by John Finken

Created on: June 25, 2009

Almost everything can be done online. If you are reading this article, you probably understand that fact! The question is, however, is whether or not it is appropriate. Playing with 'dolls' online is perfectly appropriate in this day and age.

Every day the world gets more technically advanced, mainly through the creation of thousands of websites. Imagine how less entertaining and progressive our planet would be without the internet. Sooner or later, there will be barely any material dolls because if you were going to play with a fake baby, you would go online and play with one. You would go online because it takes up no space in your house, it doesn't cost you any money, and nothing gets put in a landfill.

As aforementioned, anything can be done online. Children can play online games such as World of Warcraft and RuneScape in the place of playing pretend games that do the same thing. They are still exploring their mind and thoughts through these games, though not getting the same physical exercise. In the way that many boys do this, many girls run imaginary lives online where they are parents taking care of a child. Let's face it, you can try many things with a virtual baby than you could with a doll, in less time. Girls play with dolls because they like the thought of being a mother by instinct. So, why not allow them to explore the same principle virtually rather than physically? I feel that forcing your child to play with dolls instead of virtual babies is like your boss at work forcing you to write a report rather than typing it.

Now all of these virtual dolls sites are not the same. There are numerous different sites for girls of all different ages, from1 to 10. You, as the parent, should always check out the site they want to play on to make sure you know what body parts and functions are available to do on it. If you feel that the site they have found isn't appropriate for them on the basis of age, help them find a new one that's more suitable for them. You want to look for a site that is free, appropriate, and if possible, has parental controls so you can decide what can and can't happen. But try to let your daughter be free to do as much as possible on the site.

So if your daughter has been wanting to play online and pretend to be a mother, let her. It will actually good for her health, assuming she doesn't play online 24/7. While I admit that playing with virtual babies as opposed to dolls has its downsides, those downsides are greatly outweighed by the fact that it's free to play online, it doesn't take up any space in your house, and nothing ends up in a landfill.

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