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

I certainly wouldn't have a problem with either of my daughters having a doll when they are a little older. They are both well behaved (albeit sometimes super hyper) children. However I draw the line at giving such a thing to a 3-6 yr old due to the price alone. If they are responsible with their toys and would like a BJD at 8 or so, I would not mind getting them a bobobie or other inexpensive doll. my older one doesn't like dolls, but I know my 4 yr old may get one when she is older.
Both my children know my dolls should be carefully handled.
(I do not have a problem with nipples on a doll...they know what those are, however I would not give them a male doll)

 

Depends on the child. If they're responsible and mature enough to have one then by all means. But if they let it sit in the sun all day or something similar, then no.

Most children don't understand responsiblity in the long run. They'll do the right things for a week or two and fall back. But there are children who can handle responsiblities, and I see no reason to punish them because of others their age.

 

From a different prospective, I am 15 and own a BJDs. I take very good care of my dolls and would never just leave her sitting in the sun or throw her in a toy chest. Just like everyone else has said, I think it depends on how responsible you are. Age has nothing to do with it. Honestly, some adults aren't mature enough to take care of them.

 

I think the maturity of a person can make all the difference, in some instances a much younger child might be more able to care for a doll than a much older child or even a teenager. I think it would be very unfair to say 'a child shouldn't have a bjd until they reach X years of age' without knowing the individual child.

 

I don't think it's wrong if he or she can take care of doll

 

I am 16 and I own a Doll.
I really love him and i´m taking care of Koji.
of course there are some kids i NEVER bring a Doll near them...
But there are also some older dollowners and if I see how they are "playing" with their dolls it hurts me inside >o<

(sorry for my bad english...=^=)

 

I don't think I would give a BJD to someone elementary school aged. Probably 12+ would be ok because then I think you're less of a child. In Jr. High I started collecting anime dolls and always took good care of them. I would have done the same with BJDs if I had had one.

 

It's your money. Do what you want with it. If you want to give a $100 doll to someone that might destroy it, so what? Mine aren't getting hurt and it isn't my money you're spending on it.

The dolls aren't real people anyway so, no matter how much they mean to us, they're not alive and they don't care either way if they're put in a display case or a blender. Just because they have a "face" doesn't mean they deserve all of these "is it wrong to do x" threads.

They are pieces of art, and while I would personally cringe at the sight of something so expensive (LE or not) being scuffed up, neglected, dirtied, broken and such or even just having the living hell loved out of it, it isn't hurting the ones that I'm keeping for myself, and I didn't pay for it so it's not my business.

My friend's 6 year old sister has two bjds of her own, a DOD Twing Key and a RS Mei, and that girl keeps those dolls better than I keep my own half of the time.

No, it isn't wrong. Because no one's forcing anyone to give kids BJDs. People won't buy something for someone if they know it's just going to waste their money. It's like buying someone a sandwich that they won't eat. You'd rather buy them something you know will be liked and loved/eaten/used.

Where can it be "wrong" to let someone/ anyone have a doll, exactly?

 

as i said it before it depends on the personality of each kid. I have seen quite expensive presents being given to lil monsters who break them without a second thought. Spoiling kids usually works against the parents. Just as i have seen little devils i have seen very careful children. The most careful ones dont come from rich households, and work hard and with care for a reward, normally at bdays or xmas. I have to say if my daughter, who is very young and very careful was to grown into a caring child, my husband and i would consider giving her a miny bjd.

 

My daughter is 15 months old, and she has two. One is a Dollzone Shengxi that just sits on the shelf in her room. Now and then we play with her together, which mostly involves Shengxi having her hair rearranged into a ratty mess and a lot of excitement over discovering the shoes under her dress and such. The other one is a ladysaiyuki Hanyu, which is bald most of the time and she likes to identify the body parts on her, like eyes, nose, ears, and sometimes grabs her by one forearm and swings her around crazy! But that doll has very thick resin and sturdy features, so it doesn't worry me in the slightest. Still, she is always supervised, so that if Hanyu ever came unstrung suddenly, she wouldn't eat the little hands or something.

Anyway, giving a doll to a young person, even a VERY young person, can be TONS of fun! You just have to make sure its a doll that can withstand the abuse and get a nice quality wig that can withstand being tangled then brushed out again and again.

