doll cost, and I'm sure he'd give me flack, but luckily he probably hardly realizes I own a BJD.

 

My family isn't into it themselves but ultimately it's my choice and there are far worse things I could be spending my money on so they're fine with it, plus they know that even looking at pictures of them makes me happy.

My mum does think it's a waste of money though so she's not keen, she just isn't going to nag me about it or stop me from buying them, she trusts me to be able to prioritise necessary things over the hobby.

My brother thinks I'm nuts because of how fascinated I am and the fact that they have back stories etc, but he doesn't mind looking at them with me since even he can agree that they are awesome.

 

My parents didn't react as badly as I expected. In fact, they weren't really that bothered at all about him! My mum's the only one who's asked how much he was and I told her the truth. I'll admit, her jaw visibly dropped. She clearly was not impressed that I spent over £300 for him alone. She did say to never tell my dad that he cost that much, and even suggested I tell him (if he ever asks) that Alex cost about £60! I don't think she's all that impressed with how much some of the items for him cost, but it's my money & I can do what I please with it! My dad's not been that bothered at all about him.

 

Mostly positive! My "hetero life mate" enjoys owning some dolls, but she doesn't have a BJD (yet) and my boyfriend is about to get one of his own. My big sister became interested when she saw Iris, but we live in different states and barely talk anyway. Still, I'll count her because she's been on the hunt for a girl of her own.

The only negative relative reaction I've had was my somewhat adoptive grandmother, who asked when we started "playing with babies" and then said "that's shtoopid!" lol, we thought it was funny, though. I didn't care.

 

Hmm when i told my mother i want to get a doll.. she totally does not agree as she think it is expensive and i don't know how to take care of it. After i receive the first doll.. and i want to get the second doll.. she seem not that angry anymore. She just let me buy how many as i want as long as is my money. But i still need to limit myself xD