How does your family react to the hobby ?

I've been in the hobby for about a year now, and my family seems to be supportive of it, somewhat. My mom was sitting beside me when I ordered my first doll, and she always tells me "It's your money, you can do whatever you want with it." My dad doesn't really care about how much I spend on the dolls, but in all honesty, he doesn't know what they cost. haha Now my grandmother can't believe that I would spend so much money on a doll.. Wait until she finds out about the other ones that I want. They cost even more than the two I already have combined!!

 

My mom finds it pretty creepy but I can tell she tries very hard not to show it. She's always loved dolls so I don't understand what makes a BJD different than any other doll (in terms of the fact that it's a doll, you can make clothes for it, etc). She used to collect and sew for Barbies, so when I explained that I was getting a BJD and I'd like to learn to sew for her, mom wanted to see what they looked like. I could almost see her skin crawl. @_@

Dad and sister don't know. I don't think dad would approve and my sister would likely make fun of me (she's not a very nice person in general anyway). But! I don't live with them and haven't for about five years, and it's my money. Still, it would be nice to get some support. Maybe mom's opinion will change once Kasumi arrives and she can be seen in person.

 

Ahahaha . . . hah. My family doesn't know yet.

Oh they will find out eventually. I'm just sort of holding off the inevitable for as long as possible. I can already kind of guess what the reactions will be. My mom will think it was a waste of money, and she will give me 'the look,' but she never stops me since its my own hard earned cash. My dad, since he is a hobby man, wont care. He'll probable tease me mercilessly, he already does that with my cosplay.

 

In my family, only my sister knows my dark secret and I only told her about them in case I die. I don't want my Bermann being donated to Goodwill. My husband is clueless and never even notices my dolls, nor does my son or his two boys. If my mother were still living, she might like them, but would be appalled at my extravagance. I keep a low profile around the rest of the extended family. They all know I'm odd, but I don't want to talk about it.

 

My whole family treat my doll collecting as a total joke...! They wind me up and tease me about it......
They throw the term 'BJD' around in general conversation when they don't even know what it stands for....
Mr M also doesn't allow my dolls (any type) in to the house, so they're kept in a studio across the garden in cabinets. This part saddens me as they're hardly ever seen by anybody....
I spend FAR beyond my means on dolls, so they ALWAYS have to be snuck in to the house in secret...
I literally have to ambush the postman/delivery guy outside my home before Mr M/the kids notice..!
If I miss them passing by the window and they get the dogs barking/ring the bell, I've had it....!
My brother (who also lives with us, but in the studio) is the only person who remotely supports my interests and he often helps smuggle my parcels in (if I'm out) and he'll hide them for me...I think this is so sweet when he doesn't get my love of them either....Poor guy has to sleep with them in his room....!
I've got 4 children and none of them care for dolls....It's sad that I can't share the enjoyment I get from the dolls with them....My 4 year old (daughter) likes to see them initially for 30 seconds, but isn't particularly interested either after this.....:-(
I feel hurt and take it personally when all I seem to get from friends (if I show them my dolls) is a frown and puzzled look or worse stating I'm crazy or a weirdo....! I see them as an art/objects of beauty that should be appreciated for their own sake...if only others took a little time to at least TRY and understand them a bit.....? Hmmm....Thank GOODNESS for places like DoA, hey...?!

 

Having kids does not preclude you from collecting dolls. My boys were 6 and 2 when I bought my first doll. You will find quite a few older members on there boards here.

Lets see my family. Well as I say I'm a grown woman, married with kids so my parents don't have a whole lot to say about what I do in life these days but they don't mind my hobby either. My mother found it odd that I would want dolls now. She isn't bothered by it. I have other very expensive hobbies (tattoos are not cheap and dolls are not nearly as permanent). It is just that I hated dolls as a child. My father ignores the dolls like he ignores most of the other things I do. My mom will buy little things for my dolls and talk to me about them. She can't keep up with all of their stories or how many I have but she does try.

Now for my more immediate family. LOL Hubby loves the dolls. He was a bit uncertain at first but didn't care as long as it was my money (we do things this way). Then he took me to my first meet up and met his first DOI. It was love at first site and next thing I knew he had a doll of his own. There has been no turning back. We are now a family of doll hobbyists. I will say that I do more with the dolls. I restring, do minor modding, and manage the face ups. Hubby just enjoys buying things for his boys and handling/posing them. But he has 6 dolls now in varying sizes. My boys have grown up around these dolls and absolutely adore them. My oldest is 10 now and he has 2. He received his first as a gift for his 9th birthday and he saved and purchased his second. He just loves dolls as long as they are small enough for him to handle (he doesn't like them over YoSD sizes). He is already planning his next doll. He attends meet ups and conventions with us. My youngest also has his own doll and is requesting a second for Christmas. He is still a bit too young for the meet ups though. He also loves to hang out on the couch with my 70cm DZ boy. He is really into the big dolls but can't handle them for himself. He is my go to guy for help with the dolls. He loves to give me advice when I am doing face ups.

