A Girl and Her Doll

When I was about 6 years old, I got a baby doll for Christmas. We were living in Ft. Stockton, Texas and we were in the middle of moving. The night before the big move to a new town, my family went to some friends of my parents home for dinner. I took my brand new baby doll. The next morning we were on our way out of town and I remembered my doll. I had left it at the house we were visiting the night before.

When I told my dad, he said that we didn’t have time to go get it and he would get me another one. I remember sitting in the back seat of the car and was extremely sad. I felt sorry for my doll. I missed her. But…life goes on.

I didn’t have many dolls growing up that I remember. When I was 3, I got a Susie Smart doll for Christmas. She wore a red plaid jumper and had a school desk and chalk board. A year or two later, I got a Candy Fashion doll for Christmas. She was a fashion doll and had mannequins that you could put clothes on since she was a model. I’ve always wondered what happened to those dolls. We moved quiet a bit when I was young, so no telling where they are.

As life went on, I helped take care of my two younger brothers. I was 9 years old when my youngest brother was born. I was really too busy with a real baby to worry about baby dolls. I carried him around every where I went. I remember getting in serious trouble from my father when he was disciplining my brother and he came running to me and I hugged him as he was getting in trouble. I could tell millions of stories about my brothers and I growing up as I was a miniature mommy to them. My parents had divorced and my mother worked around the clock, so I was the babysitter and housekeeper. Back to the doll stories….

After the loss of the doll in Ft. Stockton, the only doll I remember having after that was when I was in about the 5th grade. She was called Crissy. She had short red hair and when you pushed a button on her tummy and pulled her hair….her hair grew down to her waist. I really liked her, but, I didn’t really have anyone that played dolls around. I fell into the trap that I was too old for dolls. I kept her for a long time and ended up giving her to a younger girl that I knew.

When our daughter was young, we always made sure she had baby dolls to play with and she so loved her dolls. She would even dress them up and take them to church. I always loved looking at dolls and seeing all the different ones available when shopping for her baby dolls.

Now that we have two granddaughters, we have bought several dolls for them as well. Matter of fact…recently, we took our youngest granddaughter on a birthday trip and we ended the trip with a visit to The American Girl store. I always love going in that store. It’s all I can do to not buy everything possible.

As we were picking out our granddaughters doll, I told myself….”I’m getting me a doll as well!” And I did! I picked Mary Ellen. She is from the 50’s. Each of the dolls from American Girl has a story of a certain time period. They have books and of course lot’s of accessories. Mary Ellen had all the extras such as a pearl necklace and bracelet set, a poodle skirt with oxfords, a sundress, the cutest Christmas punch bowl set and of course a juke box that really works! Yes, I fell for it all!

I’m sure my granddaughter will love playing with her when she is here. I have 4 sets of clothes and changed her once for pictures. I was too tired to change her again…so you will have to settle for just the two pictures of her change of outfits.

I so hope that parents are still allowing their girls to play with baby dolls. What fun it would be to have all your dolls from your childhood and pass them on to your daughters.

On my Pinterest, I have a board called, iLove Things From the Past. I have found pictures of the dolls I had as a young girl. They look just like I remember them. Except the poor baby doll that was left in Ft. Stockton. I don’t remember what kind of doll she was. I just knew that I missed her and cried for her..that’s all I remember.

Do you have memories of special baby dolls?

I am linking this post with A Wise Woman Builds Her Home.