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

I think it will depend on the kid. and the budget of the parents.

 

hmm I got my first doll for my 15th birthday and I take extremely good care of her. However, I never let any of my younger siblings (8,7,&6) handle her. Yet, I have friends in the 11-14 range that I'd let hold my doll. I think, as said by many other people, that it all depends on the kid

 

Ok ill admit im 14 and have five bjd's but im more mature and un derstanding when it comes to things i amAlso very artistic and i think under the age of twelve you shouldnt have a doll it took me a year till i got my first doll and i take care of them i buy them and make them things and i also did ther face upsThere faceups dont look messy or anything they look like a normal face up by an older person i think its ok but eleven years and yunger is not ok a person must be mature enough to have a bdj

 

My answer is "its depend" too because even if it was my child or not I pay so much for my dolls and I take care of them too much to let someone younger (Or even older) damage them or dirt them.

If the young person want absolutely to play with doll i'd be more than glad to get a "cheaper" doll like a Barbie, Bratz or something like that so they can do what they want with

 

Like many here have said, it depends on the kid. I was given some of my mother's old barbies as a kid and most are still in near-mint condition. You can tell if a child will really, truly love and care for a doll from a very early age. If you have any questions about it in regards to a particular kid - then don't!

There is one caveat to this, though. Don't allow the doll to be taken for show and tell. Even though the owner may care for the doll, many children are messy and destructive. Yes, this is where the "most" comes in... that poor barbie. ;_;

 

When my niece gets older, I do plan on getting her a doll. She will be turning 5 soon and already wants BJDs.

My only reasoning for waiting is that I want her to be into her early teens. My family has a big history of going and putting crayon marks, sharpie marks, paint marks, all over everything.

My second and last reason is.... my beautiful niece is very clever and will want to learn how to take these dolls apart. Which is just fine with me!! I love that she is so very smart, but I live well over 15 hours away, and I don't want her to be sad because her doll is "broke" and has to send it to me to get fixed -- ha ha ha, and I totally would, too.

But she is also very easily scared of things, and a realistic doll falling into pieces might also scare her somewhat. Thus, I plan on getting my little chickabee a doll for her 16th birthday. (Sweet 16 is a BIG thing in our family, too!! I got a piano keyboard, and my sister got a parakeet, and so on and such.)

I look forward to my little niece getting older and learning about my dolls, even if we are several states apart. It makes the gift that much more special for when I will get one for her. I can totally wait.

 

Well I'm fourteen right now and I don't own a bjd.
I own four of them :°D
I always saved up to buy them and i full payed them all, without help from my parents, and I'm happy with them
I bought dimitri in September 2009, Ren in January 2010, Alexander in july 2010 and finally Yuichiro in February 2011. I like play with my guys and sometimes i sew some clothes and buil some accessory to play with, I'm still saving to buy them some new clothes and a new head for my fifth character.
It obviously depends on the kid.
I know I'm still a "kid" but i take care of them.
A friend of mine, sixteen, had a bjd for a year but she had not the time to play with him, so she sold him two weeks ago. (she loved him, but she preferred use money in cosplay and give him to someone would love him much)
I think the young one wo want to collect BJDs have to be mature, they're not barbies, they're fragile and special. It's still their decision to buy one or not.

 

I was actually kind of sad to this! I totally understand he horrors of a younger kid who doesn't take care of their dolls but I'm almost 16 and I treat my dolls like holy grails! I do their faceups/tattoos myself and I spend a lot of money and time looking for appropriate equipment and making it perfect. I don't do anything clumsy with my babies and I keep them safe and their things organized. (: I think that maturity has a lot to do with it besides age!

 

I agree with everyone else. It depends entirely on the kid's level of maturity and responsibility. And also whether the parents can afford it or not.

 

I think everyone else has spoken for me, or at least they wrote what I had in mind

I learned about BJDs when I was... perhaps about ten years old or so. I loved them, and at the time, I was well aware that my age prevented me from doing multiple things that I've dreamed of doing. Three to four years later, here I am, saving up money for a doll that I'm not sure my parents will agree to purchasing for me. However, I know in my heart that I won't just throw them away or leave them on a shelf as a fancy dust catcher. It all depends on the child. Hell, I've seen plenty of teenagers and adults that write, speak, and act more immaturely than I do. (This IS the internet, after all.) A majority of people tend to be a bit more.. aggressive with their toys when they were kids. However, there are many people, such as myself, who treated their toys with the utmost delicacy and care. If the kid is REALLY interested in BJDs, and had proven to others that they were responsible, then let them have one. Of course, the price range is all up to their parents, that is, unless the kid already has the money for one in some rare, bizarre miracle.

 

It depends on the situation and child I guess, every time. If the child is trustworthy enough to be able to take care of a doll like a BJD, and they've been GOOD (oh yes, I would'nt spoil my kids like that unless they've been Angels) then I guess, why not? For Christmas or a birthday. I think I just figured out what to do when I have kids @__@ Woah.

