Too young for the hobby?

I have a 12 year old daughter and she has recently expressed interest in my Latis.
She has her own Blythe doll and has shown that she can take excellent care of her. She keeps the doll on a high shelf when she isn't handling / dressing / photographing her and I have overheard her telling her friends that the doll is very special and that she's not allowed to let other people hold her!
I never actually said that to her but it made me smile that she thought of it.
Anyway, I think that if she wants to save up for a Basic version Lati (or wait until Christmas) then I am fine with her having her own. It is a very individual thing though, a lot of kids her age wouldn't be ready for one.
As a lot of people have said... I think that it's up to the parents to decide if it is appropriate.

 

Notices of this type are created by legal departments in order to minimize a company's accountability in even the most unlikely case of human injury or product damage. It doesn't have much relevance to the subject at hand.

 

Oops, sorry then. ^^;

 

My sister is 30 and i wouldnt hand her a doll for nothing... my son is 10 almost 11
and he now has 2 of his own dolls and another on the way for his 11th Birthday.

 

8-12 year olds also gets phones, computers, I even got a trampoline for that value and parents (at least here in Denmark) doesnt even expect their teenagers to keep their phones for more than a few years max. At least thats pretty much the impression I have, my parents are not that way at all. So its not really that weird.

Just because we treasure our dolls doesnt mean that they have to! And I know two kids with dolls, one is my sister. Her doll is very dirty and the resin on her neck is all weird, I cringe every time I see her, its horrible! The other one I know, owns a small one, about 15 cm and takes great care of him, so I guess it really depends on the child.

 

No..age doesn't matter...what matter is the responsibility

 

well im 15 and ive just got my first doll, but ive been reserching them for months! i think that anyone who just buys impulsively is way too young, those who are willing to reserch and save are fine. personaly i feel if you cant have a pet dont get a doll, i know it sounds weird but in a weird way its true, its an exspensive hobby and you have to take alot of care of your dolls, in a way alot like treating something livein (without the feeding part =^=), but personaly it all depends from person to person, but its definatly not for some 12 year old rich girls birthday present!

 

I'd like to see the kid pay for the doll on her own, or at least part of it. I remember when I was eight or nine I saved for two years to buy my first American Girl Doll and I was sooooooooo crazy careful with her. Besides, it teaches a good work ethic and a value for money. :/

 

I think that they're old enough if they want it bad enough and are mature enough to scrimp and save, denying themselves other goodies along the way, just to own their dream doll. I don't think it would be a good idea to buy an expensive doll of any kind for a kid not old enough, or willing enough, to deliver papers or babysit or something in order to earn the money for it.

 

Sure it does - if a manufacturer thinks that age is an issue in how their products are sold & handled, how is that not relevant to the perception of age in the hobby? It has plenty of bearing on whether or not some parents wish to allow their children to own such an object. Factors like "human injury" and "product damage" are exactly the factors that are relevant to a discussion of age-appropriateness.

 

They would be if they were realistic. It is the legal department's job to protect the company from anything and everything possible - from the sublime to the ridiculous. My daughter has a jump rope that came with a warning against use by anyone under eight. Heaven forbid a kid should skin their knee - the parents might sue.

It is a parent's job to know when their child is physically and/or emotionally mature enough to use and/or care for a toy. In this case, the relevance is negligible; as people have been saying in this thread ad nauseum, age itself is not they key factor.

 

I suppose the opportunity for injury is low with these dolls (minus things like MSC) and it's not really anybody's business if somebody does trash their own doll. However, a part of me wonders where the phrase "wait until you're old enough" went? Kids don't seem to have to wait for very much these days. Where's the incentive to grow up? :p

 

I am 13 and I think im responsible enough for my own BJD. I have been interested for a few months now and have been avid in learning all that I could before I purchase my own doll. Its kind of hard to decide about us teens now days because some of us are actually mature for our age (keep in mind, this is only a handful xD). So the question is, are young teens ready for their own doll? And if i said something that was offensive, im sorry.

 

Age doesn't usually equate to maturity in the very least. I've run across 9 year olds who have more maturity than teenagers. While I was growing up I already had a collection of extremely fragile antiquities whereas my brother couldn't be trusted with a plastic plate. If anything else having something expensive is a good practice ground for people to learn some responsibility in taking care of their things. A child can be taught responsibility so I don't see 12 years as being too young for a kid to learn how to take care of things like a BJD since it's an important lesson in life.

 

To me, age doesn't really matter. I got interested in BJD's when I was really young. I've always been interested in dolls and took responsibility and care to my belongings. When I saw my first BJD I was 10 years old, I am 18 now and I'm waiting for my first BJD to arrive. I always wished my mom would buy me a BJD sooner but it never happened. xD

I think if you have the money to buy a BJD then others shouldn't judge. I have really young cousins that are more mature than most of my friends. If they are able to afford it and take full responsibility, I don't think age should stop them. It's their money and their doll. Age shouldn't matter.