 

i can imagine and still remember very well my mom,my aunt and my sisters CRAZY reaction when i show them my boys, they will yell together and look at me with disdainful eyes said:

"WTH WHY THAT YOU WASTE SO MUCH MONEY TO BUY THIS USELESS THING!!!!YOU ALREADY AN ADULTS(i'm 22) YOU STILL PLAYING DOLLS!?HOW MUCH IS IT!(tell the fake and cheap price)WHAT!!THAT SO EXPENSIVE!FOR WHAT REASON ME AND YOUR SISTER WORK SO HARD TO EARN MONEY TO LET YOU STUDY OUVERSEAS AND YOU JUST WASTE YOUR MONEY IN THIS TOY,YOUR SISTER ARE MORE MATURE THAN YOU, SHAME ON YOU!(and with 1 hour scolding non stop)"

they always yell me everytime i go back to my hometown "you the kid who waste money" like i just born to be waste my family money,they just disagree every hobby and every decision i got,sometime more serious they just ignore it,because they think i'm acting like a children so my mind must be thinking like children as well, that really hurt me a lot, i just want to share with them and they just won't listen.

i didn't said anything when my mom bought a NEW LV bags and super EXPENSIVE purfume or a NEW CAR and my sisters wants to go to travel to different contries, they just do it when they want to. i hope they can respect me a bit in the future

 

My mom loves BJDs, but she's quite surprised by how much they cost. She likes to browse around online with me and point out all the sculpts that she likes xD

My dad doesn't like it that I'm into the hobby though. Whenever he sees them, he always points out that they are not only expensive, but also "don't make money." To him, everything revolves around profit. But it doesn't bug me, because I don't need my hobbies to make money. They are for me to enjoy during leisure after working so hard for it!

 

My mum pretty much agrees that they're cute when I bring them out, I don't think her boyfriend even knows that I have them. My siblings are pretty much "meh" about them, except my youngest sister who has one of her own, and my younger sister who has 3 of her own. ^^

 

Somehow I went and got myself labeled as the ubernerd at home :O (Nothing wrong with that)
So my family wasn't all that surprised when I bought my first doll last month.
They are not really that interested either, but my mom, because she's just sweet like that, has promised to help me sew his clothes if I get stuck, even if she thinks he's not all that pretty... (And I was like: What? But he iiiiis!)
Anyway, I live alone at campus right now, so I pretty much decide what I buy and what I don't buy..
The only one who actually caught some interest, was my brother's gf, and she might be planning to buy her own MSD at some point.
But even though they lack interest, my family still supports my hobbies (whether they understand them or not) and that's enough for me ^w^

 

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[TD]My mum, when I told her, that I buy a doll, only said: " I can expect, that you will run on such idea at the end. You always liked dolls". And conversation has expired on it. There are my money I didn't regret that . And she is only person in my familly who knows. The rest doeon't need ^_^.[/TD]
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My mom just kind of ignores them, and makes jokes when I get new doll things in the mail. She doesn't need to know how much they cost, because it isn't her money.

 

My family is okay with my hobby since I cosplay all the time at conventions.

Mom: Well at least they are interesting to look at like the porcelain dolls we have.

Dad: As long as your happy and try not to spend too much money your still in college.

Brother: As long as it is not staring at me in my sleep or when I wake up.

Brother's Girlfriend: Wow. So beautiful I want one eventually.

Boyfriend: I am not creep out. As long as your happy I am happy. I do want to cosplay with you eventually even if it is with the doll.

Best-friend: Finally, now we can plan outfits with my doll and yours.

So I think my family just accepted that it is a hobby of mine just like cosplaying and sewing.

 

My dad hated the idea of spending so much money on a doll. And the fact you have to pay months before you get the doll made him dislike it even more. But after much talking to and convincing he's a little more comfortable with it now.

My mom thought they were cute, but also didn't like the price at all. She still doesn't. But she's a bit more interested in them now. She even decided a fur wig wouldn't look good on my boy and talked me into buying a synthetic fiber wig xD

 

I think that knowing the price of this hobby would make anybody a bit uneasy about it at first, especially if its your family and ESPECIALLY if you are a minor/young adult. I remember when I remember when I was 14 and about to get my Shiwoo my mom saying "you're paying $500 for a doll that has no clothes and no hair??" But my parents have definitely come around as time has gone by, I'm glad Now my mom is extremely fascinated by the hobby and always gives good critique on my face-ups.

 

lol ! I am not alone then ..
My parents didn't like my pullips *I have like 20+* and they started to call the cabinet : the giant grave of dolls ! LOL!! I think it is about the fact they didn't play with such realistic dolls and never were introduced to them in movable way *only figures were available here* .. So, I should say reaction is getting better by years .. and by time! My parents just worry I will end up broke if I spent all money on bjds, which I hope I will not! I just tend to save for awhile then order 2 .. together =)
I take time to decide which I will get and why I will get her/him .. etc

 

My mum was actually shocked when she saw my half naked doll, lying in my bed. Initially, she was curious. But she screamed after seeing him half-naked. LOL. But my parents guessed that the doll costs around $100. I don't think I'm ever telling them the real cost of the doll. I don't want them to have a heart attack!

 

It seems like a lot of people in this thread are hiding the price from their parents or family. That's a shame, because all hobbies should be accepted and respected equally.

My mother is the one who knows the most about my dolls and sadly I still live at home, though I'm 21, so she can hear me opening up any new box. I got a Littlefee Ante today and she FLIPPED. I didn't tell her the real price, I shrunk it by half, but it's still "too much money to spend on yourself"

She's used to living from paycheck to paycheck, never buying anything but necessities. So buying anything more than $30-50 in worth for yourself is outrageous to her.

My sis just finds them creepy, but my brother likes them and is interested. He poses them whenever he sees them, though he tells me to stop buying so many.

 

I recently told my parents that I'd be following in my sister's footsteps and getting a BJD. Mom supports the idea, especially since I already have a savings plan mapped out. Dad doesn't mind, since his mother (my grandmother) collected porcelain dolls. Both pretty much say that it's better than spending that money on drugs! XD

 

My whole family hates my dolls. My brothers think they're creepy, and my parents think dolls are for kids and shouldn't be playing with them, even when I explained a million times they're mainly for decoration and photographing...I didn't tell them the truth that I secretly love to dress my dolls up and love them to death.