 

I have a 14, almost 15, month old brother and I will let him look at my dolls, and even hold them if I'm right there. He is actually VERY gentle with them and likes to look at them. He especially like to pet their wigs and play with the zipper on one of their shirts. X3
Now would I buy him his own? At this age, obviously not. I wouldn't even get one for him if he was 16 unless he proved that he would take very good care of it. My dad and step mom (his mom) are notorious for letting their dogs get a hold of things, mainly my step mom, so I would feel very uncomfortable knowing a BJD was in that house and the dogs could possibly get it (only if it was in reach. They have a Chihuahua and a Sheltie mix. XD; ).
I do hope to corrupt, I mean, get my little brother more interested in BJDs, but I fear that my dad would try and ruin that because he does not approve. Oh well. Someday!

 

It's sort of like buying a child an expensive video game system. It really depends on the child, I guess.

 

I'm fifteen (..though I accidentally put in the wrong age on DOA when I signed up, stupid mouse...) and I'd like to consider myself more on the mature side, and I believe I'm capable of handling one. Now there are some kids in my class who would destroy a BJD in two seconds...
I'm sort of iffy when it comes to kids younger than 13. Since they're technically for adults, younger kids researching them on the internet might run into some adult things that their parents wouldn't approve of for children their age. (They're all anatomically correct, mature photostories, lots of adult subject matter, etc)
But I suppose if their parents are cool with the dolls and they've got the money and the skills to take care of it, why not?

& the reverse of this, I find it funny how my mom says I'm "too old" to buy a doll. But yet I'm on the younger side of the spectrum

 

Maturity is as maturity does. You are eager for us not to judge you by your age claiming you are mature enough to own dolls, but turn around to suggest with your next breath that those younger than you by only a year or two are not old enough or mature enough. Maturity is a state of mind, it is not gained merely by the passage of years.

I have addressed this several times in this thread already but I will again. A doll is a possession like any other. It is expensive certainly, but it is still a possession. There is no right or wrong in the owning of a BJD. While they may pose a choking hazard to a very small child, they are perfectly safe for children over the age of 3 (within reason). As for the frivolity of spending that kind of money on a child who might break the doll, that is up to the parent to gauge their child's maturity and interest. You cannot make that choice. It is truly no different than buying a child an expensive phone, video game, or other electronic device. All are easily destroyed and frequently equally as expensive. My 10 year old son owns 3 dolls, 2 out of three were paid for with his own money. He is not particularly more mature than other children his age he is just very careful with his possessions and has a one track mind. His first doll was a birthday gift. My 5year old also has a doll. He can be a very rough child but he is incredibly careful with his doll. He is saving up money for another doll. If I need help with my dolls I can count on him.

 

I think it depends on the child, and the caregiver. I received a porcelain figurine on my 3rd birthday, and went on collecting porcelain rabbits and Disney figurines right up until adulthood. I loved my "glass things" and played with them every day like ordinary toys. My mother made sure I understood their fragility and how I would have to handle them to keep them whole and beautiful. In all that time only two rabbits accidentally lost an ear, and they were repaired immediately. (I was more upset by the incidents in question than my mother.)

Children can be taught to appreciate and care for fragile things from a very young age, at least if they're not the terribly rambunctious sort--it just depends on whether the relevant adult has the time and patience to teach them.

Now, the maturity required to deal with the anatomical correctness is a whole other issue. But I think if you started them off young enough you might be able to circumvent the whole sophomoric-giggling-at-genitalia bit, since they'd be used to it by the time they reached the age at which these things become inexplicably hilarious.

 

I don't care how old they are as long as they've done their research and are mature enough to take care of their doll.
I'm 14 and maybe that blinds me a bit to this arguement but although it is a more of a adult hobby (not just because they aren't your everyday barbie but much of the content is um..more mature.) but as long as you can handle it and you're not a naive little idiot I don't see a problem.

 

My daughter is a very mature 12 year old and has 2 bjd's, an sd and a yosd, they couldnt be looked after any better, so, Id say it depends on the young receiver.

 

For me, it is not an issue of kids wrecking the dolls. I feel weird when I think of kids with BJDs, because I bought my first BJD especially as an adult indulgence. It was a deliberate exercise in luxury- which I did to celebrate being an adult.

I'd like a few frivolous, non-toxic things in life to remain exclusively adult. Things like MMORPGs have been invaded by kids. Pubs have been ruined by kids. Kids are somehow getting their parents to buy them more and more expensive things, just to keep up with fads. What surprises and pleasures are left to be earned by reaching a certain level of maturity? (Ironic that I'm talking about dolls, here).

BJDs are two things: fragile and expensive. To have to be a certain age to earn that sort of money, and to decide how to budget for that sort of luxury, is important. Looking after something so fragile is also implies a measure of self-control that kids seldom have.

A parent simply buying their kid a BJD sort of destroys all of the above symbolism for me. (A kid saving up their pocket money for a much-coveted doll is a slightly better scenario, as the child would at least get some idea of self-discipline, and would appreciate the doll more for what it is, ie. precious, for the sake of being precious).

Awful confession: I have been keeping this hobby a secret from a good friend of mine. She is well-off, and has a very spoiled little girl. If they saw my dolls, I know the little girl would ask for one, and mom would buy her one straight away... thus making a mockery of my concept of the hard-earned rewards of being an adult.


Yes. Yes, it is quite likely that I need therapy.

 

i'm 13
I got my first baby girl last year and still hoping to get more.I'm really careful when handling my girl.
i'm thinking on getting 2 or more rosette dolls for my birthday
I care much for my doll and love her to death.
but yes,it depends on what 'type' of child handles them.