Doesn't this look like Suzanne? Imagine her hair dyed red ombre and a Canadian accent. Now?
When I was young, I was raised a boy. With trucks and sports. And no dolls. My parents policed my gender-behavior and nudged it into socially-approved conduct.
I was taught that feminine activities were off-limits. No dress-up play, no dolls, no talk about becoming a mommy. No princess dresses, no tiaras, no girlfriends.
On a motorcycle trip to Daytona for its infamous Bike Week rally, I spotted a helmet-sticker. It said, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." That made me wonder if I could enjoy what I missed the first time around despite being old. I believe it's never too late to have fun.
I bought this doll yesterday at Target. Like a twirling baton I got a few months ago, the doll is already making me happy. Objects that cost as little as $10 can mean the world to us when they represent something more valuable, like a lost childhood.
Is there anything you wished you had when you were young that you didn't? Is there any impediment to you getting it now?
A horse! But I've recently taken up riding lessons. I probably won't OWN a horse, but I'll soon be qualified to LEASE one. Oh, another thing. ..a MOTORCYCLE!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got a doll.She's adorable.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet. I had about a dozen Barbies as a kid, and I loved playing with them in one of those fold-out "Barbie dream house"-type things. I think we had a pink Jeep, too. I always wanted a puppy as a kid, and we just got one this week!
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to finish fencing classes--sadly, we had to move before I could actually take them entirely. Perhaps, I'll look into it in the near future
ReplyDeleteThe Travel Deluxe
Want more Fashion Dolls? I have a bunch of Barbies in the garage. Some I'll keep because I designed them. Some because I cannot relinquish the MC Hammer (boom box included). Some I'm sure would be happy crossing the continent to your home. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat's sweet of you, Anne. Sure!
DeleteIt'll take me a while to excavate them. Some day, without warning, there will be a box of Barbies at your door!
DeleteYou designed Barbies Anne??? Wow, how cool.
DeleteGreetje
That will be a happy day, indeed!
DeleteI love that you keep making these choices. You have no idea how happy I get when I read you're doing stuff for yourself :)
ReplyDeleteI treat myself often enough and many of my life goals have been around since I was a child, like becoming a teacher. I've got my paperwork ready and I'm heading out to universities later this week so I can apply !
Good luck, Lorena.
DeleteEvery year I would wish for a horse for my birthday. I don't know where I would have kept it, we always lived in the suburbs. I still have a fascination with them now, I don't think that I want to own one now though. I will settle for a horse ride now and again instead.
ReplyDeleteyes, dear lord, she looks just like Suzanne! I am so glad you got the doll, I agree it is never too late. When I was little and growing up in Ohio, I wanted to live in Manhattan.... snd here I am, now for 30 years ( with a stint in the burbs, bleck!)
ReplyDeletexx, Elle
http://mydailycostume.com
Well, I don't know about in my childhood- actually, I just thought of something- but my recent change in homes has led to a kind of second childhood. I have a passionate love of dolls and wanted to get into Monster High repaints, but my ex-roommate kind of judged me for it. Now I've been ogling dolls on Amazon waiting for my first paycheck so I can buy one (I'm looking at you 17" tall Frankie Stein). It's been cool to be able to just do what I want without judgment.
ReplyDeleteWe have to stop worrying about what others think and just please ourselves. Life's too short not to enjoy it.
DeleteHa ha! I *wish* I looked like that doll : )
ReplyDeleteI often wanted my own clothes as a kid. My Grandmother sewed most of the clothes for me and my sister and I just hated having someone dressed the same as me all the time. Hmmmm...maybe that is why I'm obsessed with not dressing like anyone else now.
bisous
Suzanne
I always wanted a train, never got it. When I was a kid my folks never really forced gender specific toys and I had a hot wheels race track set, played roller skate street hockey, although I never did learn to skate backwards. My folks encouraged me to play with what made me happy and I was wicked at baseball. I also had a lot of girly stuff so they gave me balance. I hope you enjoy your lovely barbie!