 

My six year old saved her allowance and bought a hujoo berry all by herself. I happened to have had a wig and eyes I wasn't using that fit perfectly. She named her before she even arrived. When she's done playing with Violet she puts her back in the box that she came in. My husband and I were very surprised how well she has done in taking care of her. So much so, that Santa has been looking into getting her a bobobie tiny for christmas this year. Granted I don't see paying over $100 for a doll for her but as long as she keeps taking care of the ones she has I don't care to get her some other inexpensive ones.

Personally, I think these dolls are better for my daughter because they are smaller and easier for her to handle. She's a very petite little girl. Plus she has joined me at two doll meets and was very well behaved. She asked before she took pics of other people's dolls, she didn't grab or touch other dolls. Plus it's something we can share together.

I don't see anything different in this than girls her age getting those Amercian Girl dolls and those other $200 dolls to play with.

It's all about the responsibility of the child more so than the age. At least that's the way we treat both of our children. If they show us they are responsible enough for something we don't look at what age group the item is for.

 

I agree. When my mother was a child little girls got porcelain dolls as gifts, a tradition she (and my aunt) carried on with me. I was never very keen on dolls as a child so I didn't play with these porcelain dolls much. They sat on a high shelf and I would ask my mother to let me hold them from time to time. She used to let me hold her beloved porcelain doll as well as long as I was careful. I didn't do the whole tea party with the dolls thing or anything. I did have glass and porcelain animal figures that I used to play with. I kept them displayed in a shadow box and played with them carefully. I think I was 5 when I got the first one. BJD's are actually far less fragile than most porcelain dolls.

My oldest son will be turning 9 soon. He has been asking for his own doll on and off for some time but I didn't buy him one because I didn't think he would stay interested. Lately he has been asking to hold my Amaryllis. He is actually a bit over careful with her. He holds her so gently in both hands and fluffs her little dress and fusses over her. So I decided that he is ready for his own doll. He wants a Dollzone bunny like the rabbit in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, his favorite book. That is the only thing on his birthday list so that is what he is getting. I found one here on the marketplace. I haven't told him yet. He asks to look at pictures of dolls every day on my lap top. My youngest has always wanted his own doll but really isn't old enough. He was only 2.5 when I bought my first doll but he has always liked cuddling them. He frequently asks to hold my dolls and asks when he can have a doll of his own. He says he is saving his allowance for one now. I think I will encourage him to go with a Hujoo to start. He has his own Kelly dolls that he enjoys playing with and taking pictures of. He also takes pictures of my dolls. Lately he has been trying to convince me to give him Kitsune. Today he said "Kitsune says he wants to be my doll."

I don't see anything wrong with letting my kids save their own money to buy dolls or allowing them to request them as gifts. I wouldn't buy one of my boys a $500 doll yet, they really aren't old enough, but if they had the commitment to save for one themselves I wouldn't stop them. I don't see that happening right away. But when they have their own dolls I will take them to some of the local meets with me. They already know many of the local group, we host them in our home from time to time and the boys are used to being around other people's dolls.

 

I'm currently Fifteen years old, contemplating my first doll. Personally, I might agree with the majority; It all depends on the maturity level of the owner. If they're willing to devote time, and money into doll care, then I would believe that anyone over the age of Ten at the least would be just fine having a BJD. (With Parental Help, of course). If they're like most other children who would probably trash the doll in about five seconds, or end up leaving the doll around somewhere in their room, then no. It all just depends, really. In the end, it's just up to the parents.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself. The worst that can happen is a neglected or broken plastic doll, and some money that could have been better spent. There's no big moral or parenting issue here.

When I was 12 my "toys" were my homemade 500,000 volt Tesla Coil and the used Helium-Cadmium laser I got from MIT for refurbishing. I liked to make my own explosives too. Compared to all possible childhood hobbies and interests, the idea of questioning whether or not a 12-year old should be allowed to own a doll seems kind of silly. Perspective...

 

You have a very good point, but I think it all depends on who the person is. I got into BJD's when I was in seventh grade, and I bought my own, with my own money (I was about 12 years old.) I'm almost fifteen now, and I can see why a person would be kinda paranoid about a 12 year old with a doll, but when I was that age, I didn't see what the big deal was. But to the point, I guess it really depends on the maturity level of the person. I had a really good idea that if I spend all my money on something, I need to take really good care of it. I was also a really mellow and mature person as a kid, but for some reason I'm off the walls now XD