These dolls look incredibly real. But, the fact remains that they are just that- dolls- vinyl, glass eyes, some poked in hair etc.
They do not breathe, they do not speak, they do not move, they are not LIVING, period.
Yet, 20/20 did a news.piece on women/families who "adopt" these dolls and treat them like children. For some, the children they never had.
One woman, 49 (gees, that's my age!) has 4 of these things and takes them out in a sling, stroller, to the park, buys them outfits etc etc. She takes them out LOOKING for people to goo-goo and ga-ga over them- which they DO, until they realize the thing, however, life-like has NO LIFE!
I love dolls, too, but this... this nurturing of them, in place of a real child, is pretty much whacked.
I was especially suspect of the state of mind of one of these women when the reporter asked her why she didn't adopt, since she longed to be a mother, and her answer was that adoption was a long process, expensive, uncertain, and that with $500 she can easily get another "reborn" (as these things are called) child.
Yes, true about the adoption observations, but holy cow, how can you compare, in the end, holding a child, feeling him/her breathe against you, kissing his/her warm/delicate skin, smelling him/her all cozy and ready for sleep, a child who will grow and change and LOVE, with cuddling a cold, albeit pliable, NOTHING??
Anyone who has read TheChildrenofMen by PD James, will recall the incredible episode when, after years of world wide infertility, women have taken to adopting kittens and china dolls and treating them as real, even having baptisms for them etc, and a woman first coos over a doll "child" in a pram, then smashes its head on the ground, causing the "mother" to scream in horror and grief. (this was left out of the movie, btw)
That's what these women on 20/20 reminded me of...
Maybe those $500 (and that's for a low end baby) would be better spent toward therapy??
** On a side note- the whole show was about child related issues: Orgasmic Birth, At Home Birth, Breastfeeding Older Kids (0ne was 8!) and Surrogacy. Interesting to watch.
4 comments:
I'm not convinced that these women really want a live child and all the responsibilities that come with it. I agree that they are a bit strange and I have to admit some relief that they aren't adopting--can't help but feel they wouldn't know how to deal with a baby/toddler/kid who does a bit more than just look cute...
Ok that dolls just frightens me!
I watched the same program....all I can say is, weird! That one woman who took her "baby" to the park in a stroller is in need of some serious help.
I saw part of this and tivo'd the rest. It was VERY interesting.
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