My daughter has been wanting an American Girl Doll for at least the last three years. She pours over the catalogue (that is sent a couple of times a year and addressed to the previous occupants) like the contestants from the Biggest Loser would do to the Godiva catalogue. She knows all of the names of the girls, plus the names of their friends. She has read all of the books.
I don’t mind the idea of the American Girl Dolls. My daughter has developed a passion for reading chapter books from them, has learned a lot about history, and has been exposed to the concepts of diversity, good character and deep friendships. But, we have been holding off for a while for two main reasons. One, the dolls and their clothes and accessories are expensive, and two, we wanted to make sure that she was old enough to take care of her doll and appreciate the gift.
I remember some of my favorite things growing up as a child. Today, I see too much of the disposable attitude with toys and possessions. I’m not pointing fingers, this is within my own family as well as children at large. Gifts don’t seem to mean as much anymore. I didn’t want to deny my daughter the chance to be able to experience the joy of getting something that she really wanted and to be able to cherish it.
So, with her birthday coming up, we put operation American Girl Doll into place. Originally, we planned to travel to NYC for the day as a surprise, so she could pick out her doll herself (although we know which one she wants). When that didn’t work out because of work schedules (my husband, who works with computers, is on call for the weekend), plan B went into effect. My father, who still lives in NYC went to the store for us. Of course, he couldn’t help adding to our gift, by purchasing not only two extra outfits, but also the carrying case.
I hope she likes her gift.
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