What to do when your parents don't "like" your dolls?

Some parents are just like that. My mother is worse than my father. She makes snide remarks or just calls everything stupid. He just doesn't say anything at all, or maybe a question or two over the ten years that I've owned dolls. At first the disinterest hurts (they were the same when I started drawing anime characters instead of "American cartoons") but then I just did what I wanted anyway. My mom still doesn't really like them, though she thinks my Asteria is beautiful (cause she looks like she could be a porcelain doll) but it's not really a hobby I want to share with them anyway. I share my other hobbies, drawing, sewing and makeup (though, I'm sure if my mom knew how much I spent on that, she'd be just as snide about it, wouldn't stop her from having me use my palettes on her though). I share this hobby with people that understand, my husband and daughter (maybe my son when he's older), my best friend, Malvinas, and this wonderful community. I have some cousins that are interested in the hobby two, but not the prices. And that's okay. I can at least talk to them about the characters I have. Don't let what your dad and his gf say get to you. Enjoy the hobby. You're not doing anything bad or wrong by liking what you like.

 

My Parents think my Dolls are too expensive and I don´t need it ^^' , but I don´t care.
My Boyfriend accept my hobby and help me with my ladys ^^ and my friend thinks my dolls are scary ´~haha.

 

My mom just wondered because I never was interested in dolls but bjd are something else. She sees the creativity aspect of them and often help me when its come to crotch something for them.

My father wouldnt care on them but I broke contact with him before I was in the hobby.

My parents in law always making fun of me. It gone worse after they now on display in our living room. But I ignore them. At least I have a hobby and dont stare the whole day on the tv.

My boyfriend needed some time but he always helping me with them. He restring them and build a diorama box for me. He also says when he like their new clothes or give me ideas what would look good.

 

oh for sure, a lot of people also find them 'creepy' and therefore can't understand why they're so expensive or why I'd spend the money on them. When my mother sees all the cute little accessories and furniture I make to go with them, she's all into that. Apparently I will appease her when I buy a female one that she approves of. She will be waiting a loooooooong time cause she and I have different tastes

 

So I'm 19, still living at home and when I get my first doll I'm just planning on letting her arrive and explaining what she is to my parents later. I know they won't be happy with how much she will be (£208 for the first doll I want) even though it is my money, they will think she is a waste and I could have used the money better elsewhere. I'm pretty comfortable with her cost now and do not think she will be a waste as she will make me happy. I just wanted to ask what everyone else's experiences were with living at home and their parents opinions of their dolls and what their parents thought then vs. now
Thank-you!

 

I lied about the cost of my second doll. My parents actually had to help me buy my first one by lending me their credit card, so there was no lying there. I was about your age when I started collecting, too. (18).

Parents just want what's best and for you to save for your future. Your best bet is insuring them that you are still putting money aside for your future, but wanted to dabble in a hobby as well.

If not for my dolls, I wouldn't have the sewing, photography, crafting, sculpting, etc. skills I have now~ They've also helped with my.... mental state. Lol

I'm 27 now and still live at home. My parents don't /like/ the dolls ,but they can't exactly stop me from buying them. mom thinks they're pretty, but the cost makes her dislike them. Haha.

 

I'm nineteen, live at home and own too many dolls, and my parents don't get to know how much they are. I think as long as I'm spending my own money, I don't need to justify purchases to anyone (this would change of I got married, of course). My parents know I'm in a (relatively expensive) hobby that makes me happy, exclusively funded by my job. I do have my girlfriend bring my financial advisor, so I don't, say, blow all my savings. So, in summation, I think if you paid for it, you have every right not to tell people what you spent.

