On Thursday, I dropped Hazeline off at school with a naked Barbie doll. Buck naked. Let me be clear, this is not something that I wanted to do, but prying it from her hands caused shrieking and crying of epic proportions that was leading all those in earshot to think that I was beating her. In reality, she was just really attached to her naked doll, and quite frankly, it just wasn’t worth taking it from her. I was embarrassed, but I left them there on the playground – Hazie and her doll who was donning only toenail polish and a crown on her hand (the crown was glued on, or it certainly would have been removed as well).
Day after day, Hazeline strips her baby dolls down, and day after day, I put the clothes back on. It’s a methodical process from her. Almost as methodical as my putting the clothes back on – pants first, then shirt, then accessories (pacifiers, hats, etc.)….each time grumbling under my breath, “Why must you do this?”. Our home has gone from respectable, to a nudist colony for dolls, and I for one am not okay with it.
I just don’t understand – Why must they be naked?
I’ve tried telling her that the baby dolls are cold. I tried telling her that it isn’t nice to leave the naked. I’ve told her that we don’t want to lose their clothes. She just doesn’t care. Then again, she is only 23 months…it is possible she doesn’t understand.
And then I noticed this at daycare earlier this week:
Apparently, it’s an epidemic. That’s Greenleigh’s class too, which means that I have many more years of this doll “naked-ness” in front of me. And in case you think there’s a pile of clothes nearby so the kids can change the dolls into different outfits, you’d be wrong. Just naked dolls. No clothes. WHY?!
I’d probably just agree to do it her way and let her dolls go naked 24/7 – stripped of their clothes and their doll dignity – if it weren’t so damn disturbing to stumble over a completely naked doll, who’s face down on your living room floor when you’re traversing your dimly lit house for a glass of water at 3am. Frightening, I tell you.
But then I kind of worry that this is the kind of thing that tends to come out if your child, God forbid, makes the news for a bad reason. I mean, can’t you just picture it…
News Anchor #1: “Well it’s not as if there weren’t any warning signs, she was bringing naked baby dolls to school at a very young age.”
News Anchor #2: “Yes, very odd indeed. What mother would ignore that type of red flag?”
For the record, this mom sees the flag, she just doesn’t know what to do with it. Or rather, how to keep it clothed.
Haha! Well, it’s a problem, isn’t it? The same things happen with my daughter, and it’s really not worth the fight. If it’s not dangerous to herself or others – why should you even have to deal with the constant screaming? I wouldn’t. Great call there, mama!
Our dolls are pretty much naked here too. I used to try to keep them clothed, but it’s just a waste of time. So now, I just leave them. She’s happy, so….Her barbies though, weird enough, always have clothes on them.