I also glue in the eyes on my daughter's dolls, and with that, the headcap, otherwise its possible she could poke their eyes out, or remove the headcap when the wig is off. Its just hotglue though, so it will come off someday when she's older.

They don't have names yet. I'm waiting for her to give them names.

 

As a grandmother who watches her grandchildren and their little friends play with their dolls (and they LOVE their dolls), I would say no. The girls are 7 and 5 1/2, as are their friends. They have American Girl dolls and Barbies, of course. They all look as if they need a good salon day.

I don't think they should have anything that expensive until they prove they can take care of it -- what would you do if they ruined a $200+ doll? Let 'em play with the less expensive dolls first.

However, there's nothing wrong with letting them see the "older set" play with dolls. I show my grandchildren how they should be handled, especially when dressing them.

Just my opinion.

 

OMG yeah, heck yeah it's wrong to give a kid a doll, whoever heard of such a ridiculous thing?!

XD
j/k

Raven

 

Well i'm 15 , but i got my doll when i was fourteen. I think i take care of her very well.. and i know alot of other teens who would, but also there are alot of teens who wouldent.....So it really depends on the teen...also if i didn't learn about the dolls before i bought one i might have not took care of her as well...And mostof my friends who are bjd owners started at age 14 or 15.

 

I think with everything, it depends on the child and the parents attached to said child.

My own daughter [who is a member on here too] got her first ABJD when she was 7, I would have gotten him for her sooner but she kept telling me she didn't want it [seriously, I tried for a year before hand to buy her her first; Kazuya, and her answer at the time had been "I have enough toys right now, mom"] She's now 15 and has 3 full sized character dolls, and 2 MSDs in the process of being reshelled.

She's always taken care of them, always kept them nice. From the ages of 7 - 9, she toted Kazuya around with her everywhere and still kept him in great condition. She's like that with all of her things though so for me, it'd never been a matter of 'if' but 'when' as far as providing them for her.

But in turn, as someone else stated in this thread, I've seen full grown adults treat the dolls with more disregard than my then 7 now 15 year old ever has. So I really feel it falls back on a case to case sort of basis. If you know the child is good with their things and you are okay with spending the cash then there's no harm in providing.

 

I would probably start a child off with a less expensive Obistsu to see the child's reaction before splurging on a more expensive doll for them.

You see people give their 5 year olds $400++ computer game consoles and they smash those and the expensive games to bits lol so I guess there isn't much difference when it comes to the price of things!

Anyway, I think it would be lots of fun seeing what look a child comes up with for a doll. It would be easier for their imaginations to run wild on a BJD compared to a barbie!

 

agreed!!! loads of us who have kids have devised ways of protecting the dolls. As you clearly show ur daughter and mine are very similar ^^ the better when they learn earlier ^^

 

I was given my first doll at around 12 years old. I had two by 13. However I did a good amount of damage to my first by "winging" many things. I sold my first doll damaged. My second I knew what not to do and had her sent away and customized but she never really felt like mine because of that. By 15 both of my dolls were sold. That was years ago. I never left this hobby but financial difficulties left me unable to partake. Yet now I have just purchased two new dolls and Ive come to see how age and experience can really add to the appreciation of bjds.

They arent just any doll to play with it. When your younger you dont really understand the work that goes into them. Now I can even believe the things I had done to my doll. Just plain stupidity. Any doll can please a kid, it takes a special doll to please an adult, and there serves a bjd.

 

it's difficult for me to let a 14- child handel the dolls....any dolls,really.

 

Echoing everyone's sentiment of who's to say whats "wrong", it all depends on the kid. I've had the same pair of glasses since I was 15 which my parents were very certain I would lose immediately, and then there is my almost 60 year old Step-Mother who can't keep something for long unless it's stapled to her (and has always been like that). What I think is wrong to give to a kid in the age group your describing is makeup, drugs, and adult cut clothes, but I'd never verbally declare it to their parents (well, except the drugs. I'd call the Popo in a heartbeat if I knew about THAT). IMHO it's no one's business.

 

I could understand why there may be conflict as to the age bracket should purchase them. I think it depends on the person and if they understand about the dolls personally. If they think it's just another barbie doll then i wouldn't advise a purchase.