 

I think if they ask about cost I will just evade the question and say she was not cheap and leave it at that (unless they persist in asking) And I think I may be able to reassure them by the fact that I'm only using extra money to save for dolls so it's not like I'm spending money in a silly way or anything haha

 

My parents never told me it was a stupid thing to spend money on, but when I first started getting interested in the hobby I remember talking to them about it and them clearly stating that, if I wanted a doll, I had to save up and pay for it with my own money. So they were okay with it, but did not want to be the ones lending me several hundreds of dollars in order to buy one. I've also always done my best to explain the artistic aspects of the hobby and why it appeals to me, and I think they saw that it made me happy and were also very pleased when I started going to meets with other doll owners.
As long as it isn't money you needed for something else, and as long as it's not messing up any savings plans you had, I think it should be okay with your parents in the end, even if they might not like the cost of it initially.
Something to consider though, is whether your parents have any hobbies you can compare it to? They may also find it childish that you are buying a doll, but in that case explain to them that these dolls are collectors items targeted mainly at adult audiences, and do not tolerate the same levels of stress that, say, Barbies do + require quite a bit more care when handling.

 

I'm an adult, and my mom mostly just thinks it's a little odd that I hated dolls for most of my childhood and now I'm buying an expensive one, lol.

I've had many hobbies over the years though, and they've always been supportive as long as I could manage my space (i.e. keep things clean) and pay for it myself. I suspect those things would go a long way towards easing the concerns of many other parents, too.

 

I've been collecting since I was 19, and my parents definitely think it's too expensive, though I've always bought my own dolls. They do understand that it's a creative hobby for me so they don't mind other than the price, my dad collects model trains so he especially understands that side of it I think. My mum's kind of frowning upon it more recently because I'm trying to save a deposit for a house of my own, but I kind of want to focus on that myself for now anyway- I'm running out of space for dolls!

 

I live at home still (35... Actually, I own the house but my parents live here too). My story is perhaps a little different. I'm autistic, and have had a very hard time over the years with it, as well as with physical illness. My parents don't know exactly how much the dolls cost, but know they're expensive. However, they also know the hobby makes me happy, and I spent years being very unhappy.

Obviously, I work, and it's my money. But aside from that, my parents are happy that I'm making a life for myself. They're not too judgemental, really, as long as I'm not breaking any laws, harming anyone ir putting myself in the poorhouse, they're good with it. My mum admitted she likes the dolls. Sometimes she poses them or says they look nice when they have new wigs or clothes! She really likes Iago, my only 1/6 doll and gave him a little stuffed toy to hold. So yes, my mother is weird too. My dad supplies tools and things for me to make things.

All in all, I don't see why it's a problem. When I mention money, my mum points out all the things I don't spend on, that other people might (I hate pubs and clubs and bars, I don't wear make up, not fussed by designer clothes) so the money I spend on my crafts is offset, really!

 

My way of dealing with that was explaining to my relatives that doll still have its value as the time passes and should I be in an unexpected need of funds, I would potentially be able to sell one and regain some of its original value - if not the whole amount. At that they stopped complaining about me spending my inheritance on a hobby, and I think they began feeling more comfortable around my dolls, started appreciating them as a form of art they didn't even know existed before. Though I rarely mention doll prices unless they directly ask about it, really!

 

I made the mistake of mentioning price to my mom before anything else about the hobby, and she balked at it. (I have a 72cm boy so he's on the expensive side of the hobby, too.) But she never fussed at me about it or told me I couldn't, even if she didn't get it or thought I was a fool for spending so much on a doll.

I also collect anime figures, and she doesn't get that either. But she collects glass (vases, ornaments, plates etc; she has a cute dish of blown glass candy) and mentioned to me once that her parents didn't understand why she would bother buying dustable bustables like that, and gave her a lot of flak for it, so she tries to avoid that with me. (With, uh, moderate success. :P I love her, but sometimes, man...)

I think she's warmed up more to the idea of BJDs now that my boy is home and she can see him in person. She seems to like him, even if she doesn't personally think he was worth his cost.

