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Doll Buying Hints for the Tween Girl

A tween girl usually has one foot in childhood and one foot in adolescence, but no matter where the feet are planted, the heart beats and longs for things maternal. Dolls, from day one, are a girl's longing, but as tween times hit, the doll fascination usually becomes closeted. As her social circle enlarges, she is reluctant to share her doll love with friends, but quite content to spend rainy afternoons in private playing with Barbies in one hand and chatting on her cell phone with the other! Gift giving can reflect recognition of that without erasing dolls off the gift list.

The gift giver can choose vintage dolls or dolls that reflect a historical era such as the American Girl line. Fancier tastes and fatter budgets can tune into Madame Alexander dolls that are more for appreciating on a shelf than for hugging. Depicting well known characters from literature and history, Madame Alexander dolls are known for exquisite clothing and quality.

Look for quality and uniqueness in a doll for a tween. Look for the experience of acquiring the doll. Some doll lines have their own showrooms in Chicago and New York City. Allow the tween to search on the Internet with you for a doll. Note her interests and comments about the selections. The media tends to rush adolescence with doll lines such as Bratz, but be careful. That image does not have to be promoted and, in most cases, should not be!

Some parents and grandparents find that the tween years are good years for bestowing dolls from one generation to the next. Girls can be fascinated to see the dolls that have been in Granny's closet for decades. However, some girls are not mature and responsible yet to acquire family heirlooms. Each girl's situation is different.

Parents that know their daughter likes to play in private with her Barbies or baby dolls will not embarrass her about her link to childhood, but might allow her to choose a doll with a gift card to American Girls or Madame Alexander. This allows the girl to select for herself while still honoring that fascination with the most beloved girls' toy, the doll!

Learn more about this author, Jan Vroegin.
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