ReplyDeleteI was raised a little princess: frilly dresses, fairy tales where the prince saves the princess, the works... and at the same time I got to watch both my (paternal) grandmother and my mother run their own businesses, and bail my macho father out of one mess after another... Talk about mixed messages. No wonder then that in my teens it was all studded leather jackets and ripped jeans for me, and to this day I hate anything too girly, frilly or sweet...
ReplyDeleteInteresting personal history, Tiina. Thanks for sharing.
Delete"It's never too late to have a happy childhood." Love that. Good for you x
ReplyDeleteThat does look like Suzanne! You should try to find a doll that looks like you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your thoughts on my last post! I know it’s a heavy topic and this is why your comment meant a lot to me... and I totally agree with everything you wrote!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me really happy to read this little text of you on how this doll could make you so happy!
Xx
Larissa
cenestquedelachance.blogspot.de
i wanted a sit and spin, so my family got it for me when i was 18!
ReplyDeleteI had to look this up 'cause I didn't know what it is. They didn't have them when I was a kid (and I'm not a parent). That's a cool toy. Maybe we should all get one!
DeleteThat very same quote has been a guiding force for me since my teen years (my childhood had some positive moments and I never deny that, but it was also incredibly dysfunctional, challenging, painful, and fraught with difficulty). I think that it will always be a work in progress for me, but I'm not giving up and am happy to say that no matter what life has thrown my way, my inner child is still alive and thriving as the years roll on.
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
I'm so happy for you as you are fulfilling the empty spots of yours.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I can't really remember is I was missing anything I wanted to make real now... well, I did have a great childhood with understanding parents who didn't limit me to any roles as well not giving something I wanted a lot (here I must notice I've never had big dreams like a horse). I've always wanted a dog when I was little but it was my mother's dream as well. In my teenage we finally got the dog Elen. I've always wanted a comfortable home which was decorated according to my taste but it became truth as soon as I left my parents home after graduating (however a place I live in now is better in this matter). Some wishes however never could be re-done for example I've always wanted a great school friend but I never got close with any of my class mates.
I wanted a pram for my baby doll. It was too expensive for my parents. I bought an antique one when I was 17 and went on holiday with it. My best friend had one too and we took the train. Much better than a backpack.
ReplyDeleteGreetje
I am going to have an ice-cream cake and a pinata for my 35th (um I mean my 53rd) birthday!!!! I can't remember ever having a birthday party so I am going to do this for myself.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Lynn!
DeleteIt makes me a little angry that parents sometimes misunderstand "their job" of raising a child "the right way". Once again I have to thank my parents for letting me find out for myself what I like and let me grow to who I am. I didn't have any gender specific toys. I played with Matchbox cars, male dolls (the Action Team kind), I played soccer and got in brawls, while I shared my girly toys with my brother. I was quite the tomboy back then, actually I still am. And I am all woman, too.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am glad that you freed yourself eventually. And why not stepping back into your childhood, and fix some things ;-)
She DOES look like her!
ReplyDeleteI still love Barbies and all the stuff I used to play with that I still mostly have. Kiddo has my very favorite Barbie doll now, Whitney - a long-haired brunette who came with a sparkling navy form-fitting gown. I used to lie awake at night when I was 4 and pray to God that I would wake up and that dress would be hanging in my closet in my size; I remember this very vividly. I ended up wearing an almost identical dress to my prom and didn't realize til later that's what I had done. I finally got my Whitney dress!
Well. I looked over at Sadie the other night to see what she had in her mouth. It was Whitney's head. I'm not sure if I can get it back on her body because a piece chipped off the neck. The horrors!!!!
There are things I wanted as a kid that we couldn't afford. We couldn't get a plastic Barbie Dreamhouse, so I made my own house out of bookshelves and made all the stuff to go in it, even sewing beds and pillows and drawing art for the walls. I'm very proud of that now and don't long for the Dreamhouse. I do remember the first pair of Keds I got as an adult (they'd been the IN thing when I was younger) and the first pair of Chucks.
I am ALL for getting what you always wished for at any age in life!