If your parents freak out, you can emphasize that it is your money you're spending, and that since it is such a great financial investment, it means you've spent a lot of time a) considering your options and b) saving. So since you still want the doll after all that waiting time, it's definitely something you'll remain interested in and won't just toss aside. You obviously don't have to mention price if you don't want to, but should the topic come up I would advise against lying. Should the lie be found out, it'll make the whole thing much more uncomfortable in the future.

 

So I was around 14 or 15 when I got my first doll, I can't remember exactly to be honest haha. So yeah, definitely still living at home lol. I paid for her myself. I actually bought her in person at a store(she's a Goodreau American BJD, and about 20 minutes away there's a store that sells crazy amounts of expensive collector dolls. They had the Goodreau BJDs there. So my mom drove me to go buy her. She was perfectly fine with it, I've always been really big into dolls, I used to collect American Girl dolls, so I think she looked at it as a "more adult" version of that. My dad however thought she was creepy, always called her my "creepy" doll, and definitely wasn't a fan. I don't think I told him how much she was. Mom knows, and she was fine with it. I saved up my money and worked hard for it, so I earned it. We weren't given anything expensive for free in my family, you had save money and earn it. So mom was totally fine with it and could see the artistic part of it(we both paint), but dad thought it was weird. He things the whole Asain sub culture, anime, etc. is really weird and creepy. Hubby thinks they are cool.

 

I wasn't living at home when I got my doll but I was when I was first getting into them so they knew these dolls were pretty pricey. When I got my first doll, I brought him over to show my mom and I could tell my Dad REALLY wanted to say something about their price.

The thing is, my dad collects model trains. I worked at the hobby shop where he bought trees for his layout. He'd come in about once a week and spend 40 bucks on tiny, tiny plastic trees. He knows that. I know that. He knows that I know that. So we just stared at each other for a few minutes before he was like, well, as long as you're happy! LOL

They've become more supportive over the years; my dad actually bought the fantasy legs I needed to complete my Marl because I mentioned how bummed I was on facebook that I'd probably miss out on them cause I couldn't afford them at the moment. My mom likes to see pictures that I take and humors me when I talk about my dolls and what I'm doing with them currently and even helped me do a faceup on one of them.

 

My mom doesn't hear the end of it, lol. I think at first, she was a little confused by the cost, but she's warmed up to it! She knows it's something that makes me happy(as evidenced by the fact I don't shut up about it)!

 

That is soooo awesome! I love finding people on the spectrum that into this hobby. My husband is on the spectrum, he's an Aspie. It can be difficult sometimes, not totally understanding certain quirks or emotions, but it is so worth it. I love him more than anything. I think "weird" or "odd" hobbies really help those on the spectrum cope, hubby has a lot of hobbies he's into that most people around here aren't. I don't always get it or understand it, but if it helps him deal with things he's going through, then I support it as long as it's not anything harmful like porn or drinking a lot or things like that. I'm hoping to maybe one day get him into BJDs, I can see him really enjoying it. I think he feels too awkward about it though, and he doesn't like spending much money.. he's a saver, I'm the spender lol. maybe one day.

 

I'm 24 years old and living with my boyfriend so my parents don't get to dictate what I do anymore XD Though to be honest my mom thinks they're amazing, but when I wanted one when I was younger (around 13) of course she wouldn't buy me one, as they were too expensive. She definitely was the one that got me into collecting dolls though, she has given me a doll every year for Christmas since I was very young (probably around 5 years old?). They have mostly been porcelain dolls though. The last 3 years however she has given me Pullips which is a little expensive for her I think but she knows I love them So TL;DR I guess, my mom actually loves them xD In fact I think she is very proud of me to be able to afford the dolls on my own now.

 

My parents don't freak out because they don't know. My one full SD stays hidden (I got him in college and just told them not to open the big mysterious box when I moved out), my incoming doll is a tiny and should be easier to hide, the others are heads that stay in their boxes. I am waiting to move out before being more open about my hobby because I want to show that I can support myself and the hobby. That also means that I won't buy the SD bodies that I want just yet because there is only so much I can keep under wraps.